I'm sure that most of us who publish on Wattpad don't do this for a living. We might dream of becoming a published author one day, and for some, like my friends EliciaHyder , JulietLyons , krazydiamond and RKClose , this dream has even become a reality. 

So what is my advice for all of you who are still reaching for the stars?

Have fun. I'm sure none of you would be here if you wouldn't be enjoying writing stories. With Wattpad's pressures to compete for reads/votes and hot list placing, it's a concept that can easily be forgotten. It's also something that has happened to me. Writing for me is an outlet, but when it becomes a chore, something is wrong. Keep enjoying what you're doing or all your efforts will be worthless.

Keep learning. No matter how good you think you are, you can always learn something new. Take criticism on board, not to a point where you toss everything else aside, but with a critical eye to evaluate whether the person might have a valid point. Just the other day, someone pointed out that I lack description. My first thought - na, that's a bunch of crap - but when I really think about it, he is right. I focus on emotions, but neglect the surroundings at times. So now I will focus on this more going forward.

Don't underestimate the power of emotions. When it comes to your work, any comment is helpful. I get a lot of one sentence inline comments that are just randomly tossed at the characters, but they tell me if something is working just as much as a detailed review (if not more). Your characters want to evoke emotions, and those comments are the best to determine whether your character gets the job done. We all have special pet sections in our stories, and it is especially painful to admit if those aren't working. They might even need to go...even if it's hard.

Be open minded. I'm not a planner, so this is not a big problem for me since my stories can change in the spur of the moment, but I could imagine that those of you who spend a lot of time on their outlines might struggle to let go. Great characters have been born by just letting them take the lead, and even more incredible plot twists found their way onto the pages when I allowed my imagination run wild. Planning might really work for you, but be prepared to let the story take you by the hand and walk down a different path. Embracing change is an important skill - just as it is okay to break with established literary rules once in a while. Experiment and you might create something amazing.

Keep writing. This is maybe the most important advice I can give you. The more you write, the more you will improve. Professional authors claim that they had to write a million words to reach their full potential. That's a lot of pages, but not as hard as it seems if your heart is invested. Branch out and try different genres and find your niche. Creating something memorable and sharing it with the world might be one of the biggest accomplishments of your life.