A Guide To Writing Inclusive Reader-Inserts

A Guide to Writing Inclusive Reader-Inserts

I’ve been really fired up about what @renniecirque has been posting about recently, and I want to do everything in my power to help promote inclusivity in the TWST fandom, as well as every other fandom that people write for. So below, I’ve compiled a comprehensive list of literary elements I use in my writing that make writing for characters of all backgrounds, sexualities, genders, races, and appearances much easier and much, much simpler.

1. Second Person Perspective

Alright guys, this is a big one, and the quickest way to make a big immediate change in your reader inserts. In my opinion, this should be the standard for all reader insert writing, and I’m surprised by how little I see it. I acknowledge that people may use first and/or third person for preferential or stylistic reasons, and that’s okay. But if that doesn’t matter as much to you, then I highly recommend switching to second person in all your works.

How to use:

Address the reader with you/yours pronouns when writing the narrative. It’s genderless, easy to stick to, and most importantly, it creates a genuine connection between the real-life reader and the person they’re acting out in the story! In my experience, all of the best reader inserts are written in second person.

Even if it’s an explicitly stated reader insert, hearing the word “I” used when referring to the reader can create this sense that you’re reading someone else’s experience. And that’s not the point! You want to enable your reader to immerse themselves fully into the story and without feeling awkward or like they’re intruding. I know it may be hard to get away from writing in first-person if that’s what you’re used to, but I can promise that even with a little bit of effort, it can be easily fixed. It’s also a helpful exercise for writing in different perspectives!

This also makes it unnecessary to use pronouns for the reader at all (except when they’re being referred to in dialogue—but you can easily work around it by avoiding pronouns altogether when referring to the reader, and when it’s necessary to make that distinction, call them by name). You’ll find this will be a lot easier to differentiate the reader’s actions versus the characters’ actions. And it also makes it unnecessary for you to use placeholders for names like (y/n), MC, Yuu, etc in every other paragraph, so the writing overall looks more cohesive and professional.

This is also done in mainstream visual novels such as Obey Me!, The Arcana, and Twisted Wonderland. The player hardly ever gets referred to by specific pronouns in favor of the characters calling them by name, and even with specific pronouns, the default is they/them. Personally, I always use gender neutral terms in my writing, as sparse as it may be. Because the great thing about it is that it can apply to anyone and everyone, since it’s neutral!

Overall, this is the quickest and easiest way to make your writing more inclusive!

2. Forgo Descriptions of the Reader

I am a huge advocate for a person’s appearance, gender, and inherent personality traits not having any impact on whether or not it’s possible for them to be loved, especially in a reader insert fic. But descriptions are everywhere—how can you get away from the age-old sea-blue eyes, the ivory skin, the voracious curves that have become the cornerstone of all your reader insert stories? Well, I can promise that it is indeed possible.

How to use:

I get it, you’re used to describing the immediate features of a character you’re introducing, which is expected, and what you should be doing! But it can be off-putting to a potential reader to read that the person they’re supposed to be has traits that they don’t have. However, the use of second person perspective as described previously does a good job of getting rid of that need for you! The reader already knows what they look like, how they act, you don’t need to tell them. By all means, keep descriptions of other characters—they’re necessary for development and visualization. But by using second person, you implicitly establish that everyone already knows what you look like, act like, etc; and even if they don’t, it’s not told from their perspective!

But say you still want your reader to have certain features—an attractive face, a timid demeanor, a charismatic presence—as it has an impact on the plot. There are ways to do that without stating those exact things specifically. Show, don’t tell! I know you’ve probably heard this from English teachers, journalists, and writing advice articles, but in practice, it can make or break your story. Don’t say that they’re pretty, show people in the halls pausing to take a second glance at them as they pass. Don’t say they’re shy, show their reluctance to speak up in class. Don’t say they’re charismatic, show the way their friends’ faces light up when they enter a room, the way their peers stare in rapt attention when they speak. This not only makes it easier for the reader to better imagine themselves in the scenario, but it strengthens your writing overall.

