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Check out Wattpad’s official podcast channel! We talk about stories we love, interview writers, trends, and what’s happening in Wattpad HQ.
Listen to our discussion with various writers about Steampunk, writing inspirations, love stories, and more.
185,032 Plays
Wattpad Podcast: Steampunk & The Superhero Complex
Listen to our podcast with Darrell Pitt, author of The Steampunk Detective and Diary of a Teenage Superhero. He talks to us all the way from Melbourne, Australia about writing, the history of Steampunk, and teenage superheroes!
185,032 Plays
Podcast Featuring Author Gillian Brown
Leo and Amber are a special kind of brother and sister. Brought together through tragedy, their bond is blood-tight. As extraordinary talented musicians they are part of a band that is destined for greatness, yet trouble never seems to be far away. Will they ever find out the truth about the family secret that has haunted them all these years? Can there ever be any room for anyone else in their lives, apart from each other? Follow their rise to fame plus every adventure along the way - let Leo and Amber tell you how it all happens.
My Three Favourite Assassins
Wattpad brings you a guest post from David Callinan, our newest Featured Story writer. His mystery thriller, The Immortality Plot, stars Ex-US government assassin and Hong Kong Police martial arts enforcer Mike Delaney. Check out what he thinks of assassins and his top 3 favorites below:
My Three Favourite Assassins
by David Callinan
Assassins exert an almost primeval fascination for many people, especially when characterised in fiction.
Which got me thinking and pondering.
I tried to think of a few literary assassins that still lived in my memory. The very idea of a ‘favorite’ assassin does beg a few interesting questions. Some folks like to glamorize these types of characters so you can see why they have such a visceral attraction.
Partly, I realised, trying to come up with a list of favorite assassins had more to do with those I could remember. I went to an online source and was staggered at the sheer number of so-called assassins that confronted me - most of whom I had never heard of.
Then again, I suppose people will confuse murder for assassination, well, yes, it’s still murder…but not quite the same. I had to make sure that I wasn’t using the term ‘favorite’ in the wrong way. The assassins I selected had to be convinced that what they were doing was justified or that they were gaining something for themselves whether it be money, glory or the satisfaction of exercising their professional skills. Oh, and not getting caught (although self-sacrifice is acceptable).
I couldn’t put comic book heroes into the ‘great assassin’ category. If you have superpowers and you obliterate ordinary folk that haven’t that’s not quite the same thing. I would have included The Terminator but he does have futuristic powers that give him a supreme advantage. Ditto The League Of Assassins.
In no particular order of preference the three assassins I have selected are:
1. Silas (Da Vinci Code) - Paul Bettany brought obsession and tormented realism to the Catholic Opus Dei assassin.
2. The Jackal (The Day Of The Jackal) - The ultimate professional who manages to elicit sympathy and admiration as well as praying he never comes after you.
3. John Keller (Lawrence Block) - There is something beguilingly human about the stamp collecting hit man that I find hard to resist.
Want to read more about assassins? Check out The Immortality Plot.
Author Interview: Wendy Mass
Wattpad brings you a guest post originally published in Teen Ink:
Author-Wendy Mass
By TheJust, Ellenton, FL
Her most popular book is probably “A Mango Shaped Space”, but author Wendy Mass has written many other novels for pre-teens and young adults, including “Leap Year”, “Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life” and her fractured fairy tale series, “Twice Upon a Time”.
I was recently given the opportunity to interview Ms. Mass for Teen Ink.
***
RH: When did you first get interested in writing?
WM: I wrote my first short story in 5th grade, and was hooked! I co-wrote it with my 2 sisters and it was about our cat who turned into a goat and broke into the neighbor’s house!
RH: When did you know you wanted to be an author?
WM: By the time I was in high school, I knew this was what I wanted to do. I spent most of college writing short stories, and then when I graduated I got a job in publishing, so even though I wasn’t the one writing the books, I got to have a hand in bringing them to life.
RH: What was your inspiration behind “A Mango Shaped Space”? Do you actually know someone like Mia?
WM: I didn’t know anyone with synesthesia before I started writing the book, but as I went along I met many. I think it’s a lot more common than people think. Just start asking your friends the colors of various letters and I bet some can tell you!
Author Interview: Dana Reinhardt
Wattpad brings you a guest post originally published in Teen Ink:
Author Dana Reinhardt
Having written four books, Dana Reinhardt is no stranger to the writing process. She currently lives and writes in San Francisco. I was lucky enough to interview her about her experiences. In her newest novel, The Things a Brother Knows, a teenage boy struggles to reawaken a relationship with his brother, who has just returned from serving in the Army.
Alex: First, I just want to say, I am not usually a fan of realistic fiction, but I enjoyed your book a lot. I really like your sense of humor.
Dana Reinhardt: Thanks. I appreciate that.
Your main characters are teens and your book is aimed at a teen audience. Why did you choose to write for teens?
I love to write YA fiction because I believe teen readers are more open to the experience books offer than adults are. I can remember how I felt as a teenager reading books; I plowed through them in a way I think adults simply don’t. As a teen reader, my favorite books were coming-of-age stories – those are the stories I still love to read, and they are the stories I like to write.
Wattpad Podcast! Writer’s Craft: Themes of Love and Writing Inspirations
Listen to our podcast interview with Trina Talma, also known as hrtsmom on Wattpad. We discuss popular themes such as love and writing inspirations, as well as her fantasy adventure novels in the Zania Corthinn series.
