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Description
Preface
The first thing a prospective reader-insert writer must consider is this:

Do you want to write a reader-insert, or a fan character?

If you actually want to write a fan character x canon character fic, go forth and do that! It's fun! I've definitely written my fair share of those. If you're lucky, you might even get other people into your ship. (Yes, I'm Just That Good.)

No, you say, you want to write a reader-insert fic.

But I'm a reader-insert fic connoisseur, and I won't take your word for it. I want you to really consider what you want to do, so I'll ask you a couple questions.

1) Do you want to describe the main character in detail?
2) Does your MC have a thorough backstory?
3) Does the MC have original characters as close friends or family?

If you answered "yes" to any of those, I would recommend you make the MC a fan character and go wild!

No, you say, you have your mind set on writing a reader-insert fic.

Alright, I say, then I'll give you some tips.

The actual meat of the matter
The most important thing about writing a reader-insert fic, that I feel many authors forget, is that the reader-insert needs to be relatable. Not just to you, not only to your peers, but as many Readers as possible. A universal reader-insert, if you will.

Tip #1: Describe the reader-insert as little as you possibly can.
I imagine some of you are confused. You thought description was good? Yeah, it can be. But it has its time and its place, and even then, I recommend following the rule of "approximately threes": only describe about three things in one go, unless you absolutely must describe more – five is usually the hard limit.

But with reader-inserts, less is more. Your Readers will be of various heights, weights, ethnicities, even ages, they will have different hair styles, with different hair textures and colours. If your reader-insert is universal enough, they may be of different genders. The moment you say that the reader-insert looks up at someone who's 155 cm/5'1", you've made the reader-insert less relatable to many a Reader.

Do you want to have the love interest carry the reader-insert bridal style?

Ask yourself: Will some Readers need to suspend disbelief to believe they could be carried by the LI? What if the Reader weighs a lot?

Do you want the reader-insert to look up at the LI?

Ask yourself: How likely is it that you have Readers who are taller than the LI? If the LI is the aforementioned 155 cm/5'1" shortstack, you should probably avoid that. Even Japanese women's average height is an inch more than that. On the other hand, if your LI is over 2 metres/7 ft tall, that's probably not going to be a problem and you can go wild describing a bit of a height difference. Anything shorter than that, and I'd recommend erring on the side of not specifying height differences.

Do you want to describe your reader-insert's body shape or level of attractiveness?

Keep in mind, that not everyone has the same relationship with their body. Some Readers will scoff if the LI describes the reader-insert as beautiful/hot/cute. Similarly, describing the reader-insert, for example, as having a round chest, will exclude the small-chested Readers.

Do you want to describe the reader-insert's clothing style?

Ask yourself: What if I have Readers who wouldn't wear this article of clothing? Some girls don't mind wearing skirts, others can't stand wearing them. Some won't wear trousers at all and only wear skirts and dresses. Some can't relate to liking a very dark clothing style, others don't care for the cutesy. The less you detail the reader-insert's clothing, the more universal it is. Compare the following:

You were wearing a red tee and grey sweatpants, since it was weekend and you didn't have any plans.
vs.
You were wearing some comfortable clothes, since it was weekend and you didn't have any plans.

The Reader knows what kind of clothes they like to wear, they know what comfortable clothes mean to them. It's unnecessary to explain in detail. And if it's not plot-relevant, even this little description can be left out.

Tip #2: Kill the (y/n) with fire.
Unless you're hosting your fic on a site that allows more than limited HTML and you can write a little script to replace every instance of (y/n) with a Reader-submitted name, you should avoid using this style like the plague. Yes, it's common practice, but that many people do it doesn't mean it's good. It's one of the quickest ways to destroy the Reader's immersion. There are almost always ways to "write around" instances of someone calling the reader-insert by name, for example:

"(Y/N)!" a random character called.
OR
"_____!" a random character called.
vs.
A random character called your name urgently.

Relating to tip #1, (f/c) can simply be left out -- but if you absolutely want to specify that something is the Reader's favourite colour, you can say just that.

The random character ran up to you. They were wearing a (f/c) scarf.

"Hi!" you greeted. "I love your scarf," you complimented them on their good taste.
vs.
The random character ran up to you. They were wearing a scarf in your favourite colour.

"Hi!" you greeted. "I love your scarf," you complimented them on their good taste.

But this is a problem if the Reader doesn't have a specific favourite colour, and thus should be avoided if possible.

If you want to personalise the story, go ahead and use the script method mentioned in the first paragraph, or make a Choose Your Own Adventure story using ChoiceScript . Or go wild and make a visual novel in Ren'Py .

Tip #3: Consider gender neutrality.
Trust me, if you've written an even somewhat popular reader-insert fic where the reader-insert is a girl, you very well may already have some Readers who aren't girls, who just try to ignore the gendering to be able to relate to the story.

