Wattpad Interviews

@SallyMason1

SallyMason1 is an account home to some brilliant books such as 'Trapped' which had 1.98M reads and is currently #1 in Mystery and Thriller. She's had her stories featured on Wattpad, she's written a whole host of amazing stories including the likes of 'War Bride' and 'Living With The Choices We Make'. Here is what she had to say!

Why did you download Wattpad?

My daughter was actually the one who introduced me to WP. She had been reading on it for a while and then posted her first chapters, so I thought it would be fun for me to try it out. I really liked the site and posted shortly thereafter my first chapter. Still loving it.

What made you start writing on Wattpad?

I had written on and off since my late teens, but back then, there were no platforms around where unpublished author's could share their work. I thought I'd give it a go and wrote the first few chapters of 'Living With The Choices We Make' and posted them. When I found readers who were actually interested in the story, I continued. Then came the feedback and I just kept going.

Where does your inspiration come from?

Most of my inspiration comes from the world around me. My stories all have contemporary settings and could be happening somewhere in the world right now. They have dark themes that people don't like to talk about, but that I find important to explore. Raising awareness for certain topics like domestic abuse or self-harm is one of my main reasons for writing.

How did it feel to hit 1 million reads for the first time?

It's an amazing feeling to know that there are so many people out there who want to read my story. Yet, what I find even more inspiring is the demographical spread that goes along with it. When I hit 1M reads, Trapped was read by people in almost every county on the map. Knowing that I have reached an audience far beyond normal book channels is really cool.

What's the best message you've received on Wattpad?

I get a lot of comments, so I couldn't possibly choose just one of them. I appreciate every read who takes time out to comment, be it detailed feedback, general impressions or reactions to specific lines. I try to respond to as many comments as possible and still make it a point to interact with ever commentator on my ongoing stories. With some of them, I have long standing relationships at this point and they help me discover those little plot holes or give me new ideas with their wild theories. The readers who comment are my biggest asset here on WP.

What's been your best Wattpad memory?

I think that was when I got the first notification that 'Living With The Choices We Make' would be featured. It was the first time I felt like a real author. I walked on cloud 9 that day. Thank you to WP to giving me that opportunity.

Which book has been your favourite to write?

All my books have been fun to write, but I think my favourite is still 'Living With The Choices We Make' since it is the book closest to my heart. It features several scenes from my real life and it had quite a therapeutic effect. I felt it was important to show that domestic violence was not only a 'married couple' problem, but that it can happen to everyone, even teenagers like the main character Rena. The book also features some courtroom scenes, which reminded me of my courtroom brawling days. It's a book I had to write and I'm glad I did.

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

Have fun and experiment, but try to stay authentic and true to yourself. You have to find your voice and niche to bring out your best potential, and your writing can only improve with practice. While reads and voted are important, they will come if your story is polished and stands out from the rest. Be prepared to fail, because you can only rise from the bottom.

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Thank you so much to SallyMason1 for that amazing interview!

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