Conducted by glitterandasphalt.

In an effort to support other group accounts in the Pokémon community, I reached out to GeekoTreeko, co-founder of  GenerationsDebut or GD, for an interview. GenerationsDebut is a new account aimed at promoting authors who are new to the Pokémon scene. They are an energetic group, who are willing to lend a helping hand to those who write fabulous books but haven't built up a steady base of readers yet.

First question: how long have you been on Wattpad and what made you want to join?

That would be as of Apr 2014. And I joined because my sister insisted. If memory serves, the first Pokéfic I read through was Blue Lightning. Ah, the days of Claire Parks...

I think it was around then I met d_s_t_e, if I remember correctly. She was one of the first people who ever talked to me, so she has a special place in my Wattpad chronicle.

Wow, that's almost four years on Wattpad! Besides being co-founder of GD, what types of things do you use Wattpad for?

I use it to write. I wouldn't call myself an author, just a writer. My writing is rather mediocre in my opinion. It has lots of room for improvement, but this year I've finally scraped together a story I'd like in the PokemonWatties.

I also read (less than I'd like) especially for what other people have planned, or what tips someone might have.

I also really enjoy seeing the covers people make. Just like my writing, my art is...less than stellar. Terrible, if I may add. I can hazard a cartoon doodle, but that's about it.

It's probably an unofficial social media I have that's coupled with something I enjoy: writing.

Sounds like you're really active on this site, I know I've seen your name quite a few times while browsing the comments of different books and messages left on people's walls! Anyway, can you tell me about the birth of GD? I'm curious about how the whole thing came to be, and who was involved.

Ah, it all started—like you said—on people's walls. I don't remember exactly who it was, but sploof and and I were there talking about it.

And I just said, "Let's do it. Imma make a group, and you're gonna help me."

She agreed, and tada! The idea was born.

Fast forward maybe half a year and GD is officially born.

Other than sploof, Wattpad member ImberLapis was someone I asked to help me administrate. Luckily, she was honored and agreed!

So, what kinds of important things are you hoping to achieve with a group like this? What do you think you and your team can do for this community?

Great things? Hopes and dreams? That's what this group is all about.

We hope to be a start.

We hope to dig up the undiscovered gems and introduce them into the Pokémon Wattpad Community. Because it's scary. It was scary for me all those years ago.

I stood there, and I was like, "What do I do?"

We're here to find those who have that potential and give them something they might not have. Not grammar tips. Not XD comments or silent reads.

We want to give them confidence.

We don't want to be the last place that author is in. We want to propel them upward. Reach the PokemonWatties! Reach for the stars! Explore a limitless imagination you never knew you had, and not feel insecure if you can't do it or it doesn't live up to expectations. We hope to be an inviting place where other places might seem a little intimidating at first.

I'm not sure if anyone has noticed, but every single cover of GenerationsDebut's books are baby Pokémon. They're like that for a reason. We're here for the newly introduced people. Or maybe, we're here for people who haven't evolved fully quite yet.

Whatever you may be, we're here to help instill that confidence. We don't want your books being unpublished. We want them to stay for as long as your account stays.

There are so many different groups in the community, and they all seem to reward blindly. Whoever is the best, regardless of experience.

But think about it. We already know who's good, and I'm sure—one day—they'll be tired of being told they're great. They're looking to retire and find the next best thing.

And that's what GD is doing. Finding the next best thing.

What a great cause! That was inspirational, what you just said there. There was even an evolution pun! Have you considered being a motivational speaker? Okay, now that we know what GD is all about, can you explain how the process of the promotional service works?

The promotional service is much simpler than it appears. It's run by sploof. She's in charge of all final decisions before publishing; she has my utmost trust handling it.

There are two ways for a story to get a promotion:

1.) Get first place (also known as Champion) in a writing contest.

2.) Be recommended by a special role in GD called the Looker (name based off of the detective himself).

Being Champion is simple. Get first place in a writing contest hosted by GenerationsDebut. Your story is then included in the Promotions Book (it has a Budew on the cover), and it gets detailed within it.

In terms of Lookers, they have a special role. It's something that I thought of. Maybe the best writer out there doesn't have the thing we're trying to provide: confidence.

They have so little that they can't even step to us.

It's understandable. People are shy. We can't blame them for hesitating.

But we have Lookers to find those stories and those authors. They look for those who have potential and just need a little push.

That's the thing though. Sure, one person says it's great. But will that be enough? Is that enough to sway someone to be more confident? That's where a promotion comes in.

We promote. We shout to the world, "Hey! Read this."

We can't do it ourselves. Those who follow us—who take our recommendations—will go to those stories. They hopefully will agree with us (more or less), and hopefully give praise or criticism where needed.

We're a path for those authors who can't break out of the shell. For those with a handful of parts, views, followers, or votes...it's hard to get started.

I know it personally. It took two years to hit my first 1K views.

I want to minimize that as much as I can.

So, we promote. We do as much as we possibly can to get people reading it. Because sometimes, that's all an author needs to keep going.

Yeah, it can be intimidating, to show the world your writing. I still have a mini heart attack every time I publish something. I think your intentions are very admirable, and I would love to see this group grow. Well, there you have it everyone! GeekoTreeko, thanks for taking the time to talk with me about GD. I wish you all the best of luck over there!

Thank you so much GRA and glitterandasphalt. We hope to collaborate more in the future and integrate more people into the community.

Want to be involved in an online community helping author's find readers and have fun doing it? GenerationsDebut is now hiring!

Roles currently available are:

Administrator

Judge

Looker

For more information on these positions, check out the Announcement Book on GenerationsDebut's page or follow the link posted on our conversation board!