Introduction: What is a Self-Insert?

A self insert is when an author wittingly or unwittingly, enters their own fanfic. They are often associated with Mary Sues and bad authors. It is quite rare to find a good Self-Insert but it is possible. Writing a good one requires skill, knowledge of Canon and above all, self control. If you are lacking any one of these, the chances are your fic will fail. I've seen many Dragon Ball Z Self-inserts around, good and bad, and as an author who has written two successful ones I feel that I am in a position to help others do the same.

Summery:

Sometimes it seems that every Self-Insert ever has the word ''sucked'' in the summery, I urge you not to do it as well! This basically destroys any chance you have of people thinking the summery is original. From long experience I know that no matter how much you think that word should be in the summery, reviewers will think differently. Besides this, try to think outside the box when making a summery. Don't dwell so much on the inserted character but rather, on the reactions of the Canon characters. Which leads us to:

Plot:

If you write a Self-Insert, you had batter have a new plot. People want to be surprised, to be drawn into the story to feel it for themselves. All of this is incredibly hard, if not impossible, to do if they know the entire plot by heart. So if you introduce a new character, the plot may change a bit but not nearly enough to draw someone into the story. It is much better, and easier in the long run, to write your own plot. A vital factor in this is to make sure that the plot has something to do with the inserted character. You don't have to reveal it right away, but if your character just appeared for no reason and they never find out how or why he appeared, readers will feel disappointed and may decide not to read through the fic.

Origins:

Your character should have origins, in any Self-Insert, these will be vitally important. Even if they come from our world you will have to write about their background. Their personality is shaped by their background and you want your readers to know, and like, their personality so having background is important.

The Beginning:

Maybe one of most clichéd openings in the history of Self-Inserts is ''I was sucked down a mysterious portal into the world of (Insert Series here)'' Don't do this. From the very start, you must have a reason and a way for your character to travel into the new universe. Another clichéd opening is what I like to call: The Evil Character. In this opening, a dark being of incredible power tears open the barriers between worlds and sucks a normal person into the universe of Dragon Ball z for no adequately explained reason. This opening is workable, and rewarding if you can do it properly. It can be used for character development but I would suggest not trying it unless you are sure you wont mess it up because if you do , I can guarantee that most readers will just skip it and go read something else.

Self-Inserts:

It is very important to strike a balance here. Because this is a Self-Insert expect to be flamed at least once and the character insulted. Here are some tips to help you in writing a Self-insert.

1: Don't overpower the character. Its OK for them to have great power but do not make them stronger then the Canon characters. Or at least not at the very start. As an example, let us take my first Self-Insert: Dragon Ball Z Me. The character Strike is a pure-blooded Saiyan who has the power to destroy world yet in sixty-four chapters he never defeated or even fought a main character. He did however, fight numerous other inserts even killing several.

2: It is OK for the story and plot to revolve around your insert but please remember, the readers want a Dragon Ball Z story so that means you shouldn't twist the themes and ignore all the characters because if you do that, you're not writing fan faction any more you're writing original fiction wearing a mask.

3: One of the most clichéd plots in the entirety of any fandom: character A is the son of ( Insert main character here) and was sent to another world by ( Insert means here) with no memories. But now he's back so that he can single handedly save everyone!

Never, in a million years do this, It will lose you any reviewers you had. I've made this mistake in the past but luckily I was able to spot and correct it.

4: Saiyan, Human or Namek? This is a question posed by many Self-insert writers. Is it OK to turn your Self-Insert into a Saiyan? My answer: Yes. As long as you do it by a means that the readers and understand. So no: ''His power was so great that he instantly became a Saiyan!!1''

He or I?

One of the main things about Self-inserts is that they are mostly written in the first-person. Now I now that this seems the natural way to write a Self-Insert but I would suggest you write it in the third-person instead . It offers several benefits that the first-person doesn't. Firstly it is easier to describe things using the third-person and secondly, third-person makes everything much easier to follow.

Ego:

Is to be avoided at all costs. For the amateur Self-Insert writer it is better to be safe than sorry. Its' OK to have pride and such but making your character the toughest, smartest, cutest, Saiyan/Namek/Human ever is just wrong.

Fights and Deaths:

Be very careful when writing the death of a Canon character if it has anything to do with a

Self-Insert. If both the Canon character and the Self-insert were fighting on the same side, and the Canon char died, then you may be accused of loving your own character too much. To remedy this it is best to let your own character take the brunt of some attacks. Its OK to have them win battles but be careful to let them lose battles as well. Make sure they take wounds like any other character and be sure to show them being outsmarted by an enemy at least once.

Attacks:

Now, most Self-Inserts show up not knowing anything about Ki so they have to learn while they're there. Now here's the hard part. You have to be careful when you teach them something that is considered a signature move of another character. Better to let them invent their own attacks.

Training:

Training is something every Self-Insert should have to do sometime. Be sure to point out that they aren't very good at it the first time they try. Also be sure to spread their power-increase through-out the fic. So they can't just train once and be done with it. In order to maintain their level of power they have to train a lot and its worth mentioning that if you don't want to be accused of a Mary Sue.

In ending, I hope this guide helps anyone interested in writing a Self-Insert. They have a bad name but if you write with skill you can pull one off. If you want to ask any more questions feel from to message me.