As my mouse hovered over the button, my hands shook and my heart raced. It was day one of NaNoWriMo 2019 (National Novel Writing Month, to the uninitiated), and I was about to do something I had never done before. I had just written the first chapter of a book and was about to publish it on the Wattpad website.
I found Wattpad earlier that day after a Google search for the best websites for writers. Many other sites were on the results list, such as popular blogging platforms like WordPress and Medium, but Wattpad stood out. Specifically tailored for the sharing of long-form fiction and open to anyone, the venue was exactly what I was looking for.
On closer inspection, it turned out I already had an account. I had made it two years earlier but never worked up the courage to publish a story. That was about to change. In fact, a lot was about to change. Writing fiction online was about to help me accept my own identity. …
