AJtheWriter22

@ScribbleYourThoughts Of course! I can't wait to read it!

@CrystalCallistral Haha, I feel that!

@AJtheWriter22 I see! The Ricin Queen started as an assignment for me to do, so I actually had to finish it, which is probably why it’s the only completed work on my shelf 

@CrystalCallistral Of course! I'm excited to read your short story! I love shorter books on Wattpad because I feel like a lot of effort is put into them so they're usually super well written!

@KLEE442 Of course! Thank you for the return votes!

@maritheswiftie Sure thing! Can't wait to read it!

@AJtheWriter22 Chapters should run consecutively regardless of the number of parts. However I would suggest, instead of running the story in chapters, either titling the chapters or marking them in Roman numerals. Either I, II, III or i, ii, iii

@AJtheWriter22 In my opinion it depends on whether the story continues or focuses on a different thing. Like for example, if the first part follows one full story arc or character arc then part two follows a different one then I would say start from chapter 1 if not then just continue from whatever chapter number you ended on in part 1 :)

@AJtheWriter22 i think thats personal preference, i started over in part 2 but i was highly considering continuing from chapter 83

@vaporization Thanks for contributing to the conversation and bringing another perspective! I always appreciate people who bring that to the table and love having a chance to have a friendly discussion! I know the additional boxes to check aren't supposed to affect the Wattys and that they're supposed to be for additional opportunities, it just makes me curious what those opportunities are. I don't see them giving main characters that have, for example, wildly colored hair or bi-colored eyes additional opportunities. Those things are also marginalized, but obviously not as big as a deal as race or sexuality has become nowadays, haha. I know they say they're trying to uplift people whose voices don't get heard, but honestly, those communities seem like they get heard a lot in recent days, and even years. To raise up a story simply because of a character's physical attribute or sexuality isn't giving other people a fair chance (I'm saying this outside of the Wattys, because like we mentioned before, it's not supposed to affect anything) for whatever other opportunities Wattpad has to offer. I think that yes, they would still try to chose the best story, hopefully a well-written one since they are a writing website after all, but they're also excluding people needlessly.

@Mariya_Evans You don't have to; it's optional, and not what it's asking. It's not about whether you in particular care, it's about taking time to highlight stories that have been historically underrepresented. I don't feel excluded because I don't make a fuss. I don't need representation, I don't get validation from books, but I don't think we should underestimate the value of community and belonging. I mean this in the sense of you don't know what you've been missing until you get it.
            
            You may not realize how much your identity truly shapes how you interact with the world and vice versa unless you've had to contemplate how it fits into your society. If you can live happily without thinking about it, good for you. But it certainly does matter. Some people have no choice but to care about it if they want to live happily.
            
            You are not being asked to check off diversity boxes. It is always your prerogative to write what you want. It's just about being aware that there are other people with different experiences who don't get heard as often.

@AJtheWriter22 @Mariya_Evans A different perspective? In general I think it's a somewhat privileged take that this stuff doesn't matter because it attempts to sweep the problem under the proverbial rug of "peace." Absence of tension, you know. I used to wonder why representation was such a big deal as well since I never felt left out of any books, but never feeling excluded doesn't mean you feel included.
            
            It's worth noting that WP says it doesn't boost your chances of success in the Wattys but can set your book aside for other specific opportunities. I mean, it's not like WP is selecting poorly-written books to win awards just because of specific representation, right? You never have to care about it if it's not your thing. WP will never be able to recognize everyone you think deserves it. Good writing will always be subjective.
            
            It does kind of irk me that there are specific genres in the Wattys for those when they should be subcategories, but I would be lying if I said that outside of Wattpad I didn't sometimes search specifically for books with certain representation. I was genuinely surprised to learn that a friend of mine was searching for more queer books because I just read them all the time; they're not underrepresented on my bookshelf anymore. But across the world it's a different story.
            
            I don't know enough about all of this or even specifically Wattpad's statistics to have a fully informed take, but for now I don't think it's a bad thing. Feel free to change my mind because I really would like to know more. Also good luck in the Wattys if you're doing it!

@hey3rch Aww, thank you! <3<3<3

Hi, I'm good really, just here to appreciate your published books <333

@hey3rch Hi! I'm in the USA! How can I help you?