These are the voices of our mentors and mentees from past and present. They've provided their insight about the program, their processes, the Wattys, and have shared their favorite Wattpad stories. Grab a cuppa and sit down with us as we get to know...
The Bootcamp Mentors are proud to present a spotlight interview with obliviablack author of The Great Ellini. Check out this writer's work and give them a shout out in the comments.
BCM: How did you discover the Bootcamp Mentors and what have you found most valuable about this Wattpad community program?
obliviablack: One of the writers I follow, MermaidAriel13, was posting about the Bootcamp Mentors. She'd been a mentee the year before and was talking about how helpful she'd found it, and I thought 'Well, I'm so new to Wattpad (and the Wattys), I could really use some guidance from the people who know!'
The program has been great. I struggle with joining in and am more than a little overwhelmed by Discord, but everyone has been so friendly, welcoming, and positive. Special shoutout to my mentor, druidrose, who picked a 155,000-word story (she is scared of nothing!) and has helped convince me that I belong here!
BCM: What prompted you to start writing on Wattpad and what do you like most about the platform as a writer?
obliviablack: I've been writing my story (off and on) for ten years. I stopped to have a baby, to write other things, even to give up writing altogether, but something kept driving me back to it. I tried submitting it to agents, to go through the traditional publishing route, but I didn't have any luck (probably because of the word-count!) In the end, I thought, 'I've worked too hard on this just to let it sit on my hard drive forever. I want to share it with people, even if I can't publish the traditional way.' So I tried Wattpad.
What do I like most about the platform? That's easy. The people. The other writers I've met, who gripe with me about glitches and writer's block, who post inspirational slogans at 2am and randomly say things like "Yes! This is exactly how I feel too!" It's hard to write alone, even if it is essentially a solo activity. We need support and dialogue. Most importantly, we need to feel like we're not in competition with each other. I feel like Wattpad does this really well – the culture here is so overwhelmingly positive. People really celebrate each other's triumphs.
BCM: What motivated you to write the story you're submitting to the 2023 Wattys?
obliviablack: I've been writing it for so long that it's hard to remember the initial motivation! I first came up with the idea as a teenager, and then started writing it in my thirties, so it's a fun mixture of teenage melodrama and jaded adulthood! It addresses my struggles with mental health, my burgeoning feminism, my love of all things dark and gothic. It's a love story, but it's also about a woman learning to rely on herself, to emerge from her trauma with a sense of self-worth, so in a way, writing Ellini's story has been therapy for me (and I hope it will be therapeutic for others too!)
BCM:. If you had to describe your story in three words, what would they be?
obliviablack: Ha ha, that's a tough question for a writer who struggles with brevity! Hmmm...
Gorgeous gothic romance.
(Not all the words I'd like to use, but some...)
BCM: Tell us one thing about your writing process that has helped you the most.
obliviablack: Most of my problems with writing stem from a lack of confidence. I hate looking at a blank screen and feeling the pressure to fill it up. So I go ultra-old-fashioned and scribble everything in a notebook before I type it up. If I convince myself that it's just notes, it kind of takes the pressure off. I say to myself "This doesn't have to be perfect, it doesn't have to be tidy. I'm just scribbling in a notebook." And then the words turn up!
BCM: Share two Wattpad story recommendations.
obliviablack: Only two! This is so hard! I guess I'll go for the two that I'm currently nearing the end of, because I'm so excited to see how everything gets wrapped up!
The Assassin's Scars by Mariya_Evans has been so amazing! The characters are consistent, frustrating, and hilarious! She has one of those writing styles where you can just disappear into the story. I frequently reach the end of a chapter and think 'Dang, did I remember to comment, or was I just swept along by the prose?'
I also love Raven and Rue by ella_rowan. It's an LGBTQ+ fairytale retelling, with adorable characters, and a writing style that reminds me of all the children's stories I loved growing up. It's funny and tender, and it's written with a sureness that never bogs the reader down. One of the standouts for me is her amazing descriptions of fashion and food! They make me drool and want to dress up in sparkly costumes!
Thank you, obliviablack. We wish you all the best in your writing endeavors.
More BCM spotlight interviews are on the way!
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