Wattpad Cliches

3: Money

The writers at Wattpad seems to know only two types of people when it comes to finances: poorest of poor and billionaires.

If our MC is poor, she'll wear hand down clothes and will be bullied in the school for being poor. But then you will find her spending generous amount of money to buy herself friends, while trying to convince us that she is not rich to be doing this publicity stunt.

Where are your parents, the one who will scold you for spending money on useless things?

Remember, you are living in an old, dingy house with your parents working on minimum wage. You can't waste money.

In the second case, if the MC is rich, she won't be normal rich. Everything she owns would be custom made, and crazy expensive. Her house will huge, exaggerated to a point where it is cringe worthy.

Wondering what's her father's profession is.

And even in this case, the MC doesn't seem to understand the importance of saving money. She buys whatever she pleases and most of times, she doesn't need it.

There's even a story where the MC and her boyfriend burn fifty million dollars just to see money 'burn' and the parents don't seem to care because it's their money.

If I knew anyone who did that, I would have slapped them for wasting money.

I have been guilty about writing characters 'born with silver spoon' but atleast they know how to use their money properly. They earn money so they don't waste it and before getting job, their parents taught them importance of it.

But a considerable lack of 'middle class' characters is painful because they make up majority of real life population.

Being 'just' well off financially doesn't hurt because they understand the effort it takes to earn money.

Inclusion of middle class doesn't only make a story diverse, it also looks grounded to reality. And I know that cost of living in a metropolitan area isn't low; everything is batshit costly.

This makes sense because most of stories are set in highly developed countries.

*eyes America with envy*

If you want your characters to be financially well off, there's no harm to do that. Just don't make them cringe-worthily annoying and arrogant.

Being rich doesn't give you a right to bully others and disrespecting towards something that their parents take effort to earn.

Over and out.