Writer's Guide 101 (Wattpad Edition)

XXXV. Avoid These Mistakes

6) Being constantly critical of yourself or others.

Each of us have varying levels of skills and experiences. So quit telling yourself that you're not as good as the other because we aren't the same. Our preferences, ideas and personalities are different.
Another thing is being constantly critical of others without any positives will just drive people away. Nobody wants a negative Nancy!

7) Insulting or blocking your critics.

This is what I notice in many popular authors online. They tend to be dismissive and antagonize those who bother bringing up any flaw to them or their stuff. Look, I think constructive criticism is alright.
I remember getting some comments telling me where I could have improved and I either ignore or take them humbly. If you don't like getting any criticism, maybe don't be a jerk!

8) Constantly posting on your board aside from important updates.

We may have been a little guilty of this but do know that your followers are gonna think you're being annoying. Sure, you can follow-up something but don't set other random posts to "Announce to followers" every second.
I also realized there are folks who love oversharing about the most mundane details especially when they're someone on the spectrum. My advise is to set a specific time and goal when you're gonna post again (e.g. Try doing it the next morning instead).

9) Trying hard to be somebody else.

There is a difference between inspiration and a rip-off. Sure, you could be inspired by someone you look up to but at least come up with your own ideas. You don't wanna get in trouble for plagiarism, do you?
If you're going to cite a word or image from an existing book, movie or show, don't forget to add the source (a.k.a. where you first got it).

10) Lack of disclaimers.

There are authors who can go a little overboard with their stories such as including themes which may be triggering to other readers. Seriously, I wouldn't know that a chapter is gonna take a horrific turn until I have read the whole thing.

11) Being worried about numbers.

This is usually the case for amateur writers. When you couldn't pick up that pen to write because you don't have enough comments or votes, think about what pushed you to write in the first place.
Let's be real here! A lot of jobs don't care about how popular you are or how many views/likes you got. Success takes time to build. Trying to be on top of the algorithm will just prevent you from growing and put a drain in your life.
So what if you're underrated? Did Wattpad literally say that you should just call it quits because you're not able to reach a specific benchmark?

12) Constantly being on social media.

I am talking about scrolling through Facebook or Twitter, posting worthless crap all day and never get anything else done.

Here are just some of the stuff I could think of. I'm betting there's a lot more so let me know what else to add here. Please, no trolls or spam bots allowed!