Craft

Writing for Wyoot

Voice, plain language and pacing that keep readers moving.

On this page

Second person, present or past
Use common words
Say what matters
Name things plainly
One beat per paragraph
Write choices as plain actions
Only use what this path has shown
Cut the second half
Write it yourself
Read it aloud
Length, again
Next

Wyoot readers move fast. They tap a choice, read a screen and tap again, often on a phone, often in a spare few minutes. Good writing here is writing that never makes them stop and reread. This page is a set of habits that keep it that way. They come from the way Wyoot's own stories are written.

Second person, present or past#

Write to the reader as "you". You open your eyes to cold, damp earth. You hear something behind you. It keeps the reader inside the moment and makes each choice feel like theirs.

Present tense is common, and past tense works too. Pick one and keep it for the whole story.

Use common words#

If a simpler word means the same thing, use it. A reader should never have to guess a word from its context.

Harder	Plainer
The ambiance was sepulchral.	The room was dead quiet.
She regarded him with trepidation.	She watched him, uneasy.
The edifice loomed precipitously above the thoroughfare.	The building towered over the street.

Long sentences are fine. What matters is that each one is clear the first time through.

Say what matters#

Do not make readers assume something the story depends on. If a character is afraid, show it. If the setting has changed, say so. If a choice has a cost, name it.

Vague	Clear
Something in the room had changed.	The door you came in through was gone.
She seemed to know more than she let on.	She knew your name. You had not told her.

Name things plainly#

Concrete nouns and direct verbs are clearer than abstractions. Say what is physically happening before you reach for a metaphor.

Abstract	Concrete
A sense of wrongness settled over you.	Your hands were shaking and you did not know why.
The atmosphere crackled with unspoken possibility.	Nobody spoke. Everyone was watching the door.

One beat per paragraph#

Each paragraph carries one idea or one moment of action. When the thought changes, start a new paragraph. A long paragraph is fine as long as it stays on one thread.

Write choices as plain actions#

Choice buttons get read in a glance. They should be short, direct and unambiguous.

Overwritten	Plain
Step boldly into the unknown and demand answers from whatever waits below.	Go down and ask what is happening.
Flee this cursed place before it takes something else from you.	Leave. You have heard enough.

Only use what this path has shown#

Every route through your story teaches the reader different things. A scene that several routes lead into must not refer to something only one of those routes showed them. Do the same for endings, and do not make a secret ending depend on knowledge from another ending.

When you find a line like that, cut it. Do not soften it into something vague like "for reasons unclear". A hedge still tells the reader there is a gap. See Scenes readers reach from several routes.

Cut the second half#

If the second half of a sentence just states the obvious opposite of the first, drop it.

Padded	Trimmed
Some mornings you slow down a little. Most mornings you do not.	Some mornings you slow down a little.

Write it yourself#

The submit form asks you to confirm the writing is your own and not AI-generated, and editors read every story. Beyond the rule, readers notice writing that has no one behind it. Wyoot's own stories avoid the long dash entirely. A period or a comma almost always reads better, and it is an easy habit to adopt.

Read it aloud#

Before you call a scene finished, read it aloud at a normal pace. If you pause to untangle a sentence, rewrite it. If any part needs a second pass to understand, simplify it. The reader will not slow down for you, so the prose has to keep up with them.

Length, again#

Wyoot's own scenes stay under about 1,750 characters, roughly 300 words. The editor warns you above that. If a moment needs more room, split it across two scenes joined by one short choice. The warning applies to endings too. It is only a warning, so a longer ending is fine when the story earns it. See Scenes.

Next#

Style is about sentences. The next three pages are about structure, starting with Branch shapes that work.