Wattpad Rants

3. Reader Inserts

"It was amazing, he was nothing like me, but he loved me anyways. He leaned in, stroking my fluffy hair. My green eyes glowed—"

Great writing, sure, but not a reader insert. If you see a book with "x reader" somewhere in the title, that means you have entered the story. Sometimes, it's by breaking the fourth wall, but most of the time, it's adding a y/n character. Y/n stands for your name, and everything else applies. Other times it's something like [Name] or the like, but it's all the same.

"How is this a rant?" You might be asking. Well, I've seen these get mixed up with (insert story here) x oc. More terminology, I know. Oc stands for your "own character". A character that author has created and added to their fanfiction. This is not an x reader.

So many times while reading these stories I see something along the lines of "My dainty pale skin turned white at the realization." Um, excuse me? I don't have white skin, and neither do most of the people reading. Don't turn your reader into the stereotypical perfect person. If you want to make your fanfic protagonist Snow White, go ahead, but don't call it an x reader.

Another thing I hate about x readers is that most try to morph you into a skinny frail damsel in distress. Which you might not be.

Oh, speaking of damsels in distress, these are very female skewed. If you don't write "female reader" somewhere, don't make all y/n pronouns she/her. Sure, most of the people swooning on Wattpad are teenage girls, but at least warn me before assuming my gender.

Last, but not least... don't make your fanfic horrid. I'll go more in depth with this in a different chapter, but for now, don't make a crappy fanfic just because people can't find another one.

~•~

"Not all reader inserts are that bad, I've made some myself. But, at least try when you're writing! Please vote if you found this relatable and comment your thoughts,"

- Coffee