3. Labels and Tags!

While I may be a huge advocate for gender neutral defaults and ambiguous descriptions, I’m also a huge advocate for writing whatever the fuck you want. You wanna write for a reader with specific characteristics? Do it! A certain scenario that only applies to a niche group of people? Have at it, my dude! And if a person doesn’t like it, it’s not your problem; they can keep scrolling. But guys, I genuinely cannot express the importance of telling your readers what they’re getting into before they start. This is the internet, and anyone can post anything—trigger warnings and SFW/NSFW tags exist for this very reason. Once something is read, it cannot be unread. But labels and tags aren’t just important for explicit scenes or abusive relationships in a story; the little things matter, too.

How to use:

Include gender of the reader, even if it’s just implied, in the title or description. This kind of goes without saying—if it’s a male reader, tell people it’s a male reader. If it’s a female reader, tell people it’s a female reader. If the reader is gender neutral or gender is not mentioned, tell people it’s gender neutral! And yet, all too often I see people posting fics centered around an explicitly stated female reader without tagging it as such. It really is a simple thing to add, and I promise, it won’t effect the views and popularity of your posts; if a person doesn’t like it to begin with, they’re going to keep scrolling. More than anything, this saves the reader from having to start a fic only to be put off by the wrong pronouns, and (if used with the previous two devices) it saves the writer from having to add in gender-based terms. You could also skip specific labels and just include the pronouns used when referring to the reader.

Include if there are explicitly stated features. If you’re writing specifically for a certain group of people with specific traits, tag it as such! And if the specific trait doesn’t have an impact on what happens on the story, I promise you, it does not need to be included at all.

I’m sure there are plenty of other things that people can do to promote inclusivity, but I’ve found these three principles to be the most effective while also being the easiest to remember. And even if you’re not used to writing in second person perspective or without explicit descriptions of the reader, there’s no harm in trying it out! If you decide you don’t like it or it’s too difficult, you can simply stop. In the long run, it will only make you a better writer.

I would apologize for this being such a long post, but I’m really not sorry; I could talk rhetorical analysis and literary devices all day. And if you scrolled this far, I can only assume you do, too. I’m afraid that Roy Peter Clark (a renowned journalist and the author of Reading Critically and Writing Well, which I highly recommend) has entered my bloodstream directly, and I simply cannot shut up about this kind of stuff. I may not be a professional, but writing has been a passion of mine for years, and these things are just my take on ways to improve your writing.

I’d love for this post to be reblogged as many times as possible, especially if your platform is heavy on fanfiction writers. Inclusivity will never not be important.

Feel free to comment your own advice or ask questions!

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"𝐌𝐢𝐫𝐚"

“A reflection is unique to every person when their hearts speak louder than their thoughts.”

Mira is a second year student at Night Raven College. An odd girl who harbored no name and lived in a glass prison until her mirror was given to a student at NRC and was set free.

》 𝐓𝐄𝐂𝐇𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

Full Name: "Mira"

Other Name(s):

Mimi (Yuu, Kalim, Mr. Kowalski)

Miri (NRC)

The Looking Glass (Emyr Gethin & Previous Caretakers)

Moonglade (Pen Pal)

》 𝐁𝐈𝐎𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

Gender: Female

Age: Unknown (Chronologically), 17 (Physically)

Birthday: Unknown

Starsign: Unknown

Homeland: Unknown

Family:

Unknown Mother

Unknown Father

Unknown Caretakers

Emyr Gethin (Previous Caretaker)

》 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐒

Dorm: Pomefiore (Canonically), Ramshackle (Yuuichi)

