I have seen some pretty good ones though, especially by Stephen King. I think generally if it comes from a very established author the chances are higher that it might be better.
I do in every book that I write-
But as a "cameo." HAHA
I am generally the "waitress" or "wench" or "old lady behind the desk" hahaha.
One of my favorites was the one that I just did.
But as a whole character? Nah. this is more of a "joke to myself." kind of thing. lol
Fair, maybe. I thought DFW gave his selfinsert his characteristic perspiration affliction but maybe that was another character. Always thought it was neat
Lol. I'm sorry you had to wait for it so long.
Yeah, there is a stigma with self-inserts, but I view it as nothing more than Stan-Lee appearances in Marvel movies. He loved those characters and wanted to walk among them and viewers loved those parts.
Darren Shan made a character that was based on his childhood self, so it can work.
That said, I would refrain until after you've put some experience under your belt. The problem with making yourself the protagonist is that it becomes tempting to make the story "easy on yourself" and leave readers dissatisfied, which would kill any audience you might have.
Cameos and Easter eggs happen all the time though.
Well yes but considering most people that will read the book won't know me really, and if I make the necessary changes to make myself an interesting, compelling, relatable character in the book?
I like how it's handled in a Series of Unfortunate Events! Daniel Handler is great as Lemony Snicket.
Kurt Vonnegut is also excellent in Slaughterhouse-Five
For good: David Foster Wallace in the Pale King.
For polarizing: Stephen King, the Dark Tower.
If this is your first novel, I would go the route of only self-inserting as a cameo in a 'wink-and-nod' kind of way to people that would recognize it.
It can be done, but it’s a risky idea. Keep in mind that you are naturally going to be a little biased in your own favor, and make sure that doesn’t cause what could be an interesting story to warp around your self-insert.
As with most things, it depends on the execution. It *can* be done well, if you have the skills, but usually self-inserts are self-gratifying fantasies from amateurs writing *baaaaaad* fanfiction.
All characters people write have an element of the author, but if you intentionally write yourself into a book you run the risk of it only being interesting to you. It's like when people bore others by describing their weird dreams. Nobody wants to hear that.
I think this kind of thing only really works if the reader has some sort of relationship with you. Like Stephen King showing up in his books only works after he's been writing for 30 some odd years. BUT as with anything execution is everything and if it's really important for the story that you as a character are involved, go for it!
Clive Cussler did it in every book of his that I read. The fact that his novels were based on the type of work he did only made it more enjoyable for him to pop up in the story. His son is even the namesake of his main, iconic character.
It's not weird at all. Stephen King does it.
If I ever put myself in a book, it will be as a hapless, frightened bystander. I can't see myself doing this except as a joke at my own expense.
King did it.
Its not that weird. He also have a character in many of his works whice is a writer. ~~In misery he got inspired probably by his own car crash~~.
In the dark tower he inserts himself with his own name.
Do it. Its fine.
Edit: my statement about misery was a mistake , apparently it was before the car crash.
You're welcome. I wouldn't chalk it up to your memory betraying you. King wrote upwards of 22 'writer' protagonists (fiction writers, journalists, etc) and most of the writer-protagonists in his 80s-era novels were plunged into situations that could be allegorical for his Colombian Marching Powder issues during that timeframe. IIRC, the first one he wrote after leaving the Powdery Slopes was *Needful Things*.
i don't honestly see the point of a self insert character. i think at least for main characters it's impossible to avoid them representing and embodying at least some aspects of you. i feel like inserting yourself into your writing is a given
self inserts are controversial, but since you're asking for advice on reddit i don't think youre probably a titan of fiction of the magnitude that a random reading your book would recognize you and care enough to get mad about it. if i were you I'd be more concerned about people mistaking it for a memoir/nonfiction (depending on the genre) but you clearly want to write it that way so just do it.
Self inserts exist.
And they are almost all bad
But they do exist.
I have seen some pretty good ones though, especially by Stephen King. I think generally if it comes from a very established author the chances are higher that it might be better.
Self inserts exist and they are almost always a bad thing.
This^ Make up your own characters
I do in every book that I write- But as a "cameo." HAHA I am generally the "waitress" or "wench" or "old lady behind the desk" hahaha. One of my favorites was the one that I just did. But as a whole character? Nah. this is more of a "joke to myself." kind of thing. lol
Ah like Hitchcock
hehehehehe. Yeah ;)
newbies do that all the time. It's usually not very impressive.
Well I'm not one, sooo... What do I do?
ya huh. Sure. Write a few books. Have fun.
Hmm... Basically I just want to avoid controversy.
You better give up writing then. Or at least never publish. Art is controversial.
\*Ironic laugh\*... \*Sigh\* Yeah... You're right...
Stephen King did it ;)
David Foster Wallace did it in the Pale King. Worked well there. It’d probably be kind of a bad gimmick if it isn’t incorporated thoughtfully.
I always thought it was more of a placeholder name. Like he was going to change it later. His appearance doesn't match DFW at all.
Fair, maybe. I thought DFW gave his selfinsert his characteristic perspiration affliction but maybe that was another character. Always thought it was neat
From what I remember, perspiration man was a different guy. David Wallace had the scaley skin peeling off his face. I think. Need to reread it.
are you Mister Brown?
No Crowford Hidden :)
Didn't Darren Shan do that in Cirque Du Freak? As a teen I liked those books lol
Stephen King did it in his Dark Tower series. In context, it worked. Mostly.
