u/Inevitable-Remove478

For all the wattpad readers who have a hard time coming across good books, or readers who are indecisive about what should be their next read. Here I am with a list of my favourite (and underrated) authors and a flickering hope that everyone would find something worthwhile in this compilation.

Starting with:

1. Do you like psychological thriller? Do you like plot twists? Do you want crime fiction with an unrealiable narrator? Tired of insta-love and rather read a simmering romance tale where romance itself is the subplot?

If your answer is yes then the Time Series by Memorycraver is just the book for you. Her vocabulary is insane and the twists and turns would foster you to clutch your pearls. I would even level up the bar and say this is the best book produced by wattpad India. The author is spectacular in her craft; so much so that I feel it's my honour that I could read this masterpiece.

Adding a blurb would have helped but after completing this series everything feels like a spoiler. Thus, I'd implore you to take the bait and dive into a world of suspense, thriller and quiet devotion.

2. Are you tired of perfect female leads? Do you want a story of redemption where the FL was genuinely in the wrong rather than hatred prompted due to a misunderstanding? Would you want to see the portrayal of socio-economic prejudices ingrained in our society?

Bhabra by TripuWrites is the book for you. The story is set in 2006 and the way, the author has weaved the prose — the descriptions so immersive that you're transported back to the days of Nokia phones and thousand rupee notes. There is a childhood friends to lovers angle and the ML is chef's kiss. The nickname acquainted to him is so adorable and it comes with a backstory which will pull your heartstrings.

[P.S. this book may not be for everyone because the actions of the FL is not justifiable in any regard. Neither does the narrative excuse her actions. The damage done is real and there is no going back; yet, if you could look past her horrible choices and follow her journey, then I can guarantee you won't be disappointed.]

3. Oh, what is it? You want a 90s love story? You want a strong yet flawed female lead as well? You want an equally strong ML with a hint of enemies to lovers? Oh, you want the nostalgia of the black and white days too?

Worry not, reader, you aren't being picky. Scroll down and you'll find Bombay Romance by justromcoms. The author is brilliant. Seriously, the extensive research she has put forth for writing this book is spectacular. At one point I was wondering if the rich descriptions were a result of research or was she present in 1985 Bombay because it's that riveting. The story enthralls you from the first chapter itself and the main leads 😭 I literally have no words to describe them; rather than characters they feel like real people and that's not an exaggeration.

[The FL (Gauri) is my favourite character. Idk if I want to be her or want to be with her. Seriously, I will fight Amarnath for her. Then, willingly lose cause he is perfect for her and I want Gauri to be happy.]

4. Leaving this, do you want tropes done right? Do you like clichés? Arranged marriage, angst, multicouple, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, the good girl x bad boy, teenfiction, college life etc.?

You'd be astounded because I have your back. Books by caralogue/caramelstreet, httpswriter, writtenbyavi_, Ink_dreams09, mangoesonmytree, and chashnee are available for you. Each of them have a plethora of books and each book has fan-favourite tropes. I love their writing style and men written by them have skyrocketed my standards. Though romance is the main theme, the plot transcends due to several other factors and it's highly gripping; prompting you to scroll and constantly question: what next?

Adding to this, if you want to read a realistic take on arranged marriage with an age gap then you should surely try Mrinalini by Elegiac_Damsel. I read this book back in early 20s or something and I remember reading it before my chemistry board exam and I was crying bad. So much so that my mother had to come and console me because the initial chapters were so angsty. Thankfully, everything is resolved by the end so I wasn't left with a heavy heart as I read the last chapter.

5. Oh, I see you are tired of contemporary romance? You want a historical romance? You want it to be plot heavy too?

It's here! VikramSamahita by Ira_Alessia and Karikalan: saviour of the cholas by The_EpicWriter.

6. I really don't know where to add this but if there are any bengali readers in this sub or if anyone is interested in the bengali culture then you should definitely try books by Shivran86. Daughters of Kalika and Narabali are my personal favourite and as a bengali myself, reading her books have given me a deep insight about my culture and roots — weighing my heart with gratitude and high respect for her.

This seeped longer than I expected it to be. But oh well... it was necessary and I hope anyone coming across these authors would give them a chance for they aren't appreciated enough for the level of craft they have put forth (and all for free) in wattpad.

Signing off now.

Thank you for reading.

Writing is a tedious task. More so when you are doing it as a side-hustle while balancing your primary goal.

Authors have a perfectionist mindset but I feel, some of us have forgotten that writing is supposed to be fun.

My exams are over and I intend begin writing but everytime, I open my docs, I am plagued with a plethora of questions.

"Am I writing this properly?"

"Could I do justice to the story in my head?"

"What if it turns out like nothing I expected?"

"Am I trying too hard?"

"What if no one likes it?"

Etc.

And I know like me, a lot of authors (even the most popular ones) have felt this once in a while. We are so concerned if our work would be "good enough" for the masses that we have refrained ourselves from enjoying the process of writing.

This is just a reassurance post for every author who has ever doubted themselves. Perfection is the bane of creativity but improvement is real. But you won't improve until you take the first step i.e. writing. Just write whatever comes to your mind and keep on writing. Keep on having fun. Keep exploring and keep learning. Write the overused, cliche and tropefied book you want. Write the unique, mind-boggling and twist filled book your mind conjured. Just keep on writing.

Because, in the end of the day, it only matters if you like what you have written.