Self insertion

"Do I know you?" Stacy stuttered. He sure looked familiar, like she had seen his picture on a book cover or something...

"I should think so!" he laughed as he put down the PDA on the table. The display was almost out of Stacy's field of vision, but it did kind of look like it read "The door opened, and a handsome red-headed man came in, muttering softly to himself as he typed something on a PDA. As he finished he looked up and said with a smug expression: "And there you are. Hello, Stacy!""

...enough with the iteration already! The man continued: "My name is Toby Masterson. Six years ago I wrote a novel called Missing Pages. Familiar with it?"

"Um... actually..."

"You feel like you're living it? Fascinating. You see, the book became a big hit, there was even a movie option at one point. But then it all came apart."

"What happened?"

"The publisher wanted a sequel, and the movie company was pestering me about a screenplay. I just couldn't deliver. Worst case of writer's block ever. I could barely sign cheques."

"How horrible!"

"Tell me about it. I spent two years brooding about it until I realized what the problem was."

"What was it?"

"I had misplaced my protagonist."

"Say again?"

"I hadn't kept track of her. I lost her some time after she checked into the mental hospital."

"Now wait a minute..."

"I spent the next years forcing myself to write little snippets trying to manipulate her life until today, when I finally felt ready for her to meet me. I wrote our meeting, and... here you are."

Before Stacy could answer, Toby - or whatever his name was - pushed the PDA over so she could read the screen. To her surprise it was full of text - not only the description of his arrival that she had seen him entering as he entered (whatever), but an accurate description of their conversation up to a few lines back.

She started reaching for the PageDown key, but he pulled the PDA away from her. "Don't. Recursion will just cause it to lock up."

She shrugged. "Okay. So I'm your protagonist. Does that mean you created me?"

"I'm writing about you anyway. But now...

1. I need to make you a permanent part of my life so I won't lose you again. Stacy, will you marry me?
2. I'd like to hire you to play yourself in the movie.
3. Time to get back between the covers, young lady!
4. No, I just can't do it. You're real. It's your life. Go live it as you please.
5. The truth must out. We are all part of the Neverending Quest. So do you pick the right cave entrance, or the left one?
6. To show there's no bad feelings. allow me to buy you a prawn yogurt.

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