DLGK54
Uhm hi, I am thrilled to see my story- Plasmus The Ghostly Assassin as part of the entries, but I chose action as the category and I see it in Science fiction. Who has placed it there? Should I message Astania Awards directly or is this fine?
laurendoubleu
emaa17633
Hi Lauren please how do I join the awards, was wondering if I could add my story
laurendoubleu
@emaa17633 We'd be thrilled to have you join! More information can be found in the chapter titled "Rules" in the link below, and a link to the form should be in the chapter titled "Form." https://www.wattpad.com/story/401053594-moonlight-trove-astania-awards-2025
laurendoubleu
☆ WATTYS ☆ Thank you so much to everyone who has voted for Food Courting in the Watty Awards so far! You’ve all been so amazing! ❤️ There’s still time to do so, so if you have a chance before September 28, I’d greatly appreciate it!
Only votes made from September 22-28 count for this event. To vote, click the star icon in any chapter of the story, and it should turn orange once your vote is registered. If you already voted prior to September 22, you can unvote and revote for it to count!
Thank you all so much in advance!
https://www.wattpad.com/story/368263084-food-courting
☆ ASTANIA AWARDS ☆ ALSO, the Astania Awards are back! I’ll be judging the action and sci-fi categories, and I’m so excited to read some amazing stories. If you have a story that deserves more recognition, we’d love to see you in these awards!
https://www.wattpad.com/story/401053594-moonlight-trove-astania-awards-2025
GreyyWhispers
Hey! Congratulations for getting shortlisted in the Wattys 2025 list!!!
Would you like to support for support? I fully engage so you'll get a genuine reader...
laurendoubleu
@GreyyWhispers Thank you so much! I'm so honored by your offer, but at the moment, I'm not able to read other stories outside of the ones I've already committed to. If I have more time in the future, though, I'll be sure to reach out!
laurendoubleu
Voting for the 2025 Watty Awards is now open, and I’d be so grateful if you all could help me by voting for Food Courting! To vote, click the star icon in any chapter of the story, and it should turn orange once your vote is registered. ★ Only votes made from September 22 to September 28 will count. ★ Everyone can vote on as many eligible stories as they want, so please support the other writers too!
Here’s the link to Food Courting:
https://www.wattpad.com/story/368263084-food-courting
And here are the other stories!
https://www.wattpad.com/list/1755839103
Lastly, this page has more info about the voting process:
https://www.wattpad.com/1540087932-the-wattys-2025-introducing-the-community-vote
If anyone is able to vote, I’d greatly appreciate it! THANK YOU SO MUCH! ❤️
geekiechicforall13
Congrats on getting shortlisted! Sorry to be nosy but have you checked the email connected to your wattpad account yet?
I just saw mine today and without replying, you can get pulled from the running. I just wanted to warn you in cases you didn’t know. Congratulations again! I’m super excited to start reading yours soon!
laurendoubleu
@geekiechicforall13 Thank you so much for looking out! I replied as well! Congrats to you too, and best of luck! ❤️
laurendoubleu
Hi everyone! I'm so excited to share that Food Courting is a WATTYS SHORTLISTER!! AHHHHH I still can't believe it!! This story was my first romance novel, and I'm so thrilled that other people enjoy reading it, especially since I had so much fun writing it. Thank you all so much for your support!! ❤️
https://www.wattpad.com/list/1755839103
And be sure to keep an eye out for when the community voting opens on September 22!
https://www.wattpad.com/1540087932-the-wattys-2025-introducing-the-community-vote-new
HeideHunt
Congratulations on making the Wattys Shortlist!!
FMClements
@Hi Lauren, Happy Friday! Now that 3 Days is finished, I was thinking about pitching it to the Wattpad Originals. Do you have any inside advice? I read that they only accept serials, not full books--is that true? I'm not in any hurry, I just started a new book, which will probably become a series. But I thought I'd give it a try. Any advice?
