On top of that, when said stories have explicit sexual content that isn't even tastefully censored and remain on the website for years at a time whilst my stories have been deleted multiple times for "explicit sexual content" despite being tagged as Mature and having warnings well before the action, it's proof of systematic biases that need to be addressed.
In addition to this, with the lack of meaningful resources to connect with other writers that Wattpad has provided, it seems the only way one can get reads is through the tag system and self-promotion which, by the very nature of it, creates a survival of the fittest situation where only those with the most promotion get attention whilst others, despite how good or bad they may be, are practically forgotten about. Wattpad claims to be for everyone but its clear that its not.
It's already hard as a minority writer but even more so when you have to compete against this. Why should I give my best to this website only for it to be buried under stories by two-bit authors who treat writing as a joke or to be pushed aside for authors who write cliched stories catering to the exact same audiences filled to the brim with predictable plotlines whom Wattpad seems to shove in everyone's faces nonstop?!
For those of you still with me after my rant, I do believe I will continue to use this website in limited form to post one chapter samples, limited interactions with my fellow authors and potentially for use as a marketing tool but as for posting fully fledged stories, I will no longer be doing so for the above reasons. I appreciate everyone who has supported me so far and I will still be here, just not as much nor as seriously as I begin to craft my work in the directions it was meant to go in. When my works are officially published or posted elsewhere, I will formally let you all know. For those wanting to further interact with me, do follow me on Twitter, the link to which is on my page.
Signed, T.B.Malik
