An Unheard Voice

An Architeer's final message to Wattpad before she deactivates her account

Does anyone on this site feel a strong urge to deactivate their Wattpad account? I know this is offensive to some, but before I decide to deactivate my account on August 31st, 2018, I want to stand up for why.
So many contests claim they're trying to discover hidden gems—even the Wattys. I originally wanted to join. But then I found that "Hidden Gems" aren't really hidden gems. They're either cliché plots with decent covers that make them appear good. Or they're already getting at least 1K reads.
The Wattys uses so-called "data science" to long list writers. Yet that data means comments. Votes. Who read to the end and who didn't. How about the undiscovered books? The ones that have under 50 reads? Would those have comments? Oh, that's right, some people can't appreciate originality, good grammar and an innocent plot. I don't want to try to hurt anyone by saying this, but it's a trend I observe on Wattpad that I can't ignore. I want to scream, throw my iPad across the room and get rid of the Wattpad app on the screen every time I see an amazing book with 22 reads and 6 votes.
How will hidden gems get found, then? I know I seem extreme. After all, I'm deactivating my account because of a lack of reads? But the trend is the same. That's the problem. If it was just me, I'd be fine with it. Choirs of voices, drowned under the torrent of cliché and the judging of a cover. A cover can't show what's inside you, the way looks can't define a person.
My most popular fiction is at 7 reads. I tried to be original. I made sure the chapters had at least 1000 words. I don't know what I missed. Seriously. The four categories most people bother to read:
- Romance
- Teen Fiction
- Poetry
- Werewolf/Vampire
I realised none of my works could fit into these, even if I talked about sub-category.
No offense to some writers like prettygirlmonie_ and TheRavenclawOwlet , as their poetry is really good, but I hope you see my point. The other three are overused. Some stories are so alike, I feel it's the Wattpad version of the "Clone Wars."
Yes, I have turned into the sort of person who could fix your problems, but not themselves. I still know who I am. An architect and an engineer. But writer? It...it just doesn't seem like who I was meant to be. Head start at age five does not mean I stay in the front, especially when the world tries to push me backward. You struggle against the current, you fight against the words that try to hurt you, stab you, kick you until you feel like you are dying, but it's not enough. Maybe "writer" was never who I was. Perhaps, all this time, my dream to be a writer was a lie. A facade.
I might still write offline. Alone. Where no one's going to tell me it needs more romance or they want it longer. I want my own life. Not one created for me.
Perhaps no one is reading this. Maybe all I'm doing is typing to myself. Maybe I will just deactivate my account with a reason that makes no sense to anyone.
To me, it's it's a silent rebellion.
  I may be an unheard voice as I press the orange button, labelled with the white letters "Deactivate Account," but I hope someone else will not be.
  If you are reading this, here is my silent challenge to you. Put down whatever "good girl bad boy" book you've been reading, as it has millions of reads and votes already. Search up a random tag you want to read about—be it "synesthesia," "music," "life," "mystery," or something else. Make sure it isn't in the category of romance, teen fiction or werewolf/vampire. Go ahead with poetry. But pick one of the stories with under 300 reads. Scroll to the bottom to find one if you must. Read it. If you liked it, vote for it, if you loved it, follow the author.
  Or you could just go back to the Wattys2017 winners' works. They have millions of reads, so it has to be good. That's what you think.
  Don't you think unheard voices have a story to tell as well?

—ArchitectSpectre , the soon-to-be-gone Architeer