It's been a while since I was active on here. I had a good long depression slump and now I'm waiting for a valuation with a psychiatrist so that I can perhaps get medication after all (as well as a potential bipolar disorder diagnosis due to numerous potential manic episodes that did in fact last about a week each. I am terrified for this one but staying alive is kinda a priority over staying away from psychiatrists so we'll see what comes out of that).
Other than that, I am doing terrible, so let's focus on something completely unrelated in order to cheer me and everyone else up - I mean, it's almost Halloween, after all.
Creepypasta X Reader fanfiction gets made fun of a reasonable amount, which is, as my descriptor implies... Kind of fair, actually. A lot of it is outright bad, both as a piece of romance fiction and horror fiction. Like, it generally comically fails at either genre.
However, as a proud member of my former Quotev fanfic author friend group (we were called The Noodle Finders btw), I know that it actually can be done properly.
Of course, what counts as proper is entirely subjective, so if you happen to genuinely like Wattpad Creepypasta X Reader fanfiction, then by all means, enjoy them. However, it could also be that you're deprived of good fanfiction and have forgotten what it looks like, in which case: come here, I'll teach you how to make some yourself.
These tips aren't a step for step thing.
TIP 1: Plan your shit pls
One of the things that tends to make fanfiction (particularly romantic fanfiction) bad, is that the author stormed into the story without any consideration as to what it should be about - or where it should lead.
So, before you begin, plan some things out. Pick a beginning, middle, and ending for the story you want to tell. (Now, some fanfiction is never actually meant to end. This is fine. However, this is going to result in the story feeling like a soap opera. Soap operas can be very enjoyable, but it should be a deliberate choice.)
This doesn't have to be extremely detailed, though if you need some extra procrastination, like me, it can be. An example of a simple set-up from one of my friends' fanfictions is as follows:
Beginning:
Y/N meets Tim/Masky while working at a cafe and starts getting stalked by a masked man around the same time
Middle:
Y/N has to figure out that Tim is Masky and her normal life has to lay in shambles because she's attempting to run away where he can't find her
Ending:
Y/N fucking dies
Now this isn't romantic, because frankly, the Milly I'm talking about here was awful (why do I know two Milly's within the Creepypasta fandom btw lol), but I hope that it's clear what I mean. To be completely honest, none of our fics were super romantic, because we were really just using the reader insert as clickbait so that more people would read our writing, but that's not the point. (Off topic, but I think I'll attempt to write a genuinely romantic creepypasta x reader fic sometime in the future though. The characters I have to work with aren't the most fuckable but tbh the main reason I didn't write romance was because I am aromantic. But like now that I've been in more relationships (don't ask how that works) & know how similar romantic attraction is to adrenaline rushes I can probably manage)
Another, more elaborate example, is of one of my own fics from at the time. You don't have to look at the actual content, it's more so to show just how detailed you can make these things. (I mean you're allowed but,, don't have to. Also don't worry the advice continued starts in bold again so you know where to go if you want to skip)
Beginning:
- Introduction of MC in psych ward. Needs to showcase that her therapists aren't entirely ethical but make it so that it can look legal to people who don't know the law properly. Also explain backstory of MC's dead family & her yearlong disappearance that she doesn't remember anything of. MC's psychiatrist has to mention her husband at least once in a more or less memorable way (mention that she's mainly taking care of MC because her parents were friends with her husband (which is true and MC should recognize the husband in later chapters))
- Introduction of Mikko & calculator with BEN trapped inside. Mikko needs to be a reliable friend but also has to look more than a bit unhinged.
- MC obtains calculator, calculator can talk and offers help with murder mystery. (Show Alex's coded notebook in time so that BEN can help decipher it)
- Cult has to be introduced as a concept somehow
- Mikko and MC search for their documents. Joey is a suspect, Spencer flies over their heads
- Joey runs away from psych ward
- MC, Mikko and BEN escape. BEN must somehow get out of the calculator in a physical body
Middle:
- Squad travels to the city and crashes at the place of one of Mikko's friends. Can't stay here too long realistically. Maybe they steal/borrow a car or a van and just chill in the middle of nowhere. The cops chasing them shouldn't be the focus so make sure they manage somehow. They're technically chasing Joey but I suspect that Mikko and MC kinda just want to hang out instead
- Squad deciphers more of the notebook
- They bump into the psychiatrist's husband, who is friendly but does try to call the cops on them (actually calls the cult) so they run off. Husband may be mock-abducted by the cult, but see what best works.
- BEN has to do something unnerving right before some cult members find and attempt to capture them. (On that note, there should be a chapter or two in third person following some bits of the cult. Probably just Joey & Spencer though). MC should distrust BEN by then
- BEN gets away, Mikko tries to break her and MC out but gets mock killed (mock death!!! No body should be shown!!!!)
Ending:
- MC figures out more info on BEN and why he was killed + how he got stuck in a calculator
- She escapes a relative bit and gets out in the forest. Either Joey or Spencer may have to die for this trying to help. Sorry buds.
