These are the voices of our mentors and mentees from past and present. They've provided their insight about the program, their processes, and have shared their favorite Wattpad stories. Grab a cuppa and sit down with us as we get to know the writers...
The Bootcamp Mentors are proud to present a spotlight interview with XxBriannaMariexX. Check out this writer's work and give them a shout out in the comments.
BCM: What motivated you to become a Bootcamp Mentor and what have you found most valuable about this Wattpad community program?
Brianna: What motivated me to become a mentor was getting to help someone else with a story while putting my own skills as a writer to the test. I've only ever really helped a few of my friends with writing a story, so to help someone else was scary but rewarding at the same time. I second guessed myself a few times and wasn't sure if I could be a good mentor to such an amazing mentee at the time. But because she believed in me, I believed in myself, and I found that to be the most valuable thing about this program. To work together on a project two people are both passionate about, and help an already incredible story become Wattys ready!
BCM: What prompted you to start writing on Wattpad and what is one thing you find valuable about the platform?
Brianna: What prompted me to start writing on Wattpad was getting to write on a platform that had instant feedback. There's something so amazing about getting comments and votes on a story. Seeing as how I was so young when I first started writing on Wattpad, I liked the instant feedback. The one thing I find valuable about the platform is getting to publish stories that other people want to read, and getting to make your own community with other readers and writers along the way.
BCM: Tell us one thing about your writing process that you've incorporated into your mentoring.
Brianna: The one thing about my writing process that I've incorporated into my mentoring is making sure everything being added is pushing the plot forward, and reconstructing any of the fluffy details to help the plot so that it doesn't have to be completely removed. Sometimes, less is more! Details and cool scenes are always nice, but if they don't push the plot forward, it might not always be necessary!
BCM: What is the username of your 2023 mentee and the title of their story? If you had to describe your mentee's story in three words, what would they be?
Brianna: My mentee is niahouston and the title of her story is The King's Gilded Warrior. The three words I would use are captivating, romantic, and memorable!
BCM: Will you be entering a story into the 2023 Wattys? If so, what motivated you to write the story? If not, can you share what you're working on?
Brianna: Yes I will! What motivated me to write the story was actually when I tried to finish the book for ONC that year. It was originally an ONC prompt, but I expanded it for Paid Stories and Yonder, and eventually really came to fall in love with the book and its characters.
