And here's the thing—it's not just the writers. It's also the readers. I mean, it's basic economics, right? Demand and supply. But what kills me is the amount of people that read these stories. I get it, tropes are fun. We all love a little chaos. I've read some enemies-to-lovers stuff and screamed at my screen too, okay? I'm not above it. But when every single book reads like a fanfic of a fanfic of another fanfic, when names blur, plots blur, morals blur—it's exhausting. It's like watching 72 episodes of the same show with different fonts.
And the worst part? I've read some absolute gems on Wattpad, by authors who pour their soul into every paragraph, who build worlds and characters you actually want to remember. But they barely get noticed. Meanwhile, that one fic where the CEO chains the FL to his mansion or whatever? A million reads and counting.
We've glorified garbage so well that we can't even smell it anymore. And just so you know, we're not even glorifying garbage anymore. We're mass-producing it. Slapping the same plot into different covers with slightly adjusted kinks and calling it "a fresh twist to the same old plot."
So yeah. I miss when writing was about storytelling. When it was about themes. When you could read something and feel things—rage, love, grief, hope. Now it's all about how well it'll do on Instagram. Whether someone can turn it into a three-second thirst trap for BookTok. Whether the male lead is "a red flag but hot so it's okay I can fix him."
But guess what? You can't fix a story that was never whole to begin with.
It's so sad that if your book doesn't come with a hooky reel sound and a thirst-trap aesthetic, it's invisible. Don't even get me started on how stories are now judged based on their Instagram performance. Like, "this book must be good, it got 10k shares." Oh wow, congrats. And meanwhile, the quietest line in that underrated gem with 346 reads could rearrange my entire heart—but I guess that doesn't look good in sepia, huh?
Also, shoutout to the actual writers on these platforms. The ones who obsess over character arcs. Who rewrite chapters 11 times. Who cry because they can't figure out how to describe a feeling they've never spoken aloud. The ones who don't write for virality—but because they love the craft. Y'all deserve better. Deserve more hype. Deserve a publishing world that isn't just a damn popularity contest on steroids.
So yeah. This isn't just about tropes or social media or even Wattpad. It's about the slow death of nuance. Of originality. Of writing that risks something.
And to the readers? Half the blame's on you too. Stop complaining about shallow stories if you only read books with shirtless billionaires on the cover and titles like "His Ruthless Touch." (Yes, I made that up, but tell me it doesn't exist. You can't.)
Meanwhile, you'll ignore the one story that unpacks grief with grace, or crafts a love that's slow, flawed, aching, real—because it doesn't make for a catchy TikTok/ Instagram soundbite.
The quietest lines are the ones that wreck you most. But those never go viral, do they? Because they don't scream. They breathe. And we've forgotten how to listen to that. Think about it!
To the writers, if you're still out here writing from your gut, pouring in your sleepless nights and flawed but real characters—then keep going. Loud or quiet, pretty or raw, tropey or not. Just make it you. Not the algorithm. Even if it doesn't go viral. Even if it only reaches one person. That's still a universe changed.
And the readers? Start reading better women/men! Crave more. Demand stories that don't spoon-feed your fantasies. Stories that make you ache, not just simper. That scare you a little. That demand a piece of you in return.
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Okay, so real talk?
I used to live on Wattpad. Like, no exaggeration—I've read enough bad boys and billionaire boss nightmares to last me five alternate lives. I used to love it too. The chaos, the drama, the tropes that made no sense but still kept me up at 3 a.m. like "he said what??"
And for the longest time, I thought that was it. That this was just... what stories were now. Slight variations of the same recycled plot—girl with "fire" meets boy with "issues" and somehow trauma equals passion.
But then I started writing. And suddenly I couldn't unsee it—the same recycled stories in different fonts. The same power imbalance dressed up as passion. The same "dark romance" that's literally just emotional trauma in a lace dress.
And I don't say this from a high horse. I was the reader who ate that stuff up. Who thought "possessive" meant love and "you're mine" was peak intimacy. Who believed plot twists meant "she gets kidnapped... again."
But once I started writing—and more importantly, once I started finding authors who were actually doing something different—it kind of broke me a little (in the best way). These authors weren't trying to go viral. They were just... telling stories. Real ones. Messy ones. Honest ones.
Stories with characters who weren't perfect. Or sexy in the traditional way. Or saying "you're mine" in italics every 3 pages. Stories that didn't revolve around a punchy trope, but around something human.
And I was stunned. Because I realised they were all writing for themselves and no one else. And isn't that what everyone needs to prioritise?
And many more talented ones who are still underrated, I'm sorry if I couldn't tag you because trust me my memory sucks! So anyone reading this? Please tag authors I have missed or authors who made you unlearn everything you thought you knew about what makes a good story.
This post came from a place of frustration, yeah—but also from a place of hope. Because if you're still here—still trying, still rewriting that one emotional scene for the 12th time, still fighting to write stories that feel true—you're the reason this platform has any soul left.
So thanks. For being the exception. For reminding me that storytelling isn't dead—it's just buried under a few too many shirtless mafia billionaires.
And if this ticked you off a little? Good. Maybe you needed to be. Maybe we all did.
