Want to get a behind-the-scenes sneak peek of the Choose Your Own Adventure writing process? We sat down with Cristin Bishara, author of CYOA Cryptid Chronicles: Mothman, to get her take. Aspiring writers, read on!
Q: Like all Choose Your Own Adventure books, MOTHMAN has many different endings—19 to be exact! How do you write a book with so many branches?
A: Trial and error! It took a few tries before I figured out a system that worked for me. I’m a very visual person. I love art. I need to see a map to know where I’m going. I’m learning Arabic and Spanish, and I prefer to see the written words as I’m listening. I’m just a visual learner in general. So when I started drafting MOTHMAN, I realized I had to be able to see the entire book all at once, so I could track all of the branches. That’s when I started taping scenes onto my office wall.
Q: That’s amazing. How did you come up with that idea?
A: Honestly, it wasn’t original! I took a William Faulkner seminar in college, and I learned that he outlined one of his books on his walls. I always loved that idea, so I was excited to finally try something similar myself.
Q: I suppose you went through a lot of Scotch tape?
A: Ha! Yes! Every time I revised a scene, I pulled the old one down and taped up the new version. I also went through a lot of arrow stickers. I bought a giant roll thinking I wouldn’t even need a fraction of it, but by the time I was done writing MOTHMAN, I’d used hundreds of arrows before I got it all right.
Q: Did you know all the endings before you started writing?
A: Nope! I think it’s helpful to know the ending of a traditional novel before you start drafting. It gives you a clear goal to write toward. But with a Choose Your Own Adventure book, there isn’t a single finish line. Part of the fun is backing your character into an impossible choice, or surprising them with an unexpected outcome. Though I definitely tried to strike a balance between bad, neutral/mixed, and happy endings.
Q: What’s your advice to someone who wants to write a Choose Your Own Adventure book?
A: Come up with your own system. What works for me might not work as well for another author. I do think some sort of map is essential, though, but how you create it is up to you. There are blank Choose Your Own Adventure workbooks you can buy, which allow you to fill in your own scenes. You could start with those! (I did.) The most important thing is to have fun, and to embrace the zany twists and turns of your writing adventure.