My Wattpad Year in Review

                  Ah, 2015. What an awful, awful year. I will not look back fondly on it. From Zayn leaving One Direction to discovering most of my hometown is rooting for Donald Trump, I am truly disgusted. I wasn't even going to make a post like this because I couldn't come up with a hefty enough list of good things to come of this year. But then I logged into my laptop to come wish you all a Happy New Year, and that's when it hit me.

                  Wattpad. Wattpad brought me great things in 2015.

                  So instead of making a post about my year in review, which was fifty shades of terrible, I've decided to make a post about my Wattpad Year in Review, where I'll tell you about all the really great things I've experienced because of this beautiful website over the last twelve months. I'm going to be thanking people who deserve it, probably promoting all of my favorite 2015 reads, and reliving all the super exciting bits that you might not have heard about yet! Let's get this show on the road, shall we? A new year is calling, and its voice sounds like Harry's, so I can't wait to leave the last one behind.

The People

· Cassie (@traveller_): Over the summer, Cassie became my first Wattpad/internet friend to come visit me in Wisconsin. We've known each other online for a while, and even recently decided to connect our Wattpad blogs and call them "Sister Blogs" (mine is Etcetera and hers is Ampersand). She is one of very few of my original Wattpad friends that I'm still really close with, so I'm super grateful for that and I can't wait for more years of shenanigans both on and off the internet with her.

· Sam (@samantha): You know her, you love her...it's your favorite Wattpad employee, everybody. I have no idea how it all went down to be honest, but 2015 was the start of an incredible friendship between the two of us, and it's brought me nothing but joy (hopefully her as well, otherwise...awkward). Thanks to Sam, I've had the privilege of not only visiting Wattpad HQ in Toronto (more on that later) but becoming more involved on this website and with writing than I ever was before (more on this as well). Also we squeal about all the same things, so there's that too.

· Alessandra (@alessandra): And on the note of squealing over things and Wattpad employees, this year I've had the pleasure of getting to know another (baby) One Direction/Larry fanatic. She's new to the game, but she's giving most of us veterans a run for our money. We read each other's fanfics (go check out If I Could Fly by her right now immediately for some merman!Harry and harpy!Louis action) and, through/with Sam, bond over the pain and joy brought about by our mutually loved/hated (it's still up in the air) boy band. If you don't know her, you should.

· Jayme Dray (@JeddieJay): While I don't know this appropriately famous Wattpad author personally, he is one of few whose work I'm almost certain has kept me entertained and occupied for the entirety of 2015. Confessions of a Gay Disney Prince is obviously legendary, but I've also read and loved Balloon Boy, Cat Killer, Sons of Freud, The Twisted Lullabies, and more. He's witty and intelligent and I can't believe he posts his work for free, because he could easily make a pretty penny off of that content. But anyway, I'm very thankful that he was active on Wattpad this past year even when it seemed like he was having a tough time himself.

· Ali Novak (@Fallzswimmer): In August, a couple weeks before I had to leave Wisconsin and head back to Indiana for school, I was lucky enough to be able to meet Ali at her book signing for The Heartbreakers in Brookfield. That book has always been my favorite of all her works, and it's so cool to be able to meet someone successful who shares the same hobbies that I have and who is from Wisconsin too. She was so, so sweet. Hopefully we'll bump into each other again someday.

· Sarena (@sarena_a): Another new face I was lucky to become closer with this year was this peach. We don't get to talk nearly as often as either of us would like to, but we have the greatest conversations when we do and I can't wait to meet her someday. She's honestly the sweetest thing, her Instagram feed is goals, and #carena for life. Go check out her book Straighter Than Parallel Parking if you haven't yet! You need Janice Diablo and James Ruth in your life, trust me.

· Jenna (@StolenFishes): I just want to thank this cutie for consistently leaving comments on my work like an angel. You're so kind and so wonderful.

· Elizabeth (@explosivestrings): Like Jenna, Elizabeth has also been super active with my stories all year. And most surprisingly, she seems to really enjoy Etcetera, which is exciting because it's just me rambling about things I either like or hate. So thank you so much for making me feel like someone cares about the random crap that interests me!

The Books I Loved

· If I Could Fly by @alessandra - Fanfiction: I just mentioned this book in the previous list, but here we are again. It's not finished yet, but it's been updated actively and it's super cute and I love everything about it.

· Confessions of a Gay Disney Prince by @JeddieJay – Fanfiction: Also mentioned above, but how I could not repeat myself? This year, this book was rewritten after Jayme was unsatisfied with the first version and its sequel, and although I adored the first one, I am madly in love with this new and improved version. As of right now, there are only eleven chapters left before it's finished, and I'm not ready.

· Screenwalks by @beautyatwork – Teen Fiction: This one was just finished either earlier today or last night, but I haven't gotten to read the latest chapters yet. It's fantastic. If you haven't read it yet, I don't know what's wrong with you, but go do so immediately.

· Electro by @knittingkneedle – Fanfiction: Earlier this year, Sam helped me discover this book, and I haven't been the same since. Just believe me: it's everything you never knew you wanted to read about. At the very least, go give it a look. You'll probably be surprised by how much you love it.

Accomplishments

· Completing Paper Airplane over on my second/side account. It's officially my first completed One Direction fanfiction, and while I hope to revise or edit it sometime in the future, I'm pretty happy with it.

· Beating the three chapter curse I've had to deal with almost the entire year with Elf Bites. Any new story I started writing, I couldn't seem to write or post more than three chapters, and I was so frustrated that to be honest at one point I kind of just wanted to give up on Wattpad for a while until I took a long enough break that hopefully I'd get past it. Thankfully, though, I got mega-inspired to write Elf Bites, which will be my first semi-serious Larry story ever, and it currently has twelve chapters posted. Yay for Larry!

· Becoming a Fanfic Representative (I believe it's called something different now, but that's what we were originally). At the beginning of 2015, I was lucky enough to get to join forces with Wattpad for the greater good: bringing more awareness and inspiring more involvement within the fanfiction community on Wattpad. Thanks to Sam and the rest of the team, I got to fly out to Toronto to see the headquarters, meet some really cool people who love the same things I do, and had an excuse for why I spent so much time on the internet if my family asked. My school schedule did end up causing me to cut my time as a fanfic rep a little short, but I'm still so grateful that I was able to experience that. Can't wait to go back to HQ and see everyone again!

· Becoming a Wattpad Star. This is recent and unexpected, and to be honest I think I'm still in shock about it? But yeah, I have once again joined forces with Wattpad, and I absolutely cannot wait to see what 2016 will bring in regards to this. Stay tuned!

· Reaching almost 30,000 followers. That is mind-blowing to me. When I met my roommate August of 2014, I had 14,000, and that seemed like a lot. I still can't believe it, but I thank you all the same. There is never day when I don't appreciate all 27,235 of your existences (that was such an awkward sentence I'm sorry).

                  So overall, I think we can all agree that despite how cringe-worthy 2015 ended up being, there was at least one part of it that was pretty okay. For over five years, Wattpad has been my safe haven and it will probably continue to be. I can't wait to spend even more time annoying you guys with my pointless broadcasted messages, Larry stories, and hopeless attempts at completing something.

                  One of my goals for 2016 is to get to know more of you, so if you're bored and bumbling about on the internet looking for something to read or listen to or watch, don't ever hesitate to shoot my message! I love to give recommendations and suggestions, and I love it when you guys give me them as well. I think those are really great ways to strike up conversations and even form exciting new bonds and friendships, so my inbox is always open!

                   Thank you all for being the light at the end of the tunnel during this dark time. Good riddance, 2015. 2016, do better.

                  Carissa. x