Thank you for sharing and taking time to explain this!
That sounds like a very helpful way to break things down, I like the idea of turning the problem into a question and working through it step by step.
I’m not sure if I can fully stick to it yet, but I think I might try something similar and see how it goes.
If you think of your story without opening the document, you could write bits and pieces elsewhere, and then when they’re done put them in the actual document. That might help, if it’s the document itself causing you anxiety, and at the same time you could be watching the wordcount grow and possibly that could help too.
How about?: A Kiss from Death 2: Forked Tongues
I like A Dance with the Devil because of the mirrored structure with A Kiss from Death, I’m neutral on including the AKfD2 part but it does show it’s in a series at a glance so may be useful to include.
I like A Kiss from Death 2: Nine Lives as well.
Might I add the following for consideration:
A Kiss from Death 2: Not That Many but It’s Weird It Happened Twice
A Kiss from Death 2: 7 Minutes in Hell
A Kiss From Death 2: Electric Boogaloo
@holysalmon Maybe changing the document type would help? I’m trying to write my story both in a linear path and as an IF, and sometimes I have to change what I’m working on to avoid the anxious feelings overwhelming me. That being said, right now I’m having to focus more on the IF because the linear path is nerve wracking to me!
i think this (changing the document type) is a good idea! i also get anxious sometimes about sitting down and opening up my writing document from time to time (i call it my writer’s stage fright), when it’s really bad for a few days i try to write in a totally different location. i’ve been doing that the past week actually; sitting down at my normal desk to write felt very overwhelming so i’ve been at coffeeshops and libraries instead, and it’s been a lot easier (and less scary feeling) to get work done.
also, over time, i’ve just started to accept a slightly superstitious way of looking at the writing process. there are days (or even weeks if i’m particularly unlucky) where things just feel Off trying to write/work on a project. it’s frustrating more than anything for me to try figuring out why it feels like that, though—at least at first—so i usually try to just work around the obstacle/anxiety/stage fright. that’s what i mean by “superstitious”: just do whatever feels like it might help, regardless of the logic behind it (or lack thereof). once i feel less anxious and weird, and i’m back in a better rhythm, it’s easier to try to figure out what was going on that made things feel so tricky.
“This Time With Tongue.”
These were inspired by @Havenstone 's post.
A Gasp For Air
Taste of a Devil’s Lips
Lip Locked
Bittersweet
Twisted Tongue Tango
The Sweet and the Putrid
A Gasp For Air is great, I like it! I have a lot of fondness for series titles with matching cadence.
Another chapter completed! Technically that means the game can structurally be played start to finish now (or at least up to where the demo will end – there’ll be two more chapters to follow in the final version). I’ve got a lot of work with filling in some blanks however so it’s still a ways off before I can post anything.
“Queen Kayne gave me an allowance.”
“She was just trying to get you out of the palace for the day!”
“And it worked! I was travelling around Petrichor all day! Beautiful city, totally forgot most of the little alleyways! Nearly got mugged but I flew away.”
“You – you nearly got mugged!”
“Yeah by some idiot teenager, not at all even close to a threat. What’s he gonna do, stab me in the throat?”
“Yes, you could get stabbed in the throat!”
“I’ll just turn into a bulldog so my throat is less stabbable. And then I’ll go for the testicles!” She snaps her jaw playfully. “He shouldn’t have attacked a shapeshifter!”
“But that didn’t happen.”
“No, of course not! I just flew away. Way better to avoid a fight then hurt some idiot teenager. He’d never walk again. What’s the point of that, other than cruelty?”
“He’ll hurt somebody else.”
“Hmmm. Maybe you’re right. But that’s not for me to decide!”
I finally got Chapter 3 of my WIP live yesterday! My final testing did identify a nasty bug where I set the number of minutes it would take to get to a destination but forgot to actually add them to the current time, so I fixed that first. Now on to Chapter 4, which should at least be shorter than Chapter 3 and a lot more fun. I hope to finish the actual writing by the end of April, though testing will probably go into May.
An update on the Indie Games Group Philippines Indie Community Awards that happened last night. I didn’t win an award, but like I’ve said last year, a nomination is enough, especially for people who want to invest in my games.
First item on my editing todo list is done!
I had planned to have a full-on
*if (summer)
Summer details!
*if (autumn)
Autumn details!
*if (winter)
Winter details!
*if (spring)
Spring details!
thing going on but in practice about 60% of the “seasoning” I added was literally just
@{winter snow|rain}
The whole process was way easier than I thought but took way longer than I thought because there was so much rain in Chapter 10. It’s raining in like every scene. I discovered that I have accidentally written my fantasy city in the style of a rainslick cyberpunk dystopia.
Okay so what’s next on the todo list–
uh oh
today i am trying to fully untangle the last branch-y stuff that appears in my current chapter. it is…literally like one giant knot. just insane. idk why this always happens </3 i write a code skelly, and i think “ok great this is totally legible and makes perfect sense!” and then by the end of the drafting process it’s a MESS with all the added little variations/choice branches/baby subroutines and whatnot i ended up chucking in willy-nilly while adding in text to account for other/new conditions. at least i’m getting it done, though! but jesus CHRIST it’s a mess ;alkjsdg;lkjsl
Making great progress this month. 
Been reading old guides here for more support. I wonder if we could compile a forum wiki with a list of helpful guides and topics for new writers? Or does it already exist and I’ve missed it? 
Also am refining and simplifying the player hair customization code.
I think there’s just the ChoiceScript and related tools one.
Still working on my second feature script. Hoping to finish this month but far from sure. Currently at 86 pages. It’s already longer than the first one. About time to kill one more and then have the big fight.
Big writing news for me is not actually mine. My younger daughter won first place in a haiku contest for the Atlanta Botanical Gardens (hers is the first one that shows, for Ava S). We get to go up there for a free lunch and to have someone else read the poem because she sure as heck won’t, she gets stage fright. Probably her sister, she never saw a spotlight she didn’t like.
They also have voting up for the audience choice award if anyone’s inclined to toss one her way: People's Choice Voting
Congratulations! Your daughter must’ve worked so hard. I hope the lunch is lovely.