While making this account has possibly been the most positive thing I have ever done in my life, and has opened a doorway into a space where I can interact and speak with so many people, I have some major regrets which I've never really shared with anyone.
1. Unfollowing those initial followers. I'll admit it now, despite being ashamed of it, that I used to use the old 'follow-for-a-follow' technique and then unfollowed those people who did follow back and gave me a chance (this happened in the first few months of this account). I think I did a mass unfollowing when I hit 700 followers, and I severely regret ever doing that. Every time I look at my follower count I can't help but feel like I've cheated a huge number of people who did follow in those first few months, and that's something I will regret for the time I have this account. I haven't done this for like a year and eight months, but I still feel bad.
2. Mentioning my other Wattpad accounts. Usually a couple times a week I'll get messages from some very lovely and sweet people who have read my books and want to read some of my previous fiction work. I think I mentioned that I had written other books in 'How to: Get More Reads On Wattpad' because at the time I thought my other books were super cool.
I don't want those books to define me anymore, I wrote them when I was like 13, and it's so hard to explain to people why I don't give out those other account names.
3. Writing 'How to: Get More Reads On Wattpad'. Looking back, I was such a naive and uninformed person to write that book. I think the highest amount of reads I had ever got was 7k, and I barely knew what I was talking about.
4. Thinking I was the shit when I hit 10k reads. I realise now I'm really nothing special when it comes to Wattpad, and I'm nowhere near top dog. I'm totally fine with that, and I'm embarrassed that I ever used to go around bragging to my friends about people reading my books.
5. Leaving that bloody underscore at the end of my username. It irritates me daily.
6. Not reading more of my followers' works. Life gets in the way, and time is so scarce, but I still regret not reading more of your works. I feel so selfish that people vote and comment on my work and I don't even look at theirs.
7. Allowing myself to get wrapped up in the numbers game. I was obsessed with reads for such a long time, and I would compulsively check to see how my works were doing. Those numbers mean nothing to me anymore, it's the comments and votes that count.
8. Not replying to more comments. Sometimes I get hundreds of comments and I never get a chance to reply to one's directed at me because 9/10 of the comments I get are on my 'Daily Questions' book, and so pressing comments get lost in a black hole.
9. Not saying thank you enough. I don't think you realise what your support means to me.