Writing | Using Wattpad to Write 'The Imperfect's Journal'

Life

Dec 4

Written By

Introduction

If you came here wanting nothing more than to get a link to the journal itself, just CLICK HERE and you’ll be taken to Wattpad, where you can read the entire story for free in three separate parts. The rest of this blog post is entirely free of spoilers, however, so you’re welcome to read on even if you haven’t read the story. In this post, I’ll be focusing on why I wrote The Imperfect’s Journal using Wattpad.

Why Wattpad?

Back in January of this year--and really, throughout much of 2017--I was having a hard time writing and editing. I couldn’t do anything creative at all. It was partly due to being defeated by a few unfortunate events that had taken place throughout 2017, but partly due as well to the fact that winter had arrived (and winter isn’t exactly a season that encourages me to thrive). I had gone from writing over five thousand words a day to writing (maybe) one or two hundred a week. It was suggested to me by a friend that I look into Wattpad as a chance to give my creativity a much-needed boost.

I’d never really gotten into Wattpad--it had always seemed like a site that was just one step up from writing sleazy fanfiction on Tumblr. I decided to give it a try, though, and found that not only was it not as One-Direction-Fan-Fiction-Plagued as I’d feared, it actually contained excellent writers waiting to be discovered. In fact, I learned that some writers had even found an agent through Wattpad and at least one of them has had her novel developed into a Netflix original film.

So, thinking that nothing could go wrong, I gave it a shot. I decided to turn a story I’d been wanting to tell--that of Darren Stratt, a young disabled man trying to survive during the Last War, which takes place centuries before my current novel, Chainbreaker--into a journal format. The format allowed me to create daily updates with short lengths, usually between one and three hundred words.

Wattpad isn’t the most intuitive site--images uploaded inconsistently for my headers (it became so inconsistent that I stopped trying altogether), chapters would become unpublished after I published them, and it could take several minutes for a chapter to load (regardless of my wireless speed). They’ve been working to improve their site even during the year I’ve been using it, however, so I’m sure that many of these issues are either fixed or on their way to being handled. I don’t think that I’d want to use Wattpad for a book like Chainbreaker, but it was an excellent choice for the journal-esque format of The Imperfect’s Journal.

The Story Itself

My story, The Imperfect’s Journal, is fairly short and easy to read given its format. It follows Darren Stratt, a young man with a serious illness which causes physical pain, memory loss, and a shortened lifespan. As his illness progresses, he also begins to experience auditory and visual hallucinations. Unfortunately for Darren, his illness marks him as an imperfect under the bill passed in the United States in the year 2066: the Bill of Perfection. Darren is now running for his life with one goal on his mind: Australia, where his beloved Sara McKenzie resides. His journey to find her is fraught with danger, detours, and surprises. He encounters several unique characters along the way, but no one seems to stay in his life for very long.

Book One Cover
Book Two Cover
Book Three Cover
Promotional Cover for the Completed Series

Darren’s inability to remember events in his past has led him to writing in a journal every day. He jots down what happened, his thoughts and feelings, or anything else that he feels may be important to him in the event that he forgets what happened, that day. Sometimes he has a moment to sit and really get his feelings onto a page while other times he has to rush his writing, merely getting a few basic facts out before he puts the journal away.

My Experience

I’ve been using Wattpad for a year, now. How has it turned out for me? Pretty well, actually. Without really advertising the story, even here on my website or on my facebook page, I’ve amassed about 2,000 reads across all three journals. Now that I’ve finished the story, the numbers will probably drop down a bit as I won’t be posting regular updates. 2,000 is nothing to scoff at, but I imagine I could do better if I really wanted to. And that’s what’s great about Wattpad: whatever you put into it, you’re going to get back from the community.

Wattpad’s community is vibrant, supportive, and alive. I made a couple of friends on there, I learned a lot from fellow writers, and I found a few fantastic supporters (and even became a supporter for a handful of folks). I am so grateful to everyone I met on the website and for the reading/supporting exchanges that took place. While I’m not sure that I’ll start another Wattpad story (at least, not for a while), I fully intend to continue supporting the friends I made during my time on the site.

The Bottom Line: Do I Recommend Wattpad?

For Writers

I definitely recommend Wattpad if you’re a writer, particularly if you’re having a hard time getting over a hump in your writing journey. Whether that hump is starting your novel, editing it, or just mastering the art of creative writing, Wattpad is a great place to get your creative mind churning. I especially recommend it for new writers who are nervous about putting their work out there for others to see. You’re sure to get helpful feedback on Wattpad as well as endless rounds of encouragement and statements like Keep it up! and Can’t wait to see what you do, next!, which really bolsters your desire to continue putting out content.

For Readers

Wattpad is kind of iffy for those who just want to find a story to read, which is unfortunate to say because the really good writers on Wattpad can greatly benefit from having more readers on the site. One committed reader for my story can make a massive difference in my appearance on the website, so every reader is important. However, if you’re out looking for something to read, Wattpad is a difficult site to navigate. For one, it isn’t very intuitive. It also has a tendency to (as I feared) be a festering ground for poorly-written erotica, fanfiction, and… worse. Sifting through all of that to find the occasional gem can be a chore.

However, there is a bright side. If you find someone you like, that author has likely recommended a few other writers on the site. I’ve recommended the works of people like Tricia Bird, Megan Lin, and Kacy Krypton. If you like their books, you’re sure to find authors that they, in turn, have recommended. If you keep following the recommendations, you’re bound to find something you like that is freely available to read on your phone, tablet, or PC. With that in mind, navigating a grimy coal mine to pick up a few diamonds doesn’t seem like such a daunting task.

Conclusion

Wattpad was an excellent experience for me. I’m extremely grateful to the site, its creators, and its community. The Imperfect’s Journal would never have been completed were it not for the support of Wattpad. I am not sure what lies ahead for The Imperfect’s Journal; it’s possible that I’ll simply be leaving it at Wattpad’s mercy, but I’ve received a few suggestions that I should self-publish it as an eBook. We’ll see, but it isn’t very high on my to-do list. To make it a viable eBook, I’d need to do a lot more than just edit--I’d want to add images and such to really sell the journal idea, and that will take time.If you’ve read this post and are now ready to jump into the story on Wattpad, CLICK HERE.