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Hello, friends. So, the book for Wattpad's 2022 Open Novella Contest is up. The ONC is normally my favorite time of the writing year, and I did very well in it in 2020 and 2021. However, after reading this year's rules, I come bearing an update on my 2022 writing plans: while I will be writing a novella this spring, I will not be participating in this year's ONC.
Wattpad has added clauses to this year's contest rules that raise major red flags for me. If you win, you forfeit all rights to your book and grant Wattpad the ability to change it any way they like, and to profit off of it any way they like, forever. They will not have to pay you, nor give you credit for your work. You will have no recourse against them. This comes in exchange for prizes consisting of exposure and, for the grand contest winner, a one-year Wattpad Premium subscription. The full details can be found in the "Official Rules" and "Prizes" chapters of the ONC book, linked in the first comment on this paragraph.
If you're considering joining this year's ONC, I strongly encourage you to read the rules and make sure you understand what they mean before entering. They will bind you as written whatever they are intended to mean. I also encourage you to look around for community-run alternatives! Many Wattpad users are organizing events and social spaces that give the ONC experience without needing to formally enter the contest. Alternative events offer the motivation and community spirit of the ONC while letting you keep all your rights, which is the best of both worlds.
I will be both participating in and helping run one of these events this year, which means I'll be posting a novella just as I would be in a normal ONC year. I'll still be using the ONC prompts, trying to meet the ONC milestones, and cheering on other people. I still might fail at only writing one novella. The only difference is that I'll probably have a lot more hype activities running on my profile (reading lists and the like) and won't be announcing whether or not I've passed the various rounds!
So I'll still be writing for this year's ONC... kind of.
Anyway, that's all for me today, folks. It's been a day of mixed disappointment at the loss of my favorite contest, and excitement about ways to enjoy it without giving up my books. Hopefully the rest of you find the same balance somewhere ✨
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