MayTijssen is an amazing writer and Ambassador on Wattpad, and has written books such as 'Once Upon a Curse' which has over 500k reads. This is my interview with them!

Why did you start writing on Wattpad?

When I was 14 I was diagnosed with cancer. I had been an avid reader and had way too much imagination, and since I spent o many hours looking at ceilings, too sick to do anything, I had a lot of time to think of a story.

I posted Sunken Secrets as soon as I finished chemo. It was a terribly written story, but it got me into the game! I'm so happy I made that choice, and I've been writing ever since.

What's been your proudest moment on Wattpad?

There are two moments I cannot choose from. The first one was when the second story I wrote, The Knight of Gold, won a writing contest hosted by the Wattpad Class of 2014 (now known as Wattpadres). It was a major boost for my writing!

And then I became an Ambassador! I signed up as soon as I became 16, and I was so giddy to be accepted into the team. I love this app and site to pieces, and I'm glad I'm able to give back to the community this way.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Mostly from movies and other books. If I see something I like, a certain plot twist or character, I want to add my own twist to it. Since I especially enjoy writing fairytale stories, Disney is essential.

Which book has been the most fun to write?

Without a doubt, Once Upon a Curse. It's spunky but serious, and has a lot of humour. It was my 'breakthrough' story, and I loved replying to all the comments I got! That way I got to know my readers, and I got to see what they thought about the story.

This is the story that I hope to publish one day, because it is so dear to me. I identify with every one of the characters, and even now when I reread certain parts, I'm surprised to see I wrote that two years ago. I am so proud of it!

What's the hardest part about writing on Wattpad?

That is a difficult one, because I never really see it as difficult! I'm lucky to only have received a small handful of negative comments, but the community is so warm and I have so many friends here, that I never really struggled with anything!

What type of characters are the most fun to write?

My main characters are generally scarred and serious, but there's always that one person I have, a supporting character, who is like a ray of sunshine. I love writing them! In my story Once Upon a Curse, it's my main's brother. Most readers relate to him because he is a hardcore shipper (believer in true love and all that), and it's so fun to write his dry humour and all his other characteristics.

And let's not forget those mysterious characters. Whether they be male or female, I generally have at least one of those who just has this air of mystery around them, who doesn't talk much but always has something smart to say.

And finally, what advice would you give to a new writer on Wattpad?

In the beginning I was obsessed with my reads and hot list rankings. I guess everyone has that phase, but my advice is not to focus too much on it! I rarely check my reads now, switching from checking three times a day to once every day or less, depending on how busy I am.

And, besides that, update often! I update at least once a week. If you do less, you risk losing readers who become impatient. But never do more than three times a week! I start doing that once I reach 10k reads or pass the 20 chapters mark. It really boosts your reads and your ranking.

Also, a nice cover really helps, and having a few close friends as well! If you read their stories and they read yours, you'll start building you own reading groups. Also, replying to all your comments lets readers know you appreciate them. You can often get fun conversations out of it!

And most importantly, just keep writing.

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That was my lovely interview with MayTijssen !

Comment who you'd like to see interviewed next!