“A Whole Bunch of Death Scenes”—How to Write Interactive Fiction (Guest Post by Ryan Jacobson)

With middle-grade fiction, we’re mostly used to endings in which everything works out great. But if writing tragic endings—over and over again—sounds like an interesting change-of-pace, I have a project for you: Write a Choose Your Path (CYP) story, where readers become the main character and make choices that affect what happens next.

Some CYP books can be lovingly described as several short stories chopped up and blended together. These books are meant to be read multiple times, and while each adventure is relatively short, every reading takes entirely different turns. My books follow what’s called a Golden Path. There is one storyline (or “path”), and the reader’s mission is to find the “golden” ending. Correct choices keep them on that path; wrong choices often lead to disaster.

My first CYP effort, Lost in the Wild (Adventure Publications), hit shelves in 2008. Since then, I’ve written or edited more than 20 such books—including adaptations of classic literature, like Can You Survive the Wonderful Wizard of Oz? 

Writing a CYP story is very much like writing a traditional manuscript—but with a whole bunch of death scenes! Okay, that’s a bit of hyperbole, but the sentiment is true. A CYP book begins as a regular ol’ story—the Golden Path. Along that path, your main character makes a choice every time s/he decides to do (or not do) something. You can turn many of these moments into choices for readers. I try to incorporate a “choice moment” every 500–700 words.

To visualize the CYP concept, it might be helpful to think of your story’s Golden Path as a straight line. Along that line, every choice moment is a dot. At each dot, a line branches off the main line. The wrong choice is the branch, while the right choice continues the reader along that straight line. A branch can lead to a tragic ending or to another choice, with a chance to move back onto the Golden Path.

CYP books are typically written in second person, present tense: “You do this. You do that.” The books I write are around 160 pages, with about 20 choice moments.

Speaking of choice moments, it’s more fun when the correct choice isn’t obvious. This can be harder than it sounds! (For example, many readers know that Dorothy defeats the Wicked Witch with a bucket of water—yet that pivotal moment needs to be a choice. Leading up it, I left out any mention of buckets or water and made it a choice of whether or not to get angry at the Witch.) Try to make all options sound correct by stating a possible benefit and/or consequence that could accompany each.

Now it’s time for you to make a choice: You can write a traditional story; it’s familiar, and you know you’re good at it. Or you can write a CYP story; it’ll be more difficult at first, but it might become something you love. Plus, the more interactive fiction we can create for children, the more we can inspire them to become avid readers. What will you choose to do?

Grab a copy of Can You Survive The Wonderful World of Oz?

Ryan Jacobson is an award-winning author who has written more than 60 books. He specializes in interactive fiction and is proud to have helped create such series as Choose to Win, Detective: You, and Interactive Classic Literature.