Hello all! Welcome to the bi-monthly page of the SGM news column. 

Disclaimer: Please read at your own risk.

We are NOT affiliated with the Wattys or any part of the Wattpad Community, but our sources come from following these accounts. All works under SGM are made purely with 100% curiosity, passion, and well maybe fresh brain juices.

- SG Community Updates -

Recently, we made an announcement on the deletion of several books from our community account. The incident was not planned and was likely to be done by someone who had something against us...

However, we have put in lots of effort together and managed to restore all the community initiatives— with some minor chapters still not up yet but in the midst of work. (The team consisted of everyone, admins, captains, reviewers, graphic designers and writers who helped).

We want to take the chance to thank you guys for all the support and concern when we posted the announcement on our MB. 🙈

What else is there? Well, we're happy to announce that umm the very inactive community instagram page has finally posted a reel.

What?? SG Community has an instagram???

Yes 💀 we exist. Has been for some time actually. Just that Devian has been scratching her head as to what to post there. (It's a challenge I swear)

So before it decides to descend into chaotic madness, do support us by following us there. Or not. I mean free will rocks right?

Alright just goddamn follow our community Instagram so that you get doses of nice purple aesthetic things and cool tips to not bite off each other's WP heads.

Okay now we move on to the wattpad stuff.

- So far in Wattpad... -

Wattpad Group Chat

A what? Yes. You got it right. Wattpad is bringing in a brand new initiative to soothe that craving for your favourite fandoms. I believe it's the equivalent of the previous forum which was closed down or to become it's equivalent given a small note at the bottom of the chapter– "Note From HQ: To avoid any confusion, Wattpad Group Chat is a brand new story on our profile, not a new feature." The purpose of this Wattpad Group Chat is to enable writers to interact, talk about different genres and trope, and dive deep into tons of writing-related topics via comments. Why I'd say to give this a go: they will be sharing some methods to engage your fandoms or reader audience through story theory analysis (I have read the book, all chapters since there were only three). As a fellow writer who has been here since 2019, give this a look to take a look at how the Wattpad algorithm works. Then decide whether you want to conform to the mainstream cliche or you're a rebel like me.

Writer Subscriptions

This is what I'll call an official update on the initiative where Wattpad is adopting certain features similar to Patreon. Subscribers get unlimited and exclusive access to extras, behind-the-scenes, spin offs, any and every exclusive chapters and writer reveals. This is an initiative I think sounds like one of the best things Wattpad has decided to launch. But, I'm not sure how it works– does every writer get a chance to have their readers subscribing to them or only say Premium? Currently, this feature is half-beta and only available for U.S., U.K., Australia and Canada. I believe this is a lovely initiative carried forward because it serves to motivate writers and to make us feel that our hard work are finally supported. Personally, the subscription plan of US$3.99/month might be pricey for those who are non-working adults. In fact, it's a teeny bit pricey for me with a full time job due to the conversion rates. Another alternative, is Ko-Fi where you get to donate about US$1/2 to buy a cup of coffee to support your favourite writer.

January 2023 Intake

Wattpad has opened their intake for Ambassadors since 20th January 2023, so if you've been wanting to be a part of this team of worldwide volunteers, you should jump in! In case you're wondering why you should join as one, I'd highly recommend it if you're looking to gain recognition and popularity in general. WP Ambassadors have a shiny orange star icon beside their profile names and usually people associate them with Wattpad and also highly respect these individuals. Generally, you get more follows and reads with your books. Additionally, you will be a part of their private discord community and you get the latest deets on cool stuff like merchandise and free Premium membership. However, with great power comes great responsibility... other than commitments, you also hold influence in certain areas and hence, your activity may be monitored. Personally, the WP Ambassadors I've came across are lovely and helpful people (with the exception of one or two), and I think they're pretty cool. But, I'm gonna be honest here– I am not someone who sees eye-to-eye to this system. The intentions were for the better, but there are certain trips in the loop that can be easily abused. One should note that they can't mute WP Ambassadors. So in the case when someone in that position abuses their rights, it's clear who will win in that situation.

The Long-Awaited ONC

Alright... in fact it has already started about four to five days ago (depending on your timezones). Welcome to the sixth edition of the Open Novella Contest, where participants are given twelve weeks to write 20,000+ words. Round One lasts from 1st Feb - 28th Feb with a 2K word goal. All you have to do is to submit your entry by the deadline (11:59pm Eastern Standard Time), stating the prompt you've chosen. Based on the last time I had participated, I believe the same rules apply. You are free to choose any prompt given. There are also writers who combined two to three prompts together. Check out the chapter titled "Schedule" for more information on the submission and judging timelines. If you're wondering where the hell is this book, just search up "ONC" or "Open Novella Contest 2023".

Thank you for reading this article. Any questions hit em up here →

Written by: devianmisfit