I’ve never done a summary for mine. Not even sure of what I need to do to enter. Lmao. So I will eventually look at it.
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Okay, I am going to try to do a blog about how I go about prepping my own book and what I am doing with my Mentee, Kacy, as an editor (of sorts) on my Conversation Wall, Instagram, and, if I can find it, my Tumbler (I think I had Tumbler?). If I am still alive after August 19th, I will try to do YouTube or TikTok version. For that reason, i will be collecting all the texts I do.
Plus, at some point, I will need to go through my conversation wall and collect all my mini-reviews of books, because they are certainly TikTok material. If I can read them out on videos… which is a big IF.
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August deadline clearly guarantees I won’t have anything this year to submit but that’s okay. I wasn’t expecting to submit anything this year anyway.
Their timing requirements will always be a problem for me. It takes me more than two years to write a novel. Sure, I could hold back and not publish anything early in the process but that’s part of the fun. So I’m getting punished for using WP in the way it’s intended.
Sigh.
I do like that the grand prize is a nice sum. You could take that money and pay a good editor and publish the book, assuming WP wouldn’t want it in Paid.
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Honestly though, I’m slowly losing interest in the Wattys. Like…is it even worth it anymore? 
But then I try to think that it does give me the opportunity to edit and get a story into a well-done shape.
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Mine got picked up for bootcamp too! I’m excited, even with tight deadlines and a mentor who has 2 mentees.
We already tweaked the cover, although I can’t make any changes to the Wattpad version since it’s on the Editor’s Desk reading list right now! (just for June) It hasn’t been there long but already the response is unbelievable. 
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Awesome! Editor’s Picks is a great list 
Grats!
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I get that feeling too 
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I don’t know if oits just me but I strongly believe join everything and anything that can give you experience
from planning, outlining to writing, editing, to polishing and seeking guidance to push your book forward. I think the Wattys give that kind of exposure and the experience (again my personal opinion)
Its not about the winning or losing - its about making the effort and trying really.
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I do still think that. And it really isn’t about the winning but after trying so many times, it’s just…it would be nice to be acknowledged somehow. It would be nice. And it’s not just me. It’s everyone else who tries year after year. It would be nice if they…idk what. Maybe showcased this years’ entries or something?
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I get you. Was it last year or the year before where they had changed that rule to “must be a finished novel to enter”? 
I think honestly that had been one good rule they made just because one of the biggest issues I had with the Wattys were how many winning books still go untouched and unfinished years later. A book without an ending is promoted as a trophy.
I don’t remember how many years I entered in a row, but I believe I started entering sometime around 2015 up until 2019 or something? Hard to say, but I was one who entered every year. And don’t get me wrong, there are amazing books that won. But there were also unfinished books that won, then never got completed. Or people who won the wattys complained about their views without appreciating the fact they literally won something the rest of us have been aiming for.
I think it’s just been going downhill because they don’t take it as seriously as they should. This is coming from a platform that now has PS, published books, and movies based off of those books.
In my opinion, the thing needs a revamp. And unfortunately, effort of entering year after year counts for absolutely nothing.
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I think so. Honestly, that one I’m fine with. But now the entering window is shorter, so I feel like a lot of people might have to give up. Because they’re not looking for just any story. It has to be edited with some amount of good care. And editing takes time if you want to have any chance of getting noticed.
No matter how much I tell myself that the Wattys helps me finish a story, if nothing comes out of it after the competition is over, I feel like I’ve wasted my time sometimes.
They should have short competitions with prompts. Or something else. Idk. Something to make us feel like it was all worth it. I know it must be hard if they get thousands of entries. But can’t they do something?
Anyway, what’s the point of ranting about the Wattys? It won’t change anything 
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two years ago. 2020 and 2021 was under ‘must be completed 50K min book to enter’
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they adjust the rules every year and lots of people who didn’t win got Stars, Editor’s Picks and Paid offers. Last year, they published the shortlist as well, which was really good. So, yes, it counts if you end up on their radar even if you don’t win.
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I feel like this isn’t a bad thing though. Like isn’t it better if the Wattys actually award stories that are well-edited, structured, and completed? Because I feel like this may be the purpose of the new deadline; they don’t want people to start writing now and cram 50k words before the deadline (although I’m sure some people will do that, and some might even do it well).
In my mind, it doesn’t cost anything to enter. If you got a story that qualified, enter it. If you don’t, don’t. I’m aiming to actually edit one of my stories for the purpose of entering it this year (but I consider the experience of editing valuable in itself, so even if I don’t achieve anything the time and effort aren’t lost) but I won’t have time to edit my other story that also qualifies (but I will still enter it, because why not? All I will have to do is put together a summary and logline).
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I enjoy the spirit of camaraderie the Wattys bring, but I know I’m in the wrong genre to win, so it’s not worth it IMO to do anything extra for it since I already have a submission package ready. If this gives me an opportunity for a few more thorough R4Rs, I’m all for it. After all, it’s just a few extra clicks. I can’t speak as to whether the tweaks they make to the rules every year are good or not.
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Yeah, for me it is definitely the package and organizing my year. Like, as soon as get Raised by the Mafia done, i will send it to Watty, Radish and maybe Harlequin. If not for Watty, I might not have done it in 2 years time frame.
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I’m not that organized (yet at least) but I do seem to be able to write about 2 full-length stories a year, so I will always have something to submit, regardless of when the deadline or cut-off is. Although I guess I could do more if I didn’t do ONC… (because my ONC entries never seem to bloat to novel-length)
I probably will try other avenues for SLB if the Wattys doesn’t miraculously turn out to be successful for me this year though. Having a polished and edited story is never a bad thing.
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My plan is to not do ONC or NaNo any more and just focus on two full novels per year with 1 or 2 edited after workshopping. I will enter as many of them into Watty as I could. I had really negative experiences with NaNo, and ONC just kicks in at a bad time and messes up with editing or writing. Watty does this too, but once a year is easier than twice.
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Just sounds like people have to prepare a year or more in advance to get ready for the Wattys.
I wish they would. Because we all know for a cold hard fact the judges can’t read ever entry. So it’s not a fair competition due to that.
Yep, nothing will change. That’s the reality. I knew they’d never listen to the people which is why I left the platform altogether. Hope for change, but don’t expect it.
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Yeah, I did Nano once and I don’t think it’s my thing. I had to force out words that I later didn’t use anyway. ONC feels easier as a 20k story isn’t that time-consuming to churn out (although if you’re dumb enough to do two it takes longer…) and I do like the networking aspect of it. But Wattys does feel more worthwhile as winning can really propel your reads and opportunities on Wattpad (while success in ONC has no such prospects).
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