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Pokemon 'Creepypasta' Advice

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  • Don't just read Lost Silver, Tarnished Gold, Buryman, Lavender Town Tone, Creepy Black, Glitchy Red, etc. Read all kinds of NON-GAME creepypasta, too. Don't just make it about a scary game. Make it a SCARY STORY that includes a game and keep it out of the cookie-cutter land of pasta cliches.

  • "I was playing a game that was weird and weird stuff happened and it was scary and I was scared and then some other weird stuff happened and I felt weird and it was scary and then scary stuff started happening with my game and I started freaking out and then it affected me in THESE WAYS which are scary and then WHO WAS GAME?!" is not a good format to follow. Mix it up a little. In fact, it's best if you do not claim the game affected you at all IRL. That's over-the-top unless executed PERFECTLY. You also don't need to state a "moral of the game" at the end the way Glitchy Red, Lost Silver, and Black do.

  • Think of what scares you. Play on primal fears. Being alone, the dark, losing friends, being forgotten, dying alone, burning alive, etc are all very real fears, far more realistic and frightening than being driven crazy, being eaten by a zombie, crying blood, being trolled by ghosts, etc.

  • What you DON'T show or tell is a lot scarier than what you DO show. What's scarier... The buildup where you KNOW a monster is stalking the hero while he's lost in a dark black cave, but have no idea where it is or if the hero even knows about it, or when the monster comes out and says "boo!"? Build up anticipation! Have NOTHING happen. Nothing is scarier than nothing, remember. :U "There was nothing in the mailbox until nothing came out." *shudder* Just putting random scary stuff out there is boring.

  • Don't just think of what makes you scared. Think of how things make YOU feel, and then try to replicate that in how you want your reader to feel. Think how it feels when your gut twist, when something gives you goosebumps, and when you're anxious. Describe these feelings subtly. Maybe you kept fiddling with your shirt and swallowed a lot. Maybe you kept checking the clock. Done right, your readers are going to feel inclined to do the same. How do you feel when you're scared? What do you do? Don't just SAY "I was scared" -- SHOW IT!

  • SHOW DON'T TELL is pretty much the #1 rule of writing ever. If a character in the game looked sad or mad... How? Did their eyes droop? Did they frown? Did the look in their face grip you with a sense of tangible sadness in a way that went far beyond what you saw on your screen? Let's see it!

  • Even if you're writing this "in a panic" or "as a journal entry", remember that you're still a writer. You're not just chronicling a series of events - you are PRESENTING them. Unless you're posting it on 4chan or something (where you will probably be "cool story bro"d into oblivion), remember to keep things up to standard. A few grammar mistakes are realistic, but be sure and include something to the effect of "I'm sorry for any mistakes. I wrote this on no sleep.". Proofread. Someone who actually WAS posting a story to be taken seriously wouldn't neglect to proofread.

  • If you are trolling with your "pasta", make it obvious that you are trolling. Don't end on a random trolling sentence that we could think was meant to be taken seriously.

  • If you want your story to gain popularity, post it anonymously, not on dA. If it is good, it will get noticed. If you don't post it anonymously, it's more likely to be treated like a fanfiction. Creepypasta aren't supposed to have an origin -- they're stories copied and pasted and shared all over the internet. Some people create accounts on websites JUST FOR THESE to keep themselves anonymous. But beware -- unless your pasta is REALLY good, you are going to have people saying all kinds of stuff about it. If you're like me and have thin skin, I suggest sticking to dA. People are less likely to say hurtful things if there's a "face to the story", so to speak.

  • As with any written work, get a beta reader and have them proofread it and make sure its acceptable before posting it. Having a second opinion REALLY helps, as there's a lot you might miss. Example, one very popular story I read had a character quote that a character latched on to someone's face with their teeth "like fucking a bulldog". ...I'm pretty sure they meant "like a fucking bulldog". All could be caught with a beta reader!

  • It doesn't have to be turn-all-the-lights-on horrifying. Something that's sad or heartwrenching can be a lot scarier to someone. Didn't you want to go hug your Pokemon after reading about the lonely Pikachu?
I was going to make an awesome preview image, but I got lazy. Maybe later =O

I posted this as some advice on my group's blog, and thought maybe a more broad audience could benefit from it. I apologize -- my smart-ass is showing.

Again, sorry if this comes off as too critical toward some of the popular pasta, but the things I picked on are such common horror-writing tropes that I really don't feel I singled anyone out. ...Anonymous pasta-writers are people too, and they DO check around these parts, and I don't want to hurt feelings! D:>

Well, I hope this helps. I'm not exactly a published author, myself, but this might be good for those who are beginners. :D This is IN NO WAY a golden standard on how YOU should write YOUR WORK at ALL. This is just some advice I would give. Really, do whatever you want. The advice is here if you want it, and if you don't, well, carry on and have fun. :D
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