School Year: 2nd

Class: 2-A

Occupation: Student

Club: None

Best Subject: Art

》 𝐅𝐔𝐍 𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐒

Dominant Hand: Right

Favorite Food: Red velvet cake with white chocolate mousse

Least Favorite Food: Stale Food

Dislikes: Being useless and worthless

Hobby: Glass Sculpting

Talents: Visual storytelling through stained glass

》 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘

A rather soft-spoken lady who prefers the company of a few people and literature over a crowd. While appearing distant from others, she is actually quite introverted and doesn't know how to properly speak with new people without stumbling over her words after minutes into the conversation. In her eyes, the world is palette of colors varying from different shades depending on the person. She tries to be patient and think about options other than rushing in without hesitation, not wanting risk a glass arm. Other than her social skills being less than perfect, she is a relatively sweet person looking out for others and hopefully the good in people. Being a talker isn't her strong suit, as she prefers to write things down, but she's willing to lend an attentive ear for anyone who needs it. Even when running her small business of helping others, Mira carries an air of fairness when it comes to charging her customers despite how often her stomach rumbles in displeasure.

Although usually a kind-hearted person, she does have a bit of temper should someone get on her nerves, or even insult a friend of hers. Maybe a bit too rash, but sometimes she yeets a glass feather at that person's direction, not to hit them but frighten them at best. However, she might end up feeling ashamed and apologize through a letter because the words won't come of her mouth. There is also the insecurity of feeling uselessness whenever she couldn't help a soul, or the ghost of worthlessness haunting her because she was mistreated too often. But she never shows such thoughts on her face, concealing such pain with a picture perfect smile and joyous laugh because the scars from them run so deeply that they still make her bleed.

As for responsibilities, oddly enough with her constant daydreaming, she is at least a dependable person who "speaks" honestly about feedback and her personal opinions.

》 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃

No one really knows where Mira came from other than the fact she was trapped inside a beautiful antique for many years. However, a few truths have come forth and shed a bit of light on this glass mystery, telling very little but enough to knowledge. She bore no name other than "The Looking Glass" for majority of her life, and any memory of her childhood are severely blurred like constant ripples in water. Regardless whoever she might be, it is a known fact that she willing to lend a hand to whomever needs it for a reasonable price.

》 𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐐𝐔𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐂

Mira's Unique Magic is called "Desires Be Shown". It allows her to reflect someone's desire from glass and temporarily bring them to that location from exact memory, however, will be unable to interact with living beings for the time frame.

"Look within the looking glass, open your heart. Unveil your silent favor and let it be reflected in me... Desires Be Shown.."

》 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐀

Mira has an obsessive habit of covering up her arms with long sleeved gloves, even when it's extremely hot outside. The reason behind this is currently unknown, however, many speculate she isn't comfortable wearing short sleeved shirts or dresses in the open.

Most of her previous wardrobe were ragged hand-me-downs until an overly generous man replaced them with high quality clothing. Her personal favorite is the bluebird themed half gown and harem pants because of a poem she read about the blue feathered avian.

Despite having a room with a cozy bed for herself, Mira never quite uses it and instead sleeps in her hand mirror unless she's grabbing something from her wardrobe or safe. Funnily enough, she tucks in the hand mirror before going to bed in it.

As she has difficulty expressing herself through words, Mira often sends gifts and a letter to people she wishes to befriend -- preferably at their dorm since confronting them personally is overwhelming for her own heart. Most of the time she's ignored, but for the few that took her offer of friendship, she's grateful for them.

When she isn't preparing for any dorm activities/routines, classes, or her small business, Mira frequently writes to a pen pal of hers called "Nightlight". From Rook's countless compliments, she is quite fond of the person and enjoys writing to them whenever she could.

She isn't a fan of shoes, or rather the shoes Vil gives her to wear with her outfit. To avoid wearing them, she alters her feet to appear as a bronze talons and floats around to get to her classes, or any location. This isn't full proof, however, as she still wears shoes during formal occasions and P.E.

She was given the name "Mira", a poorly made pun based off the fact she came out from a literal mirror. However, she didn't really mind since it was her first actual name other than "The Looking Glass".

》 𝐆𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐘

𝙲𝚛𝚢𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚁𝚎𝚏𝚕𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 (Half Body)