Define the purpose

Every Choose Your Own Adventure book has a goal or quest. You will need one too. In Journey Under the Sea, you are looking for the lost continent of Atlantis. In The Abominable Snowman you are looking for your friend Carlos who has gone missing while in search of the mythic Yeti. Whatever else in the story side-tracks you, and losts can side-track you, you need to tie things back to your primary goal or quest.

Before you write a word, you need to define this story purpose. It is like the engine of the story: it keeps you moving forward no matter what else occurs. For story ideas, use your own experiences or interests. If you like fishing, maybe there is a famous "River of No Return" where all fishermen disappear. If you like gymnastics, maybe you could create a mystery at gymnastics camp.

Reasearch the setting

Your quest or story purpose has a setting: the physical place and time in which your story occurs. If you choose to go with #1 on the list of openings (below), your setting is the daily life and experience of a slave in ancient Egypt. You will need to research the details of this life: what you as a slave ate and wore, what type of house you lived in, and who ruled your daily existence. You will need to know the climate near the pyramids and the seasonal dangers, like the annual flooding of the Nile. The research can give you lots of ideas for different choices and endings. Maybe in one ending, the bad guys are washed away in the flood and you are finally free.

Draft an outline

Once you know the purpose and you have researched your setting, you need to draft an outline of hte story developments and choices.

Write your adventure!

Now you are ready to write. Remember to have fun. You are trying to entertain your reader and keep them interested. Try to use dialogue to move your story forward some of the time. Don't worry if you get a new idea that is different from your outline as you write. This is part of the process. Just go back to your outline and make a few adjustments. This is where the eraser comes in!

Re-read and edit

After you are finished writing, put your work away for a few days. DO NOT PEAK. Then re-read your story. Problems or places where you can make the story better will pop out. We promise. This is where the eraser comes in a second time.

Congratulate yourself!!

Congratulations. Once you have edited your manuscript and entered the changes, your book is finished. You've just written an original Choose Your Own Adventure!