My Journey On Wattpad

Sighs *

Deep Sighs*

Can't imagine my life without wattpad

There are alcohol addicts

Then there are drug addicts

But boy! My craziness, my binge reading on wattpad had made me a wattpad addict.

I had been high on wattpad!

When things were bad, when things were good and when life was sketchy, when life was happening

So it was wattpad all the time.

I will share this one with you.

I was reading one of the books at late in the night when one of my sweet and concerned follower actually DM me that I should be taking care of my health and sleep well.

I would never forget that kind gesture.

Now let me begin with my story on my journey in wattpad

''''''''

My journey of wattpad actually began on a plastic Neelkamal (Indian brand) chair.

It was a very hot and sunny summer afternoon. I sat on this half broken plastic chair waiting for my kid's class to get over.

The little shade I got from a huge tree over me did very little to soothe the hot winds blowing.

I was so tired of my hectic day that I actually dozed off in that broken chair.

It was humiliating too as other parents were actually laughing at my slumber.

I stood abruptly went to nearby bookstore and bought the only book they had which was Grandma's stories for children.

Whatever it helped me stay awake.

Next time when I waited for my kid I had a Paul Coelho "winner stands alone" with me.

Yes that is the first line of one of my novels too.

Since then I had been reading novels.

Did I mention it was my first read too?

I hated the fact that one should read such thick books for entertainment.

Don't we read enough for our schools and colleges?
Why not watch TV for entertainment?

But once I started reading Nicholas Sparks, I was a goner.

I read all of his books.

Now there was a bigger challenge.

"The books would exhaust in a day or too. I am a quick reader, then the expenditure on the books, I was actually hogging/reading them and also the load to carry along wherever you go.

It was tough.

I was complaining when my brother suggested WATTPAD

"You haven't heard about online reading platform?' he asked mocking at me being outdated "it is the best revolution for book lovers" he said, "the Amanda Project is my favorite."

So although I am a nerd and knew hardly anything about gadgets or apps, he guided me in downloading the app and introduced me to a new world.

I can rightfully say,

Wattpad unlike Starbucks saved my life.

Finding Grace was the first book I read on wattpad.

I read many books after that but what brought transition in my style of reading and preferences and what encouraged me to write was Kirsty1000. Her book Nothing Left to Loose made me star struck. I became her biggest fan.

And I would read all her books and reread them.

I was stuck to my mobile phone all the time.

One fine day my husband and me were sharing my experiences on wattpad when he said "you have such good command in English* though I still doubt that being a commerce student and not literature one* you have been writing poems since you were seven" he said "why don't you go ahead and write?'

"You are silly" I laughed at him.

"No' he scooted closer "I mean it. You have potential. You should write."

"Funny" I smiled trying to brush him off "I cannot type to save my life. You do know that."

"You write in a book. I will type," he volunteered.

"Okay" I brushed him off knowing well that I wouldn't do it. I didn't have any faith in myself.

But one day my mobile was dead and I had nothing to do.

I for once listened to my hubby and started making my own story in my head.

I was happy with the outcome so I wrote it down.

Now the biggest challenge for me was that whenever I used to read I would visualize what the writer was trying to say, my challenge was would my readers be able to do that?

Now I needed a first hand opinion so I met my best friend who was an avid reader and made her read the first draft.

To my surprise she loved it.

I spent hours writing the book and my husband spent another hours typing it down till one day he got frustrated at my filthy handwriting (covers my face ashamed)

"You have to do it on your own" my husband suggested "learn typing"

My parents gifted me their old notebook, my husband downloaded the programme to learn typing.

Within weeks I was writing on the outdated yet my precious laptop.

One fine day I took the courage to post the story on wattpad.

I tell you posting is easy, writing is easy, much difficult is the waiting part when you wait for hours, open your phone and check the notifications every minute whether your book is well accepted, wait tirelessly for the comments.

That is a very difficult time for every newbie at wattpad.

When I did not get reads I would say Karma was punishing me for not voting for others.

Still I kept going, few readers who joined me were my motivation and the fact that my family would brag about me that I was a novelist.

I was also gifted a new personal laptop by my father in law and I could not be more thankful about that.

Every individual's journey on wattpad is like a graph that has its ups and down.

So this book of mine The Virgin Curse, when it did not get the expected response I gave up. I thought I, a commerce student is not meant to be a writer. I shouldn't bother.

This was the time when Marriage For Convenience happened
and also an advertising that stated that Sir Rabindranath Tagore was a college dropout yet he won a Nobel award for his writing.

Then there was no looking back.

I was a designated writer of the self-proclaimed much difficult genre HUMOR

My downs came frequent, The Dead Eye had a lousy response.

Although when all my editors read were confident about it but still it did not appeal my wattpaders.

I started giving up hope again when another website offered to purchase my book "Marriage For Convenience"

I read the letter and the contract almost hundred times.

I was flying, soaring high.

I no longer have to clarify that I write only for fun.

I could now confidently say "I am a published and paid author"

My Journey on wattpad although 12 years had been a success.

But as they say success comes in small portions, few more online companies too offered to pay for my stories.

But the biggest day in my life as a writer came when Shalufur, one of the wattpad ambassadors in her dm, approached me

She wrote and I quote "you have been chosen among one of the best authors of India'

I had Goosebumps as I read her message

One of the best message of my life, my career fulfilling message and the confidence it brought me...

My journey on wattpad wasn't merely a journey as a writer; it was a transformation journey of my inner self.

I changed as a person.

I started believing that good triumphs over bad, I started believing in gratitude and most of all I started believing in the fact that each and very book has an ending so do the problems have an ending.

All we have to do is accept, embrace and move on.

So was my attitude towards the global challenge of the century the pandemic, I sailed through it.

Thank you so much wattpad, thank you all my readers, thank you the one who commented and a bigger thank you to all the critics.

I was blessed with only few of them but they are the ones who helped me to improve my writing

Thank you WATTPAD for being the being the best online reading website

Also big bear bunny hug and thank you to YOU who has been patiently reading my journey on wattpad

Love you allJ