Wish-fulfillment and yourself as a main character

[Sandstone-Shadow]

Many of my story ideas are based off of my daydreams, which typically are some sort of epic, drama-filled confrontation, and me and the guy I like typically have to race into the unknown and escape with our lives, and that sort of thing. I tend to write about these sort of daydreams, and they end up as random blurbs that are part of some bigger story.

Now, it's fun for me to write stories based on my daydreams and such, but when I look back at them, I kind of squirm and go, "I'm the main character in that one, and that one, and that one..." and in the rest, I go, "He (being the guy I like)'s the main character in that one, and that one..." And it kind of bothers me. Eventually, I guess, I develop the characters (when it's him, at least) enough so that they become their own character, and not him, but I still feel weird.

...I think I've got it down to this. I like writing about my daydreams, but afterwards I feel weird about them and I don't feel like they deserve to be worked on any farther because they're just a fragment of something that started as a daydream, and I guess my daydreams (if written exactly how I imagine them) would be a wish-fulfillment-type story.

...Maybe someone else can make more sense of this than I can, but basically, should I even bother writing stories that are based on my daydreams?

 

[Tailsy]

It's good practice!

I wouldn't really go posting them anywhere -- people don't tend to like other people's wish-fulfillments, depressing gits that they are -- but you should feel free to write whatever you want ♥

 

[IcySapphire]

Yes, if you're willing to balance your daydreams and being believeable.

I kinda do the same thing with my RP persona, Maya Nijiiro. However, I take care to flesh her out as a character instead of filling her profile with what I imagine myself to be.

 

[Negrek]

Well, you should be writing as much as possible just to practice and keep yourself sharp. So is writing your daydreams a bad idea? Not at all! Should you be posting them places? That's more problematic.

The fact that you're aware that your stories may be empty wish-fulfillment and not very interesting to other people is, I think, a good sign--it means you must be thinking about character development, and even if you haven't solved your characterization problems, you're at least willing to entertain the fact that they may exist and possibly look for ways to correct them. It's certainly not impossible to write stories where the protagonists are self-inserts and have them not suck (there are, after all, autobiographies that aren't actually ghostwritten and that don't suck, after all); if you're able to admit to your faults and your failures as well as your successes, even if you win in the end, you're on the right track.

So I'd say no, don't stop writing them, and if you're thinking about posting them, try to find someone who can be a beta for you to look them over first and let you know what they think of the characterization. It's better to get someone who isn't your friend to do this, but someone you can trust to be objective and perhaps not too harsh in their assessment. There aren't a lot of good betas out there, in the Pokémon fandom, at least, but if you can find one, they can help you a lot.

 

[surskitty]

Write 'm anyway; just don't expect other people to find them particularly interesting if it's really idealized or something. :/

 

[Sandstone-Shadow]

Eek, forgot about this. xD; Mmkay. I'll write them still, then. And I'll be careful about posting them~ Probably I won't finish them anyway, but... thanks guys!