There are some things that come into your life like a hurricane and leave beautiful destruction. You don’t know it’s coming until it hits. For me that happened in the seventh grade, and all it took was an app - one singular app and changed everything.

Wattpad. Weird name right? That’s what I thought when I first heard it. Even to this day, whenever I tell anyone about it I get “What?” with the head tilted just slightly to the shoulder in confusion. Yes, you heard right - the application/ website that changed my life was called Wattpad. This app I like to explain it as the Facebook for writers and readers. However, I believe Wikipedia sums it up in a well-written, professional way, “Wattpad is a community for readers and writers to publish new user-generated stories in different genres, including classics, general fiction, historical fiction, non-fiction, poetry, spiritual, humor, and teen fiction.^[5]It aims to create social communities around stories for both amateur and established writers.”

Before my journey through this amazing app started I was by no means a “reader.” I was a normal student who only read when forced. My friend introduced me to this writer on a different app and I fell in love with the writing. We waited for each chapter like a TV show. However, our favorite account decided to switch to Wattpad. I was the only one of my friends to follow the account on the new adventure in this more professional environment. From there I began expanding my horizons from that author to others and fell deeper into the rabbit hole.

The concept that I find most admirable about Wattpad is how anyone, whether it be a 13 year with no writing experience, a college student majoring in literature, or even a professional writer, has the opportunity to get their work out there to the public. If you want to dabble in writing for your free time and want some feedback, you can get it. It gives the public a creative outlet, which is something I believe is so important in our society.

If, however, you are not a writer (for example myself), Wattpad is the perfect place for reading, not just writing. Since becoming a member in 2011 I’ve been taken on journey’s across the world, through different realms, and seen the world through thousands of different eyes. Each story, although most are fictional, makes me feel as though I’m having a new experience. The beauty of Wattpad is that the people writing these “books” (used loosely because each can range from one page to 500 or beyond) can be normal people writing about their lives through the use of fictional characters. I truly believe that is one of the main hooks that this app has in me, the fact that a lot of the stories are relatable. I may be reading about a billionaire falling in love with a girl, but there are subtleties there that allow me to envision myself as the characters.

Reading has been by escape from life, and I can’t thank this app enough for changing my life. I can’t imagine the type of girl I would be if I didn’t have these characters as my constant companions. For all of you college students out there who believe that you don’t have time to read or nothing interests you, I highly suggest looking this app up. Yes, there may be a lot of grammar mistakes in some of the stories because they may not be edited, but they are intriguing and captivating. It’s an app so read on the go, read in line at Starbucks, read in bed. The possibilities are endless. Just be brave enough to let your mind wander to places beyond that of the classroom or your job.