Greetings, if you are new to the idea of a CYOA, you have come to the right place. If you are here with a good idea of what a CYOA is and want to better know how to make your own, then simply scroll down to the next header.

For those new to the concept, I happily welcome you. A Choose Your Own Adventure is a story that leaves the decisions that progress the plot up to the reader. These decisions can be anything relevant to the scene they are preceded by. Often, each decision is different and leads to a diverse path that results in an alternate ending. These decisions are typically placed in between main events. A choice at the end of the previous scene to lead into a new scene.

For example:

[Character A comes across a split in the path. Left or Right.]

[Go Left] -- [They travel the Left path to get to (Place).]
or
[Go Right] -- [They travel the Right path to find it is a dead end.]

You can get much more elaborate than that, that was just an example. Scenes surrounding decisions can be as long as you want; a few hundred to a few thousand words. Whatever floats your boat.

In a CYOA story, there can be countless endings; whether it be a fail/death or the actual ending to the writing. The possibilities are truly endless if you are creative enough. Even if you think you are not creative, you can still try your hand at one. Even practical CYOAs can be a lot of fun.

These works can take many forms. Adventure, Comedy, and Romance are the biggest three genres CYOAs take, but there is no limit. Go ahead and write a Sad, Tragic, or Slice of Life CYOA, there is no structural difference.

Two excellent examples of CYOA that you can go see for yourself are R. L. Stine's "Give Yourself Goosebumps" books and the Henry Stickmin games by Puffball United.

As long as there are decisions the reader can independently take, and these decisions change the story in some way, it is a valid Choose Your Own Adventure story. Even if it has one ending, as long as there are multiple paths, it counts.

Planning is the most important thing about a CYOA story. You do NOT want to be in the middle of a 50,000-word story and find out there is a plot hole, something you missed, or something you want to change/add. Usually, that results in having to completely restart or move things around which can take hours if not days. So go ahead and make a Word or Google Docs and write out an outline for what you have in mind.

This is practically planning part two. When making your story, you want to make writing it as easy as possible. Mapping out the paths and decisions (like the banner) is worth the time and effort. It makes everything more organized and easy to see. You can keep better track of where you are and what you still need to write this way.

Now you can finally start writing the actual story. Now that you have planned it, mapped it, and finalized it, you can write with nothing left to ruin it all. I have come up with two ways that are very easy to manage and keep organized.

First, the "All At Once" method:
1. Create a chapter for every scene you have planned all at once. If you have one hundred scenes, then make one hundred chapters right then and there.
2. Name each chapter accordingly and in whatever order you please. You can always reorganize later by click-and-dragging the chapters to your desired location. (To the far left of the chapter, there are four dots, click and drag vertically on those and they will move your chapters. Do not forget to click "save chapter order" at the bottom.)
3. Now you can write the content of your story.
4. Once everything is written, look at your map and link every chapter where it needs to be connected to.
5. Double-check that everything works properly.
6. Once everything is linked, I highly recommend changing the names of all the chapters to something nondescriptive; something that does not give away what it is. This helps eliminate potential spoilers and the ruining of the CYOA. Keeping everything, except the initial chapter, a secret in what it contains makes it all the more fun.
7. Triple-check that everything works properly. (Optional)
8. Post!

Note: If you commit to this method, it is best to be very through in every step. If something was skipped over, you will have a break in the story and will spend hours trying to find the one connection error. This method is meant to keep you organized with every step; completing one productive step and moving to the next. Writing, Grammar, Loop-Hole Check, Linking should all be one completely and separately. The one downside I found with this method is that you see all the work you have to ahead of you, just don't be overwhelmed, it's work you would have done either way.

Second, the "As You Go" method:
If the previous "All At Once" method looks too big and overwhelms you as you write, then do not fret. This method lets you work without seeing all the labor that may lie ahead of you.
1. Once you know your paths after you've mapped it all, begin writing normally.
2. Write all the way to the end of one singular path.
3. Once you reached the end of one path, go back one choice and write the nearest alternative path until it's end.
4. Repeat until you have written everything you have wanted to.
5. Post!

Note: If you commit to this method, it is best to leave nothing behind; nothing unworked. Make sure you have linked it properly, it fits within the story line with no plot holes, and triple check its grammar. The point of this method is that once you're done writing it, you never have to go back and look at it again because you know you have completed every step while working on every individual chapter.

A Few Tips:

1. Post the entire story all at once.
Posting it in phases is both just too complicated and would make reading the CYOA difficult and choppy for the reader. The reader could forget the path they took or lose interest. So it is best to post everything at the same time to keep them engaged.

2. IMPORTANT RECOMMENDATION. Tie everything together using in-text links.
Linking chapters via decision can be a tedious task, but it is very rewarding in the end. It makes everything look organized, and most importantly, it makes it easier for the reader to navigate your CYOA.

This is what I do and believe is the best way to make your CYOA the most user-friendly:
2.1. As you are writing each scene/chapter, write down what decisions you will have the reader choose from in an author's note at the end of the chapter.
2.2. Once you have the options written, link the words themselves to the relevant chapter. You can do this by highlighting the choice, then clicking on the chain icon in the tools bar (to the left of the picture icon), then copy-pasting the link to the next chapter where the pop-up prompt tells you.

Example of linking in an author's note:

. . .
Derpy dropped the muffin on the floor.
=================================
Author's Note:

Your Choices:
Derpy grabs a new muffin from the tray.

Derpy picks the muffin off the floor.
=================================

The underline represents the in-text link that leads to the next relevant chapter.
(Except for the underline attached to the "Your Choices", that is a personal design preference.)

Now an example where it is used in dialogue form:

. . .
"Oh I know, lets. . . "
=================================
Author's Note:

Your Choices:
". . . go to Sugar Cube Corner."

". . . stay here and hang out."
=================================

2.2a. You can also link these decisions in the story itself if you so desire. I am used to the author's notes way, so that is what I elaborated on.

Example:

. . .
They could choose to go left or right.
. . .

By doing this, you can keep everything organized and connected together as you progress through your writing.

3. Just to be safe, add a disclaimer that all links remain in FimFiction:

[All links stay within FimFiction]

Something like that should suffice. It is just to ensure and guarantee that these links are safe to click on. If this is abused by embedding links that are unsafe or lead out of FimFiction, then you may be promptly reported.

If you are considering in writing a CYOA, or looking for a FimFic example, or just want to read, I have made a CYOA that may be of interest to you. Check out my "Supernova" as an example for your own CYOA or for your own reading enjoyment to discover what CYOAs can be.

CYOA stories can be hard to make and take lots of time. Do not let that discourage you! In my opinion, nothing beats a well-done CYOA. Make sure you are not biting off more than you can chew and not getting burnt out. Burn-out can happen if you have an idea, but it takes so long to make that you never get around to fully writing it/finishing it. Write on it as you please and when you want to. Forcing yourself can be productive, but destructive as well, whether it be the quality of the story or your willingness to continue. All things in moderation, keep the workload balanced. This also applies to writing in general, but especially when writing CYOAs due to the time commitment.

I can't wait to see what you all make and submit here in the Choose Your Own Adventure [CYOA] Group!