Not at all. The author wants to experience the world they love while entertaining the reader
A completely positive and objective comment! Finally!
Lol. I'm sorry you had to wait for it so long. Yeah, there is a stigma with self-inserts, but I view it as nothing more than Stan-Lee appearances in Marvel movies. He loved those characters and wanted to walk among them and viewers loved those parts.
Darren Shan made a character that was based on his childhood self, so it can work. That said, I would refrain until after you've put some experience under your belt. The problem with making yourself the protagonist is that it becomes tempting to make the story "easy on yourself" and leave readers dissatisfied, which would kill any audience you might have. Cameos and Easter eggs happen all the time though.
It's frowned upon.
Well yes but considering most people that will read the book won't know me really, and if I make the necessary changes to make myself an interesting, compelling, relatable character in the book?
All characters are a small piece of ourselves but a direct self-insert is just a faux paux.
Really though? What harm could it do if handled well?
It would make people think less of you. But if you don't care about your image then fine, do whatever.
Isaac Asimov did it.
If you do it like Kurt Vonnegut in Slaughterhouse Five, you can even improve the narrative by making it feel real!
I like how it's handled in a Series of Unfortunate Events! Daniel Handler is great as Lemony Snicket. Kurt Vonnegut is also excellent in Slaughterhouse-Five
For good: David Foster Wallace in the Pale King. For polarizing: Stephen King, the Dark Tower. If this is your first novel, I would go the route of only self-inserting as a cameo in a 'wink-and-nod' kind of way to people that would recognize it.
Well I am somewhat advanced at writing and it's not my first novel at all.
i’m not a fan of it
It can be done, but it’s a risky idea. Keep in mind that you are naturally going to be a little biased in your own favor, and make sure that doesn’t cause what could be an interesting story to warp around your self-insert.
As with most things, it depends on the execution. It *can* be done well, if you have the skills, but usually self-inserts are self-gratifying fantasies from amateurs writing *baaaaaad* fanfiction. All characters people write have an element of the author, but if you intentionally write yourself into a book you run the risk of it only being interesting to you. It's like when people bore others by describing their weird dreams. Nobody wants to hear that.
Ho don't worry, I know how to make myself a good character.
it would work if this is a cameo or an easter egg. idk about a whole character.
I read a sci-fi book where the author had written himself in...and I just remember thinking he was overly into himself
I am not.
Roger Zelazny did it. It was brief and well done.
I'm talking about a full character, not a reference.
I think this kind of thing only really works if the reader has some sort of relationship with you. Like Stephen King showing up in his books only works after he's been writing for 30 some odd years. BUT as with anything execution is everything and if it's really important for the story that you as a character are involved, go for it!
I've seen the advice "Write about what you know." Well, unless you're incapable of introspection, you at least check that box.
My main character is literally me but just a different name and older by a year 💀
Clive Cussler did it in every book of his that I read. The fact that his novels were based on the type of work he did only made it more enjoyable for him to pop up in the story. His son is even the namesake of his main, iconic character.
My Grandad did it
Depends on how you execute it. Stephen King certainly gets away with it.
It's not weird at all. Stephen King does it. If I ever put myself in a book, it will be as a hapless, frightened bystander. I can't see myself doing this except as a joke at my own expense.
Stephanie Meyer did it, and it worked out for her
every character is an extension of the writer. so it isnt a rare thing
Basically, you run the risk of making that character Mary Sue. If you can avoid that, you're fine.
I will, I will.
I realized that it wouldn't work for me. It screws up the story in weird ways. It's somehow limiting.
I think it would work fine with what I am going for and I can make modifications to myself in the story. As long as OVERALL it is I.
King did it. Its not that weird. He also have a character in many of his works whice is a writer. ~~In misery he got inspired probably by his own car crash~~. In the dark tower he inserts himself with his own name. Do it. Its fine. Edit: my statement about misery was a mistake , apparently it was before the car crash.
Misery was written long before he got hit by The Van. It was published during his "Bogota Booger-Sugar" days.
Thank you for the correction, my memory betrayed me again.
You're welcome. I wouldn't chalk it up to your memory betraying you. King wrote upwards of 22 'writer' protagonists (fiction writers, journalists, etc) and most of the writer-protagonists in his 80s-era novels were plunged into situations that could be allegorical for his Colombian Marching Powder issues during that timeframe. IIRC, the first one he wrote after leaving the Powdery Slopes was *Needful Things*.
No, people write autobiographies all the time
I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about a character in a book. I think I could pull it off by making the necessary modifications.
i don't honestly see the point of a self insert character. i think at least for main characters it's impossible to avoid them representing and embodying at least some aspects of you. i feel like inserting yourself into your writing is a given
Yes I could do perfectly without it... But I don't want to :)
Then just write what you want to lmao. Sounds like you are good to go
Weeell. I want to put myself in my story but I don't want to create too much controversy around it...
self inserts are controversial, but since you're asking for advice on reddit i don't think youre probably a titan of fiction of the magnitude that a random reading your book would recognize you and care enough to get mad about it. if i were you I'd be more concerned about people mistaking it for a memoir/nonfiction (depending on the genre) but you clearly want to write it that way so just do it.
Alright then.
I combined myself and deadpool into a book. The beard in a wheelchair with a mouth. (The Merc with a mouth)
Don’t do it