Workshop Oct. 5: Kickstart Your Writing Career with Wattpad and Social Platforms

Learn how to use Wattpad and social platforms to kickstart your writing career at a workshop featuring Shelly X. Leonn and L.L. Montez from 10 a.m. to noon, Oct. 5, at The Lodge Des Peres, 1050 Des Peres Rd., St. Louis, MO 63131. Free for St. Louis Writers Guild members, $5 for nonmembers.

The writing and podcasting pair will discuss community-building through Wattpad, an online social platform that connects stories with millions of readers. They will also provide tips and strategies for using other social media platforms—including Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest—to their fullest potential. The session will close with crafting a personalized plan for kickstarting your social media presence on the platform of your choice.

Shelly X. Leonn: Dr. Michelle M. Oyola is the author of The Broken Series under her pen name—Shelly X. Leonn. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism, Shelly worked at her hometown newspaper in Washington, MO, as the web and youth editor. During her time advising the youth staff, Shelly realized her true calling was to teaching. She applied and was accepted to Teach For America St. Louis as a member of the 2008 corps. Her twelve years in St. Louis City education have been spent in middle school and high school language arts classrooms as well as in mid-level administration. She is also an adjunct professor and a member of the St. Louis Writers Guild. Stephanie Hansen at Metamorphosis Literary Agency represents Shelly, whose debut novel will be published through Owl Hollow Press. Her other publishing credits include anthology short stories and education articles. She is currently writing her fifth manuscript. She and her two boys reside in Affton, and she enjoys reading, writing, outdoor activities, anime, video games, and other dorky pastimes.

LL Montez: LL Montez is a writer, reader, hereditary bruja, stargazer, teacher, and mediator living in the bones of Chicago's historic printing district. She writes science fiction on Wattpad and has work published an anthology through Dark Ink Press. ARC10, her first manuscript, won the 2017 Watty award under the Storysmith category for "mastery of plot and character development" from among 280,000 entries and was accepted into Pitch Wars 2018. With co-host Shelly X Leonn, she discusses the trials and joys of her publishing journey on her podcast, The Writers XL. LL Montez dreams of becoming a pilot and shares her life (and love of aliens) with her husband and dog.


Learn more about the St. Louis Writers Guild at www.stlwritersguild.org.