How to Stop Writing Self-Inserts!
Create a Unique Storyworld With Me!
Welcome to the Apple Hair CANON!
Here, I’ll explore creating a fictional universe, and I’m hoping you’ll follow along with your own world. I’m by no means an expert, so let’s discuss how to create a believable, magical, and captivating world. Let’s be storycatchers together!
Want to read Apple Hair, the boy band fantasy novel, from the very beginning? You can start here! Apple Hair is a fictional, Asian American boy band from Hawaii.
Welcome to the newsletter, and I’m excited to lay down the foundations of our storyworlds together, one word at a time.
Hi, storycatchers! Last time in the CANON, we talked about the types of drafters. I talked about how it’s okay to be somewhere in the middle—not quite a full “skeleton” drafter, and not quite someone who writes in perfect chronological order.
I noticed that even though it’s the eighth CANON post, I definitely have not even scratched the surface of things to talk about with story-building. I’m glad I have various topics to explore, but I’m even happier that writing these articles is giving me joy! We hear a lot about needing to find a niche—sometimes it works to narrow down, but sometimes we just gotta find what flows easiest for us, what gives us energy and joy to write about.
That leads me to today’s topic! How much of ourselves should we infuse into our world-building and writing?
First things first, I need to talk about self-inserts. I am the master of self-inserts, and I didn’t realize it until I began a manuscript one day and realized that the character was like an idealized version of me. So, a self-insert occurs when we make the main character a “better” version of us. We give this character the joys of everything we want in real life, for example having them fall in love with an ultra-sexy love interest.
Sure, it’s okay to write self-inserts sometimes, especially when we’re getting started. But all the time? Maybe it’s time to reevaluate.
Writing a character that is different from us—in values, appearance, personality, etc.—is going to be a game changer for us as storybuilders. It is going to challenge us and mold us into better writers!
We need this to grow and to eventually build stories that capture attention! I would like to pose a challenge for us all. Try to build a character that is the opposite of you. For example, if you’re an introvert who can always be found reading a book, try to make a character who loves the great outdoors and hates the idea of spending time in their room.
It may be challenging, or perhaps even uncomfortable, but try to write from the first-person POV of this character. You might surprise yourself with the style that you create! Maybe you might fall in love with a certain tone?
We are inspired by all sorts of characters and people we meet in real life. Try to infuse some neat qualities into this character. Sometimes, we might make our “opposites” one-dimensional, so give this character some sort of contradiction.
A contradiction might look like this: A character who loves to play basketball, but also has the fear of jumping. Okay… maybe that’s a bit weird. But the point is, every character has a contradiction waiting to be explored: what gives them a unique sparkle in the eyes of readers.
All the boys of Apple Hair, the fictional boy band that I’m creating, are Asian American. However, I tried to give them different experiences. For example, David is a strong Christian who always looks at things through his understanding of God. Van is a very family-centered person. Kaden is a no-nonsense character who views things with a practical lens.
While worldbuilding, the fun part might be to come up with magic systems and maps. Don’t get me wrong, I adore those things too! But maybe try to go deeper into the characters a bit more (especially the main character)! When we uncover these contradictions within them, we become more aware of why they act the way we do. And when we see that they act differently than us, we are going to open up new plot threads that would never occur if we just keep writing self-inserts.
So yes, we can eat up fanfics and characters that are reflections of us, but characters can come alive and mirror us in different ways when they are opposites. And if you don’t want to go to extremes, start with a character having one core belief or value that is vastly different from yours.
Do you have a character in mind? In your WIP, what is one way that your character differs from you?
I struggle with voice, like many authors. But this exercise will help refine the difference between your voice, the narrator’s voice, and your character’s voice. Voice is a huge topic. Would you like me to explore that next? Or something else?
For my paid subscribers, here’s a link to early access to Debut in Broad Daylight. I appreciate you very much! A reminder that this is a very rough draft—meaning very unedited! You’re getting the first sneak peek, and the boy band members are glad you’re getting an early start with them.
What would you like me to discuss in the next post? Comment below! Or jump into my Chat or on one of my Notes, and I’ll be happy to hear your input. Dream big while writing this week!