My Wattpad Journey

Wattpad and Me

Wattpad Asks: How has Wattpad influenced your life?

Wattpad has made me much more confident in my abilities. Before my Hindi story got nominated, I wasn't writing much. I was writing in short spurts and wasn't sure I was going anywhere with my writing career. 

Wattpad gave me a sense of direction. It also reaffirmed my belief that if you do what you like, the rewards will follow. It is sort of a corollary from the Bhagwad Gita teaching where Krishna tells Arjuna to do the deed and not worry about the result.

I had started writing 'Kharab Padosi' as a way to let off steam. After my day's work as a dentist, I would be way too exhausted for any sort of creative pursuits. Those who know me know that I am nothing without my creative pursuits. I have literally drawn cartoons and written poetry and stories all my life. But for the past two years, I had set my pen aside. Sure, there were a few spurts here and there but, I wasn't consistent.

All this had led to me believing that there is such a thing as mojo and it is possible that one can lose his mojo. I had lost my mojo voluntarily. But then as soon as I picked up the pen and wrote the first story that came to my mind, my virtual mojo was back. So, Wattpad has taught me to keep scratching and clawing. It has taught me that talent is just 1% of your success. The rest 99% is persistence. You only lose your mojo if you stop doing what you like.

 Wattpad Asks: What does Wattpad mean to you?

Wattpad, to me, is the opportunity I had needed for a long time. Its nice, clean interface has helped me set and achieve writing goals. Its large audience has made me realize that there are still people out there who read and write. They may not be sitting right next to you. They may not even be from the same country as you. They may not even have the same mother tongue as you but, they are all joined in the same tapestry.

Wattpad, to me, is a place to learn. I am more disciplined when I write here. It is simply the magic of its features, tools and format that I know my characters and plots better here. I jot down the character traits before I form the plot. I also have an estimate of how and when I want my story to end. I also know how many words I am putting in daily. It is a boon.

Wattpad, to me, is a sense of belonging that I had long missed. It is good to be home. I had the same feeling years back when I had started my first blog on a social networking site. It was in the early days of social media and people were still polite to each other. Having an opinion was not considered to be divisive. Today, we live in tricky times where short-form content is everywhere and longer essays, articles and short stories are restricted to a niche audience.

With the short form content on other platforms, the need to grab attention is real. So, people write in a crude, unrestrained language. And language is a double-edged sword. If given enough significance, it creates bridges but if used without restraint, it creates fences. I have seen the fences melt away here. We share a common passion here and unlike other sites, this place is a no nonsense brotherhood/ sisterhood.

Wattpad, to me, is the old-fashioned love for language. The majority of the content is in long-form and is being written by talented writers with a pure love for the language. The innocence of the times that I had long missed has made a return with Wattpad. With an earnest user base and diverse opinions, Wattpad creates a conducive environment for creativity.

I truly hope that our tribe continues to grow.