Popular Wattpad writer is off to law school
She started writing at 12 years old. Now, ten years after, Gwynette Saludes, better known as Gwy, is already an accomplished writer with a legion of fans. Her work has almost 150 million “reads” on Wattpad, an online platform that allows users to publish and read original stories.
The young writer rose to fame because of her widely popular six-book University Series which started as the Twitter-serye Along España (a fictional series posted on microblogging site Twitter).
“At first, I started with a Twitter series about campus life, focusing on the ‘Big Four’ – UST, Ateneo, La Salle, and UP,” Gwy explained.
Back then, she was a senior high school student at the University of Santo Tomas.
Located along España Boulevard in Sampaloc, Manila, UST became the inspiration for Gwy’s first installment of the hit university-themed novels. She noticed the growing interest in university culture when her Twitter-serye exploded online. This motivated Gwy to write a longer version series while she was already enrolled as a college student at Ateneo de Manila Univeristy.
An eventual Wattpad hit after Book 3 of the series, The Rain in España was published in print by Precious Pages Corporation in 2022 and was adapted to a teen romance-drama series this 2023. The series is currently streaming on Viva One, starring Marco Gallo and Heaven Peralejo.
Despite being a newbie in the entertainment industry, Gwy served as the creative consultant for the show and was heavily involved and hands-on during the entire creative process. She read and reviewed the scripts, constantly gave her feedback, and was part of the decision-making for casting.
“It was just to ensure that the tone of the scriptwriter is aligned with the characters or personalities established [in the book] and that is what should appear in the adaptation,” Gwy shared, detailing how rigorous the process was. She emphasized how teamwork played a large part behind the scenes.
“With Heaven, I saw ‘Luna’ in her during the screen test when she was already bringing out the character and dressed the part.” While she was happy about having Marco and Heaven play her well-loved book characters onscreen, Gwy was open about who the real inspiration was behind the kilig-inducing love story – the phenomenal loveteam ‘KathNiel.’
“I started writing because of She’s Dating the Gangster. That was my inspiration,” Gwy revealed, saying she wrote her own story when felt like she has read almost every title on the platform.
She’s Dating the Gangster is a Wattpad story that eventually became a box-office hit. The movie was top-billed by her favorite love team of Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla.
“Before the University Series, everything I wrote on Wattpad was KathNiel fan fiction. It is my dream to work with them!,” Gwy gushed. “If I were to dream big [in terms of collaboration], Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla po talaga!”
When asked if it was safe to tag her as a KathNiel fan, Gwy instantly gave a yes even before the question was over.
Gwy’s eyes lit up when she talked about meeting the celebrity couple. “Kathryn was able to read ‘Along España’ and I received a video greeting from her,” Gwy giggled. The proud fangirl happily shared that she already met KathNiel in the flesh during an awards night and she was greeted and acknowledged with warmth.
Without formal training in writing other than her creative writing lessons in class, Gwy produced her hit stories from the heart. The length of time she writes novels ranges from three months to a year, depending on her schedule and motivation.
Asked what motivates her these days, Gwy was quick to respond, “My readers!” She is one to check her readers’ comments and even considers them, especially while working on the adaptation.
Gwy revealed personally briefing the actors involved on how to tackle their roles and characters’ relationships with other characters, with reminders about how the book fans would feel.
Gwy may be considerate and thoughtful but she also knows her boundaries. She does not let fans’ comments dictate her plots. The promising artist embraces her creativity and values her craft.
“I don’t act based on what they are saying. I change plots because I want to and not because they tell me to,” she explained.
These days, it helps a lot that Gwy is under the care of a talent management agency she fully trusts. In 2021, Gwy’s friend Martin who works for O/C Records, a record label that also ventures into artist management, introduced her to the husband-and-wife owners Kean Cipriano and Chynna Ortaleza.
Both Kean and Chynna are passionate artists with established names in the industry and Gwy had nothing but appreciation for them. “Super approachable! I like working with Ms. Chynna and Sir Kean kasi alagang-alaga po nila ako [They are taking care of me.],” she described her celebrity managers.
“They always accompany me like in meetings. They are always there to support me and send me words of encouragement when I’m not in a good state.”
Asked if there is any remarkable advice she has gotten from the couple, Gwy related, “They always remind me that when there is a backlash, that means something good will happen. So, I just have to stay put and relax because it will be big.” She was referring to the mixed reviews from her fans on the TV adaptation of her novel.
It comes as no surprise how Gwy becomes affected by feedback. She has poured her heart into and given so much time for the project to be a success.
“I always put a part of myself in all the characters I create. That will be easier for me to connect with them. If there isn’t a part of me involved, I won’t be able to relate to them. I want to be close to the characters I write to better understand them,” Gwy shared.
She is very thankful to old and new fans for their support and love her characters.
“I am very thankful for the book fans who stayed and the new fans who are giving me a chance. I am thankful to the fans who understand me, accept the adaptation, and continue to support me,” she added.
As a treat for them, Gwy let us in on what she is simultaneously working on – three novels featuring the children of her University Series stars.
With a good head on her shoulders, Gwy shows so much promise. It also seems that campus life is very much a part of her success. Aside from University Series Book 2 “Safe Skies, Archer” getting signed for adaptation, she just graduated from Ateneo de Manila with a Bachelor of Science degree in Legal Management.
Gwy is also kicking off her journey to becoming an attorney this July. She is an incoming freshman at the Ateneo de Manila School of Law.
