How to Write a WWYFF
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| Title: | How to Write a WWYFF |
| Creator: | Penguiduck and perfect-to-stay |
| Date(s): | July 2012 |
| Medium: | online |
| Fandom: | |
| Topic: | |
| External Links: | How to Write a WWYFF by perfect-to-stay, Archived version |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
How to Write a WWYFF is a how-to essay by Penguiduck and perfect-to-stay posted at Lunaescence Archives.
WWYFF stands for "Who Would You Fall For" and is a type of "choose-your-own adventure," self-insertion fanfic.
Introduction
WWYFF stands for Who Will You Fall For. It is a story form similar to dating sim (otome) games, in which the main character, the reader, is presented with a variety of love interests. While there are no set-in-stone conventions for the form, it usually takes the shape of a personality quiz, in which the reader makes various choices throughout an individual chapter and tallies them up in order to determine her "result," one of the multiple endings to the chapter. The end of the story as a whole also typically has separate endings, where the reader makes a final choice as to which love interest she wants to be with.WWYFFs started out as actual online personality quizzes, except with an ongoing narrative. Readers ("quiz takers") would read through the lengthy "questions," or the body of the story, and choose how to react to the narrative by clicking on one of the various "answers." The process was repeated until the end of the chapter, at which the reader would click the "Submit" button and be taken to a result page, the separate ending corresponding to the love interest her answers suggested. It was a highly interactive form of storytelling, not so very different from CYOAs, and it became wildly popular on personality quiz sites such as Quizilla.
Unfortunately, word limits on quizzes forced WWYFF writers to change the way they wrote entirely. Either they had to shorten the "question" parts of their story significantly, or they had to go the less interactive route and build the quiz and separate results into the body of the story. The former is still wildly popular on Quizilla, while the latter has managed to make its way onto Luna.
While all the general rules of writing apply to this story form, WWYFFs, like we've said before, have unique challenges that potential writers may not be aware of. This guide was written to make you aware of these challenges and to help you navigate through them. Penguiduck and I will take you through the process of building the world in which the story takes place, creating and maintaining a reader-character, and creating and developing love interests. We will advise you on the various formats a WWYFF can take and list the clichés most often associated with the form. Finally, for those new to reading WWYFFs, we will talk about how to approach and think about this type of story, common misconceptions readers have about it, and what WWYFF writers need from their readers. [1]
Parts
The Reader: [2] ("The lifeblood of a WWYFF is wholly dependent on giving the reader a choice. That's why WWYFF stands for "Who Will You Fall For?" It's a question for the reader, and you have to allow her to answer it for herself. You give her the options, and she'll make the decisions.")
- "How do I go about shaping the reader in a WWYFF?"
- "How do I write a WWYFF without making my reader a slut?" ("Yes, that's a huge problem. We've heard some people say that that's the reason why they won't read WWYFFs. And while the reader is interacting with multiple guys, there is no reason for her to feel like a slut.")
- "How do I develop a reader in a WWYFF?"
The Love Interests: [3] ("The development of love interests in a WWYFF is not that different from regular character development. You're just developing multiple unique characters all at the same time. If you can keep your love interests diverse and rounded out, your readers are sure to fall in love with them.")
- So how do you make sure there's enough variety? (includes: the Flirt, the Boy Next Door, the Romantic, the Jerk, the Mystery)
- Yes, we said we recommend you start from a type. How do you do that without making flat, shallow characters?
- Other things to watch out for
- The most common mistakes involve the reader's relationship with the guys
WWYFF Structure: [4]
- How does multiple choice fit into the story?
- How do I design the multiple choice questions to correlate with a love interest?
- What about the results?
- What goes in the main story? What goes in the results?
Clichés: [5]: (The Dark Alleyway. The Attack. The Valiant Rescue. The Pseudo-Kidnapping. Eavesdropping. The Real Kidnapping. The Mansion. The Magic Closet. The Species/Powers Reveal. Species Stereotyping. Absent Parents. Chosen One. Reader-Sue.Obsessive Villain. More Kidnapping. Excessive Fainting. Cliffhangers.)
- So what do you do with these clichés?