I find it harder to write realistic modern dialogue, so I feel you. I don’t know why historical dialogue sounds more natural while I’m writing. Maybe it’s just a different level of suspension of disbelief
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I found some success in the last year finding the bare minimum I know I can write in a row (for me, 300 words) and then rewarding myself whenever I reach that. So I find a game or manga or podcast or show I really want to do the next quest on or episode or whatever, but I can’t do that until I hit 300 words. Then after that quest or boss or episode is over, I can’t continue until I do 300 words more. I can do anything else (chores, bookreading, etc.) but I can’t do the most fun thing again until my next ‘mini milestone’ is done.
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I understand how choicescript writers can get to 300k, 400k, 500k words so easily now. If you have 100k of a linear narrative, it easily triples in word count once you add in alternatives. Makes the scary word counts much less intimidating.
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Currently dealing with the consequences of too much branching without fully thinking through the end point. In my last chapter I have a set of scenes where you can choose between four options (MC alone, MC with one RO, MC with another RO, or MC with both). I was glad to provide the variety and am satisfied with the scene(s) themselves…
Up until the beginning of this chapter, where I originally was planning on letting MC hash some things out with said ROs. But accounting for the four different potential paths is proving to make it nigh-impossible to actually write this conversation. I’ve puzzled over this current scene for…months now, and I think tonight I’ve finally decided I have to scrap it.
I can revisit the conversation down the line, when I don’t have to write a big, emotional scene and neatly try to tie together four paths all at once. Definitely learned my lesson that sometimes less is more…and that if I’m going to do big branching differences, to always be careful to know where those branches end.
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I, too, would like to know!
But realistically I might just chain my wife to a desk so she can do it for me… I like her art best anyways
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Yeah I’ve been finding that while drawing out a choice tree for everything ahead of time is soul sucking, it really makes putting in the narrative so much easier. It all just flows much better and I’m never surprised by having to add anything
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Haha! I’m more wondering from the perspective of would the prices I’m estimating I’d have to charge be in the proper ballpark.
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Oh… like $1? $2? Even that’s a lot
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…are you serious? You do realize that it can easily be a ten-hour job, right?
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You’re trying to bankrupt me. Fine. $2.5
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Good luck with that.
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Honestly though, I feel like art is one of those things where you’ll never get paid what you’re worth unfortunately. If everything were fair, they’d be paying you both for hours worked and for all the time you spent developing your skill. In reality, I’d say that $150 range is a good one. I’ve never done art professionally though
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Maybe so but the thing is, if someone’s doing art to make a living, then they’ll have to charge what they need to make a living, and there’s only so many hours in a month to do it. (And the fact that people are willing to pay more to a generative AI than to a human to make their art is just… wild.)
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Agreed. Like I said, I don’t think artists will ever be able to charge as much as they’re worth. So if you’re trying to make a living off of it then I guess charge what you’d have to in order to live and hope it works out
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For the record, CoG pays $800 US for covers. That might be a useful benchmark, at least for a large piece of highly-detailed art…
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Yeah, I got a quote for about $600-$800, too. I couldn’t afford that. I was lucky to find what I was looking for at something within the budget.
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Eek. If I ever write a game, I’m gonna do my own art. Yes, those are stick figures. Yes, I did use crayons. You Philistines just don’t appreciate Post-Postmodern Primitivism.
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Just head to pixabay.com. There, I’ve saved you $2.5 just like that.
If you’re planning to exploit the art commercially, $150 is very low unless you have a close friend/relative willing to do it for you at a serious discount, or unless you find someone desperate.
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I do my own art most of the time, and this is one of the reasons why.
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Yes, but one of the other reasons you do your own art is that it’s actually good. 
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