February 2021's Writer's Support Thread

Game Development Writing and Content
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I would discourage anyone from teaming up on a writing project especially if they think that’s “the easy way to do it”.

This is not to say that nobody should ever collaborate but don’t go into the situation blind. Ask yourself why you’re collaborating and learn from the experience of others.

I’ve seen examples of people who successfully collaborate. One example is their writing process is “split”

Writer A: Writes out the story in vague beat form.
Writer B: Puts flesh on the bones, turning the vague story sketch into prose. By following Writer A’s detailed beat structure he’s able to churn out a millions words a year worry free.

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107

Agreed.

Both collaborators have to have the same vision going into the project otherwise you will either end up unhappy with how it’s turning out and frustrated with each other. If you don’t have the same vision or you can’t agree to compromise on what you want the story to become, the collaboration will inevitably fall apart.

There have been successful collaborations between authors before. Such as the team who wrote Highlands, Deep Waters @Nerull and @MahatmaDagon and just submitted The Vampire Regent to HG for publication. Another duo is @MichaelMaxwell and his coauthor Ben Luigi who published the successful first book Breach: The Archangel Job.

I’m not sure how Nerull and Mahatma split the workload for writing Highlands Deepwaters or Vampire Regent, but it’d be something interesting to hear. In Breach’s case, MichaelMaxwell is the story’s primary author while Ben Luigi is primarily responsible for coding.

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108

I think you can learn something from every experience, even if it’s a financial flop, so yes no regrets! What did we learn from Starship Adventures? Probably mostly that we pushed the silliness too far and that some of our tropes (sending up the rather sexist attitudes of the 1950s) didn’t translate particularly well. But you live, you learn.

I totally agree that you need a captain and a clear expectation on division of labor.

I’ve got a full plate for this year, but I have a real life friend who I suspect would be a great partner with whom to write a superhero romance in 2022, so already feeling out her thoughts/expectations.

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I always wanted to write with another person, but my personality makes it impossible. That and when I was in college I had to do myself the entire essays and work in groups as I can’t help to as I can’t deal with lazy people

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110

Everyone on this thread has such great advice :pleading_face:

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111

Yeah, those aren’t easy questions to answer.

The most obvious stake is that the character’s life is at risk. Whether or not the reader cares… that’s a whole other can of worms.

I can see some people sticking the prologue out and waiting to see what’s going to happen, but others might drop it as soon as they realize they’re playing as one of two pre-set characters. I just hope they stick it out long enough through the Prologue to finally make their own MC in Chapter One.

That’ll just have to be some specific feedback I’ll be asking the readers about. Whether or not they found the Prologue interesting enough to stick it through. Good thing I’m totally making a list of questions I’ll be asking readers when I finally post my demo /s. In all honesty though, I really should… :sweat:

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I hadn’t given much thought to collaborating before reading this thread, but it’s definitely something I might explore after I finish my current WIP (which is likely to be… idk, late April? lmao)

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I am not in a good place, I am thinking about writing a small game today to explore and express my feelings. And use the literature to exorcise them.

I don’t care if people insult my work. Today I won’t let the dark monster inside me wins. So, at night I hope to have a small less 2k game done. It would be about sorrow and feeling of sadness and inecuacy but also the energy to overcome that but it will have bad endings too.

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114

Good fortune to you @poison_mara

Writing can be very thereapeutic.

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115

After discovering AI Dungeon five days ago, I have probably written more words than I have in the last year or two combined.
I’m not really producing anything useful, but it is writing nonetheless!

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That’s really awesome! I recently discovered 750words, and it’s been a pretty cool tool.

This site’s where I penned a part of the prologue for my story, and became fascinated by the AI’s interpretation of it.

The frequently used words is quite amusing too. Heh.

Screenshot_2021-02-11-01-24-38-60_40deb401b9ffe8e1df2f1cc5ba480b12
Screenshot_2021-02-11-01-24-38-60_40deb401b9ffe8e1df2f1cc5ba480b121080×1089 111 KB

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Good for you! best of luck :slight_smile:

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@AChubbyBlackCat I’ve been thinking about tension and stakes in my own scenes and I looked up some advice from David Mamet, playwright and screenwriter. I wanted to share this with you because its a simple and powerful tip for interrogating your scenes.

1.) Who wants what from who?

2.) What are they willing to do to get it?

3.) Why now?

I find that if a scene feels flat or muddled asking myself these three questions helps clarify what’s missing. You don’t necessarily have to answer the question in your prose but asking and answering the question in my own mind helps gets my imagination moving in a productive direction. I hope you find it useful too

I’ve written nearly 6,000 words this week. I’m having a productive week, I’m getting up early and also doing little bits of writing when I’m supposed to be working. Doing lots of itty bitty writing in stolen moment. Lots of outlines and notes to work from. I feel like I’m in a good place.