Writing the reader-insert character gender neutrally is not very hard, if you stick to the usual practice and write in second person. It's certainly much easier than doing it in 3rd person! In 3rd person you need to constantly worry about pronouns; in 2nd person the only time that's a problem is when another character is referring to the reader-insert character in 3rd person. And those can usually be "written around", just like someone calling the MC by name can, and if not, singular they is an option.

Your audience may not double, but you might get a few happy comments from thankful boys and nonbinary persons.

Of course, terminology isn't the only issue. Writing a gender-neutral reader-insert also requires consideration in relation to descriptions of the reader-insert's body and clothing. From which I can seque into...

Tip #3.1: Trans Readers and doing the dirty
If you only want to write for cis (non-trans) people, that's your prerogative. Write what you know and all. This tip is only a concern if you want to write smut and be trans-inclusive while doing it.

In short, write your scenes with your chosen audience in mind. If you want to write something more universal, remember to be nonspecific about the undergarments and body features, and vague about the activities.

If your target audience is girls, you'll mostly just have to keep in mind the variety in body features and what that means in regards to activities.

The same more or less applies if your audience is guys, except some trans guys may wear binders, so undergarments are something you'll need to consider a bit more. One could perhaps speak of an undershirt if one wants to include the possibility while remaining nonspecific, but of course it's always an option to simply speak of undergarments as a whole, without specifying what exactly that includes.

If you're a cis person and want to write a trans-inclusive reader-insert fic, you'd probably do well to ask a trans person to be your sensitivity reader/beta!

Of course, you could also write a story where the reader-insert is specifically transgender! I probably wouldn't encourage cis authors to do that, though, simply because it's a lot of responsibility to portray things accurately and respectfully. In this situation a cis author should absolutely have a transgender sensitivity reader.

Tip #4: General writing tip: Use available tools.
Run your story through a spell-checking program. Word, if you have it, or for example LibreOffice or After the Deadline .

Then give it a look over on Slick Write .

Remember to always be a bit critical of what these programs denote as wrong or in need of reworking. They aren't always accurate, but they can definitely point out places where you might need to do some googling to find the correct spelling of a word or phrase, or simply mull over the words a bit in your mind or your mouth to decide whether to tweak them.

Tip #5: General writing tip: Do your research.
At least read some wiki articles on the characters and setting. Even if you're confident in your familiarity with the characters, it's a good idea to skim the notes or trivia sections in case there are some little details you've forgotten or missed.

I'm not going to go further into general writing tips, things like keeping characters in character and such should be self-evident enough. So that's it! HTH!

Description
Preface
The first thing a prospective reader-insert writer must consider is this:

Do you want to write a reader-insert, or a fan character?

If you actually want to write a fan character x canon character fic, go forth and do that! It's fun! I've definitely written my fair share of those. If you're lucky, you might even get other people into your ship. (Yes, I'm Just That Good.)

No, you say, you want to write a reader-insert fic.

But I'm a reader-insert fic connoisseur, and I won't take your word for it. I want you to really consider what you want to do, so I'll ask you a couple questions.

1) Do you want to describe the main character in detail?
2) Does your MC have a thorough backstory?
3) Does the MC have original characters as close friends or family?

If you answered "yes" to any of those, I would recommend you make the MC a fan character and go wild!

No, you say, you have your mind set on writing a reader-insert fic.

Alright, I say, then I'll give you some tips.

The actual meat of the matter
The most important thing about writing a reader-insert fic, that I feel many authors forget, is that the reader-insert needs to be relatable. Not just to you, not only to your peers, but as many Readers as possible. A universal reader-insert, if you will.

Tip #1: Describe the reader-insert as little as you possibly can.
I imagine some of you are confused. You thought description was good? Yeah, it can be. But it has its time and its place, and even then, I recommend following the rule of "approximately threes": only describe about three things in one go, unless you absolutely must describe more – five is usually the hard limit.

But with reader-inserts, less is more. Your Readers will be of various heights, weights, ethnicities, even ages, they will have different hair styles, with different hair textures and colours. If your reader-insert is universal enough, they may be of different genders. The moment you say that the reader-insert looks up at someone who's 155 cm/5'1", you've made the reader-insert less relatable to many a Reader.

Do you want to have the love interest carry the reader-insert bridal style?

Ask yourself: Will some Readers need to suspend disbelief to believe they could be carried by the LI? What if the Reader weighs a lot?

Do you want the reader-insert to look up at the LI?

Ask yourself: How likely is it that you have Readers who are taller than the LI? If the LI is the aforementioned 155 cm/5'1" shortstack, you should probably avoid that. Even Japanese women's average height is an inch more than that. On the other hand, if your LI is over 2 metres/7 ft tall, that's probably not going to be a problem and you can go wild describing a bit of a height difference. Anything shorter than that, and I'd recommend erring on the side of not specifying height differences.

Do you want to describe your reader-insert's body shape or level of attractiveness?

