writing myself in with the three investigators or secret seven or whatever. Usually ripping entire portions of book. Sometimes i'd get friends to illustrate scenes for me
I did something almost like this, but only with friends and people I knew in my school. Not once did I write myself into anything in any fan fiction type stuff as a kid. Years later I did loosely base some of the main characters in my early short fiction pieces on myself, but it was never in a good light and always deliberately sad and depressing, compared to my childhood writing of making other kids into zany fun heroes.
Oh, and also I can't remember what thread this should go in, but ever since Blombuss re-watched Grange Hill, I have been quietly saying "Flippin heck, Tucker" to myself whenever something goes wrong.