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Thank you for very much! Those questions are incredibly helpful! I just hope the answers to those questions don’t drop the ball on the scene I’m working on.

And congrats on your progress! 6,000 words in a week is amazing!

Cat Confetti

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Hi all! It’s been a minute, started a new job this month and been busier than usual! But I’ve managed a fun little game for the Valentine’s Game Jam that will be ready soon! Just checked and it’s at 19,000 words. I’m pretty proud of myself for getting anything done at all, honestly. Happy February and good luck to everyone on their goals this month!

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121

Well my mentor group teacher got back to me on my story today. He asked me questions about the characters and some of the lore behind my writing, and I gladly told him! (Time registrants not withstanding) but then he told me he was proud of me! and how much my writing has improved(Has i had him for my English teacher in year 9- yes I was writing stories then too)!

That felt so very good to hear.

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Oh, wow, that is awesome! I hope that gives you the strength to improve further. The fact that someone who has seen your growth with years and is proud of you is a high praise.

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Got a carpal tunnel syndrome a few days ago so I had to cut back on my writing. It slowed my pace so much. Only got 12,000 words done for this month as of now. So, well, my 30,000 words goal for February isn’t looking very good :joy:

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124

I… I wasn’t sure where to post this, here or the “emotions” thread. But I feel like… I feel like this is a dilemma that only writers and creatives can understand.

I went to my relative’s house today, and one of my cousins, who’s financially well-off, was telling me that it’s a waste that I don’t have any higher aspirations. That I don’t continue my studies.

I told him that I’m generally content with my position right now, and that while I’m looking for an alternative job, it’s more due to emotional reasons than financial. Yes, getting more money would be wonderful, I mean, who wouldn’t want that? But I’m quite alright with the pay I’m getting. After all, I have plenty of time for my hobbies, and meeting friends and family, which is really all I want in life. Right now, anyway.

He told me something along the lines of this: “See, that’s the issue. You’re thinking all about ‘I, I, I’. But you need to think about ‘we’ instead. You have the intelligence to go far in your studies, and in our meritocratic country, papers are what matter. You could exploit the system, get a high ranking job, and help so much more people that way. Why don’t you?”

I went home, and immediately was filled with such… despair. Am I really… just wasting my time? Am I being frivolous? My writing, my art, my hobbies, am I wasting time doing them right now when I could be using it to climb higher and be someone? Am I really being selfish?

It’s not like I hate studying. I love learning. I just hate the fact I need to spend four years doing it, at the cost of other things.

Sometimes I feel like I have so little time in my life to do all that I want to do. And it feels like that point in an RPG where you’re forced to spend your skill points on one thing or another, but at the cost of locking your build. Do you minmax? Do you spread your points out and be a jack of all trades, but at the expense of being great at something? Do you cater to a certain playstyle, even though you hate it, simply because it’s the most effective at completing the game?

His words struck me deeply. I’m paralyzed with indecision. In my heart of hearts, I know that stories matter. But a small voice keeps nagging at me that maybe I should be… helping people in some other way. Because the world needs it.

Ugh.

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I grew up conforming to my family’s rules (I’m a Filipino so…). I was smart, so I always got into the best schools and I got a full scholarship in a prestigious university. But here’s what I realized. The expectations never stop. No matter how much you help them, no matter how much you please them, there will always be another thing your family would want you to do. I’m quite on the edge, too, right now. I keep thinking of a way to please my parents while having the opportunity to do what I really want. But while I’m still trying to make a decision, I write. I write because no matter what I decide to do, I know that I can’t let go of writing. I’ve tried so hard before, but I just can’t. I’m sure a lot of us here feel that way.

And don’t get me wrong. There are different ways to help people and the world. Writing is one of them. I know within myself that the novels I’ve read as a child shaped me into who I am today. I grew up in a harsh community, but they helped me stay good. They helped me be true to my ideals and do my part in making a change. That sounds cheesy as hell, but it’s true.

Being successful in the industry will take so much time, but I believe it’s worth it. Imagine how many people you would be able to help once you get the big bucks. Imagine how many people you will motivate to chase their dreams or change the world. Even if you don’t have the urge to chase for a huge success, you will eventually meet people on the way who would feel motivated by what you do, and the hard work you’re putting into it.

Every single step you make as a writer/artist matters. Most people won’t see how important it is, but for the people who manage to get a hold of your work and appreciate it? It’s so much worth it.

Anddd I’m pretty sure I’m rambling here so I’m sorry if there are parts that look weird. :sob:

P.S. There was a time when a short story of mine helped a friend who was depressed. I entered a competition, and she somehow stumbled upon my work. Then she thanked me and encouraged me to continue writing. It felt good. Like really good. Like I just did the best thing in the world. That’s how it feels when you realize you’re making an impact. If your work reaches even just one person, it could make all the difference.

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