Keep in mind, that not everyone has the same relationship with their body. Some Readers will scoff if the LI describes the reader-insert as beautiful/hot/cute. Similarly, describing the reader-insert, for example, as having a round chest, will exclude the small-chested Readers.

Do you want to describe the reader-insert's clothing style?

Ask yourself: What if I have Readers who wouldn't wear this article of clothing? Some girls don't mind wearing skirts, others can't stand wearing them. Some won't wear trousers at all and only wear skirts and dresses. Some can't relate to liking a very dark clothing style, others don't care for the cutesy. The less you detail the reader-insert's clothing, the more universal it is. Compare the following:

You were wearing a red tee and grey sweatpants, since it was weekend and you didn't have any plans.
vs.
You were wearing some comfortable clothes, since it was weekend and you didn't have any plans.

The Reader knows what kind of clothes they like to wear, they know what comfortable clothes mean to them. It's unnecessary to explain in detail. And if it's not plot-relevant, even this little description can be left out.

Tip #2: Kill the (y/n) with fire.
Unless you're hosting your fic on a site that allows more than limited HTML and you can write a little script to replace every instance of (y/n) with a Reader-submitted name, you should avoid using this style like the plague. Yes, it's common practice, but that many people do it doesn't mean it's good. It's one of the quickest ways to destroy the Reader's immersion. There are almost always ways to "write around" instances of someone calling the reader-insert by name, for example:

"(Y/N)!" a random character called.
OR
"_____!" a random character called.
vs.
A random character called your name urgently.

Relating to tip #1, (f/c) can simply be left out -- but if you absolutely want to specify that something is the Reader's favourite colour, you can say just that.

The random character ran up to you. They were wearing a (f/c) scarf.

"Hi!" you greeted. "I love your scarf," you complimented them on their good taste.
vs.
The random character ran up to you. They were wearing a scarf in your favourite colour.

"Hi!" you greeted. "I love your scarf," you complimented them on their good taste.

But this is a problem if the Reader doesn't have a specific favourite colour, and thus should be avoided if possible.

If you want to personalise the story, go ahead and use the script method mentioned in the first paragraph, or make a Choose Your Own Adventure story using ChoiceScript . Or go wild and make a visual novel in Ren'Py .

Tip #3: Consider gender neutrality.
Trust me, if you've written an even somewhat popular reader-insert fic where the reader-insert is a girl, you very well may already have some Readers who aren't girls, who just try to ignore the gendering to be able to relate to the story.

Writing the reader-insert character gender neutrally is not very hard, if you stick to the usual practice and write in second person. It's certainly much easier than doing it in 3rd person! In 3rd person you need to constantly worry about pronouns; in 2nd person the only time that's a problem is when another character is referring to the reader-insert character in 3rd person. And those can usually be "written around", just like someone calling the MC by name can, and if not, singular they is an option.

Your audience may not double, but you might get a few happy comments from thankful boys and nonbinary persons.

Of course, terminology isn't the only issue. Writing a gender-neutral reader-insert also requires consideration in relation to descriptions of the reader-insert's body and clothing. From which I can seque into...

Tip #3.1: Trans Readers and doing the dirty
If you only want to write for cis (non-trans) people, that's your prerogative. Write what you know and all. This tip is only a concern if you want to write smut and be trans-inclusive while doing it.

In short, write your scenes with your chosen audience in mind. If you want to write something more universal, remember to be nonspecific about the undergarments and body features, and vague about the activities.

If your target audience is girls, you'll mostly just have to keep in mind the variety in body features and what that means in regards to activities.

The same more or less applies if your audience is guys, except some trans guys may wear binders, so undergarments are something you'll need to consider a bit more. One could perhaps speak of an undershirt if one wants to include the possibility while remaining nonspecific, but of course it's always an option to simply speak of undergarments as a whole, without specifying what exactly that includes.

If you're a cis person and want to write a trans-inclusive reader-insert fic, you'd probably do well to ask a trans person to be your sensitivity reader/beta!

Of course, you could also write a story where the reader-insert is specifically transgender! I probably wouldn't encourage cis authors to do that, though, simply because it's a lot of responsibility to portray things accurately and respectfully. In this situation a cis author should absolutely have a transgender sensitivity reader.

Tip #4: General writing tip: Use available tools.
Run your story through a spell-checking program. Word, if you have it, or for example LibreOffice or After the Deadline .

Then give it a look over on Slick Write .

Remember to always be a bit critical of what these programs denote as wrong or in need of reworking. They aren't always accurate, but they can definitely point out places where you might need to do some googling to find the correct spelling of a word or phrase, or simply mull over the words a bit in your mind or your mouth to decide whether to tweak them.

Tip #5: General writing tip: Do your research.
At least read some wiki articles on the characters and setting. Even if you're confident in your familiarity with the characters, it's a good idea to skim the notes or trivia sections in case there are some little details you've forgotten or missed.

I'm not going to go further into general writing tips, things like keeping characters in character and such should be self-evident enough. So that's it! HTH!