- MC bumps into the husband AGAIN. BEN also reappears and warns her to get away from him. The husband tries to feign confusion and supposedly protect MC, but BEN reveals that the husband is the cult leader who killed her family because Alex deliberately leaked info on the cult's true intentions (child exploitation & human trafficking) after he learned that the husband was trying to groom his little sister (MC). BEN also reveals that he is the cult leader's dead son.
- The husband tries to kill MC upon her learning this info, but Mikko appears and kills him, revealing that she is in fact not dead (hooray!!! Best girl!!!)
- BEN has contacted the police and the remaining cult members are arrested. In an epilogue we can potentially see MC adopted while BEN remains her ghost (boy)friend(?? idk??? they're both about 14 in this so it's possible???) & Mikko lives nearby and idk they watch a horror movie or something
Of course, there's many outlinings in between. You don't even really have to write anything down, but it does certainly work best to at least know what kind of thing you're writing. A lot of fanfictions don't think of this at all, and instead the writer just starts writing and can't really come up with a satisfying plot within the realms of their own story because they write themselves into a direction that doesn't work nor makes sense.
So, note down some characters that will be important (decide what they look like, their age, a few personality traits, and anything else that really stands out), where you want it to start, and at least vaguely where you'd like it to end (or if that's too difficult, what the general direction of the story should be).
TIP 2: Who is Y/N?
Before you start writing, consider one thing: what's your main character like? Sure, you can't fill in a lot of things without pissing at least some readers off, since it's a reader insert, but for yourself you'll at least want to know their personality and home situation. Hobbies, maybe. Reputation in school, if they go to school, or if not, their job or college or otherwise daily situation. Things they like and dislike. Their home situation. Their gender, in case it's not a female reader (or if you'd maybe like to keep this completely open?).
You're allowed to keep this bland and easy to relate to.
However, remember that a lot of people relate to authenticity, too. So don't be afraid to add some things (preferably unrelated to appearance, considering that a lot of people will get annoyed over things like the wrong hair length (yes, really) or their body type not matching the reader (which is pretty understandable) - but if it's plot related (eg. hair gets cut, character gets malnourished after being held captive for a few months), you can get away with this).
Liking or disliking a certain movie genre a lot makes your character more authentic, even if the one given may not entirely match up. Coping with humor makes your character more authentic. Being irritable or easily angered makes your character more authentic.
So, don't be afraid to treat Y/N as a character that just happens to be slightly adjustable depending on the reader. It'll be more fun for you and doesn't scare readers away, generally.
TIP 3: Figure your genre out
At least the general direction of it.
A problem with a lot of Wattpad fanfiction is that the author is trying to squeeze too many different tones and moods within a singular plotline. Now, authors who have been writing for a while will be able to put comedic elements into a tragedy, or horrific elements into a romance. Some people even go with this very easily.
However, when you're a newer writer, this can be difficult - which is okay, but does mean it may help to first focus on one or two specific genres to start out with.
If you're writing Creepypasta fanfiction, then one of the themes will obviously be horror. But this can remain only a theme; killers may argue about where to dump a dead body without any scenes being fear-inducing or scary.
Think of the overall tone of your story. What reaction do you want your readers to give? Do you want them to laugh? Cry? Be on the edge of their seat at all times? Swoon? Fear for their lives?
Mind you that none of these options is better than the others. Writing a Creepypasta fanfiction that's all romance is fine. There's no shame in it.
Enjoying comedy over horror is also all good.
It is however beneficial to at least know what you're trying to do before you do it. Many fanfictions become an incoherent soup due to the author just fucking around blindly without knowing what exactly they're attempting to achieve.
You can mix two or three of these genres pretty easily - but remember that one of the two will likely be slightly more important. If you're mixing horror and comedy, then there's a difference between, say, "Scream" and "Bride of Chucky". Scream's more important genre is horror, even if it's slightly satirical and has a lot of funny dialogue and concepts in it that poke fun at the story itself. "Bride of Chucky" is a black comedy, so although horror is a theme and dictates the kinds of jokes being made, the majority of it is intended to be funny rather than actually scary.
(Both of these examples also have romance as a sub-genre, but since I haven't actually watched Bride of Chucky and never in my life want to watch anything to do with Chucky, I won't go into detail. Especially since... I doubt that most of my readers watch slasher movies because I personally barely did until now)
An example of romance and horror being mixed, could be Doki Doki Literature Club. Here the genres kind of have the same amount of importance, so with two genres this should still be possible (though romance and horror genuinely fit well together. I don't care how much it's made fun of; looking at existing examples, it's a good genre mix).
Anyway, this last edition may be a little confusing, but just look up existing genres and keep them in mind when constructing your plot. It will make things a lot easier in the long run.
Anyway, that's kind of all I have. A lot of writing a good X Reader fanfiction is also just... Being a good writer, probably? Which you mostly achieve through practicing. So, just write a lot. You'll figure things out. Rules can be bent and broken depending on the circumstances, so just experiment. All I'm trying to say is to think before you start your fanfiction.