Book ideas and Writing Tips

Book tips : Yandere

Rip the yandere fanbase. It's basically dead because the game is dead but I still like the concept of yanderes. I've read a ton of yandere books because I started reading them back in 2016. In my opinion, it's actually really hard to make a good yandere story that stands out because the idea of a yandere is repetitive. 

1. Yandere and main character meet

2. Yandere slowly starts falling in love

3. Yandere falls in love a bit to much

4. Yandere traps the main character (whether through imprisonment or just straight up killing everyone).  

5. Yandere and main character fight because main character wants freedom

After that, the writer is stuck at a crossroad. Most stories end in two way. 1. The main character escapes from the yandere. 2. The yandere breaks the main character's willpower and the main character usually becomes lifeless or more complying to the yandere. 

I just described 99% of yandere books. So, how do you break the cycle? 

I've read some books where the author develops the yandere really well. Their victim is most likely the main character but the yandere drives the whole story. If you have a bad yandere, you're going to have a bad story. 

A way to draw in a reader is to make it almost a thriller with potential real life scenarios.  having real life scenarios would most likely creep out the reader, thus, drawing them into the book. If you want to add real life scenarios, they have to be executed well.  Imagery is your best friend. At moments of high tension, It's ok to slow down the pace of the book to really describe what is happening. 

Ex: Bad

- (yandere pov) When night fell, I quietly went to (main character)'s house. I climbed up the tree and saw her sleeping peacefully. She looks so cute...

Ex: Good

- (yandere pov) I crashed on my bed in exhaustion. My legs ache from walking all over town. I just had to make sure (main character) was safe. Even though I'm tired, I miss them every second that we are apart. I know that (main character) is staying in for the rest of the night because their mom texted them asking to pick up a missing ingredient for dinner. They're having spaghetti. I am relaxed knowing that (main character) is safe in their house but the loneliness draws me to see them again. The thought of them occupies my mind all the time. I impulsively leave my house, ignoring the lady passed out on the couch, and head to (main character)'s house. The house is quiet. (main character)'s bedroom is on the right corner at the front of the house. Conveniently, a large oak tree grows right beside it. It's almost begging me to climb it. the branches shake and the leaves rustle as I climb the tree but the house is still quiet. There, I finally see their sleeping form. They lay there motionless. The only movement is their chest slightly rising and lowering. I could watch them all night but I want more. I thought seeing (main character) would satisfy my loneliness but my mind wants more now...

So there's a drastic difference between the two examples. It's a bit exaggerated, but the first example does the bare minimum. It simply tells the story. 

Example two really tries to create a picture for the reader with hints on the yandere's personality.  There is a lot of imagery in the sample because it's a high tension scene. Will the yandere get caught? Will the Main character wake up? Will the main character ever know that the yander was in their room? All these questions then can be used to continue the story and make it seem more well developed. 

The second example also indirectly tells the reader more about the yandere's personality. From the sample we now know that:

1. Yandere is the obsessive/stalker type

2. Yandere somehow knows who texts the main character 

3. We can tell that yandere has been the their house because Yandere knows the exact location of their bedroom. 

But, It also opens up more questions about the yandere's character. Did yandere hack into their phone? Who's the lady? Why does he ignore her? What's his relationship with her? 

Letting the reader gain all that information while adding new ideas/theories keeps the reader engaged. It will also help the writer develop the characters more and the storyline.  

* NOTE- I wrote the second example with very slow pacing. Do not write that slow of a pace for the entire book. Having a scene at an unnecessary slow pace will bore the reader. Only slow down the pace at high tension moments and big events in the book. *

I swear to god, do not start your story with 1. The alarm clock. 2. Being late for school. 3. Moving/moving schools. At this point, all of those introductions are very overused, uncreative, and boring. Use some of your brain cells to come up with a good introduction. You could even start the book halfway into the story and then add flashbacks. You could start at the end of the story add the whole book would be flashbacks. 

Don't add excessive amounts of filler chapters. A good yandere book is usually only 20 - 30 chapters. I suggest only 1 filler chapter to 4-5 story chapters. Adding unnecessary chapters disengages the reader. Dragging out the ending disengages the reader. I will say, you can add side stories to your storyline but they have to impact the story. You can't have a side story about a first date without tying it back to the overall story of the yandere. Just know when the story should end. It will naturally die down. Don't try to force the story to continue because it will mess up with the flow. 

Main points:

1. Spend time to develop the yandere's character

2. Leave the reader with questions to keep them engaged into the story

3. Have original, non repetitive ideas. 

4. Know the pace of the story and properly end it where it naturally should. 

Yandere stories are really good with plot twists but those are very difficult to execute. This is just the basic tips on how to make your story more engaging.