laurendoubleu
@FMClements Here are some things off the top of my head that may help, though this may not work for all stories or writers. - Have material such as a logline and plot summary ready. This is something you can revisit and make sure you're sticking to your idea, or even realize later that you have a better idea. Not only will it come in handy when you're ready to pitch, but even if that doesn't work out, it can help for the Watty Awards or even querying to be published. - Currently, Wattpad is emphasizing that stories get straight to the point and have clear goals, motivation, conflict, and stakes, so the plot summary and possibly even first chapter should touch on these. - It helps to utilize popular tropes. They don't necessarily have to be done the same way other stories do. In fact, it might help to put a unique twist on common tropes! The link about Verticals I mentioned earlier lists some popular tropes on Wattpad that might help. - Keep chapters short at about 1,500 to 3,000 words per chapter. A scene may cross over into the next chapter, but try to find a good point to pause to maintain readers' attention. On that note... - End chapters in a way that leave readers wanting more, like a cliffhanger, so they'll feel the need to start the next chapter! - This may not apply to everyone, but I've found it helpful for main characters to have some characteristic readers can relate to and sympathize with. - Side characters are also important and can become the stars of the show! It helps if they all have unique personalities to better immerse readers in the story. I've found that the characters that get the most reader attention are ones readers love OR they love to hate. - Lastly, enjoy what you write! If you're stuck writing something for other people but you don't enjoy it yourself, I feel like that energy can impact a story and be felt by readers. Hope this information helps! Feel free to let me know if you have additional questions. Best of luck!
laurendoubleu
@FMClements Hello! Thanks so much for reaching out, and that's super exciting to hear! I should mention that I didn't actually pitch my story to Wattpad, and they had reached out to me while it was an ongoing story. It sounds like they may not do this anymore, but I still hope I can be of some help! To my understanding, pitching to Wattpad Originals has been temporarily closed as of May 2, 2025. I'm not sure when they'll reopen, or what they'll ask for when that time comes. For more info: https://creators.wattpad.com/pitch-form/ Most recently, though, they were looking for stories that have never been posted on Wattpad or any other platform, and any story that was previously posted is ineligible. For more info: https://creators.wattpad.com/writing-resources/opportunities-and-marketing-tips/how-to-pitch-your-story-to-wattpad/ When they were last open, they were only accepting story ideas that fall under one of their "vertical" categories, that is, "Dangerous Love," "Hot Encounter," "Werewolf," or "Para-Romantasy." For more info: https://support.wattpad.com/hc/en-us/articles/14619046050196-Vertical-Framework As to whether they prefer serials or something like standalones, I'm actually not too sure myself, and I've heard other people were also wondering what they'll ask for when pitching reopens! Since the most recent Watty Awards required stories to be completed, and ongoing stories were no longer allowed, that could be where their preference is headed. Of course, I can't say for sure myself.
laurendoubleu
HOLY SMOKES, SO MANY UPDATES TO SHARE! First, I hope everyone is having an amazing Pride Month!
Next, I'm so excited to announce that FOOD COURTING has an amazing new cover drawn by the talented @JustAWannabeWriter30! Yup, you read that right—DRAWN! Artwork by Kate the Great, the incredible illustrator AND writer? I'M SO HONORED! Join me in admiring this fantastic work of art, and please check out Kate's profile for more beautiful covers for great stories!
https://www.wattpad.com/story/368263084-food-courting
In more FC news, thanks so much to @Wattpad for including it in their "Community Pride Recommendations" AND their "Love Games" list! Ultima Ratio was included in the community recs too, and I'm so grateful to everyone for recommending them! It's great to see that several of the stories I suggested also made the list, and I hope the rest will join throughout the month ❤️ In the meantime, check out my personal recs!
My LGBTQ+ Recs: https://www.wattpad.com/list/1146322509
Community Pride Recs: https://www.wattpad.com/list/1728742849
Love Games: https://www.wattpad.com/list/1731766813
Speaking of Pride Month, When Water Burns was added to @highfantasy's Queer Fantasy list! Thanks so much to the volunteers behind the profile, and check out the list for some great reads!
https://www.wattpad.com/list/1567793570
Lastly, a belated thank you to @cgdarkstories for featuring Dreamscape in their newsletter! Their write-up means so much to me, and their work in recognizing indie stories is admirable. Please check out the article below, which also has info in the "About" section about how to submit stories for consideration!
https://theonesbehindthebookshelves.substack.com/p/last-house-spit-dreamscape
I hope I shared everything I wanted to, but if you'd like slightly more consistent updates (along with the occasional random photo), feel free to check out my book server!
https://discord.gg/X7NUUuFsGB
Hope the rest of everyone's Pride Month is safe and beautiful ❤️
laurendoubleu
@JustAWannabeWriter30 THANK YOU, KATE THE GREAT!! And thanks again for such a beautiful cover!!