53,509 Plays
Message In A Bottle
Wattpad brings you a guest post originally published in Teen Ink:
Message In A Bottle by Nicholas Sparks
By Hailey K., Dexter, MI
When was the last time you cried your eyes out reading a book? Message in a Bottle is a classic love story that melts your heart with every word. It tells the story of a divorced woman, Theresa, who falls in love with Garrett, a sailor. On her morning jog on a Cape Cod beach, Theresa finds a bottle with a message inside addressed to “Catherine,” simply signed “Garrett.” The letter warms her soul, so she sets out to find this love-struck man. But what she doesn’t know is that Garrett also lost the one he loved. Catherine had passed away.
Well, believe it or not, Theresa finds Garrett, and they grow close. But what happens next is unexpected and truly remarkable. After fights, twists, and turns, they fall in love.
Dream Cast for Coexist: Keegan’s Chronicles
Guest post by author Julia Crane:
One of the things I love the most about reading a book is imagining the characters in my mind as they come alive on the pages. When I wrote Coexist, I had a clear image of each character before hand. I took some characteristics from people I know in real life, and of course most was made up. After all, that’s what fiction is all about. It was hard to pick characters for Coexist because there are not many redheaded actors. I finally gave up and picked actors that were similar to my mental picture, and imagined them after a trip to the salon.
Keegan: Teenage elf. She’s carefree, a loyal friend, and dying to meet her fated elfmate. Unfortunately, tradition states they cannot meet until the youngest is eighteen. Emma Stone was an easy pick: same hair and eyes, and she looks a little elfish.
Rourk: Elfin warrior - he’s the strong silent type. The only thing that is important to him is being the best solider possible, and Keegan. There is nothing he would not do for her. Eddie Redmayne is perfect to play Rourk. Honestly, I can’t think of anyone that is even a close second.
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Author Interview: Laurie Halse Anderson, “Speak”
Wattpad brings you a guest post originally published in Teen Ink:
Author Laurie Halse Anderson
By TheJust, Ellenton, FL
Probably best known for her novel Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson has won multiple awards for her writing. With novels like Fever, 1793 and Twisted, she spans genres and tackles unique plots. Her latest novel, Wintergirls, is available now.
Rachel: How were you inspired to write Speak? Was it based on a real-life incident?
Laurie Halse Anderson: Speak is about 10 percent based on the depression I suffered after I was raped, and 90 percent fiction.
Were you involved with the making of the movie “Speak”?
I was given the opportunity to work on the script, but I turned it down because I was busy writing a novel. I was on the set for three days, and had a cameo appearance as the lunch lady who serves Melinda mashed potatoes in the cafeteria.
Are you happy with the final product of the book and the movie?
I think Jessica Sharzer, the director, did a remarkable job with very few resources. Showtime dictated the change to the ending – there was nothing anyone could do about that. But I thought Kristen Stewart and the other actors gave great performances. And I was thrilled to hear so many of the lines from the book make their way onto the big screen!
Find out more about teen fiction with a paranormal, fantasy or science fiction twist! We talk to Maree Anderson, author of Freaks of Greenfield High, all the way from New Zealand.
45,903 Plays
Celebrity Interview: Poet Maya Angelou
Wattpad brings you a guest post originally published in Teen Ink magazine:
Dr. Maya Angelou, Poet
By Luke A. & Kortney R., Charlottesville, VA, & Raleigh, NC
Born Marguerite Johnson in 1928, Dr. Maya Angelou survived a segregated, violent childhood in Arkansas and left for a life lived around the world. Talented in dance and music, a civil rights crusader and professor, Dr. Angelou is best known in America for her books of poetry and prose, including: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings; Gather Together in My Name; And Still I Rise; andThe Heart of a Woman.
Dr. Angelou is a hero - Read more in one teen’s tribute …
Would we be correct to describe you as a wife, mother, writer, poet, actress, activist and documentarian?
Of course, of course, a total life is a full life. But it can’t ever be contained within a biographical work. You read a biography of Charles Dickens, James Baldwin or Emily Dickinson, and, no matter how thorough or how honest or even how articulate the writer is, it cannot really capture the life.
I’m giving you a lesson here.
I’ll tell you my secret about writing and my encouragement to young men and women: READ. If you want to write, read, and here’s a gem of a hint: read and read aloud. Go into your room and hear how your language sounds in your mouth and in your ear. Let it out because poetry in particular is music written for the human voice.
I know there are poets who are enamored with something called concrete poetry/calligraphy where the poet puts the words so they look like a heart, then put a heart around it, in a heart shape and that’s a poem. Well, no, that’s not a poem. If the words don’t convey the meaning, the arrangement of them on paper will not create the magic. So read the words aloud. That’s the most important advice.
Another suggestion is that you learn another language.
Tips on how to write from a point-of-view effectively
Guest post from writer Cathleen Ross on Wattpad:
I’ve been enjoying reading stories on Wattpad since I joined. I like the way it has a large variety of writers from beginners to published authors. As a writing teacher of many years experience I’m tempted to give feedback beyond the, “that’s great” however I tend to hold back in case I offend a budding writer. Instead, I’m going to offer an article on the subject of viewpoint as this is one of the things that I notice newer writers tend to have trouble with.
Cathleen Ross is a published romance writer. Check out some of her stories on Wattpad:
Becoming a fantasy fiction author, creating worlds, vampires, elves, dragons, and more! Listen to our podcast interview with Diana Ilinca, author of “Zirconya, The Sage of Aluh’Nehn”, “The Dragon Cager”, “Nahtaia: A Faery’s Tale”, and other fantasy fiction on Wattpad.
31,007 Plays
