March 2024's Writer Support Thread

[RockmanX]

@leiatalon

I’m honestly so new to all this I have no idea what’s out there, so I appreciate you and others suggesting Spring Thing as a way to participate in the greater IF community. It seems like a super fun event and I’m glad to contribute as I can.

When I first entered the forum as a newbie, there was no group I could join with the cliques already well-established. I went to the writer support thread and Eiwynn let me participate in the monthly previews, so I was indeed fortunate that I found an inclusive enough group that I could join. Then some time after Their Majesties’ Pleasure came out, you joined as well, and so here we are.

Brian “Mathbrush” Rushton has kindly given us some tips on what to do and not to do when writing Choicescript games: What I learned from playing every Choicescript game (patterns in good/bad games). This being a writer support thread, I thought I would bring this up again, since Mathbrush is so active on the intfiction forum.

@poison_mara

We only can fail if we quit.

If you enjoy it, you should persevere.

If you want write just write. Only you need is iron will and an idea.

Wonderful words from someone like you, Mara!

@leiatalon

and the legendary Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Someone has really good taste- Max Fog will be proud of you.

@sana

As a sidenote, I’m considering posting to the Feedback Exchange thread

Very good idea!

@SoothBe

This is my first time posting anywhere, but I figured it was time I stopped lurking. I’ve been reading CoG for years, but writing IF is an entirely different challenge.

Welcome to the support thread. Here be useful tips.

@Eiwynn

Let me begin by saying: Every author who finds themselves and what works best for themselves has better success than trying to imitate another like a doppelgänger.

I have watched you grow Rockman, and it pleases me enormously to witness it. I am flattered you want to imitate me, but each of us is unique, and I’d rather celebrate that then have clones!

Turns out that I’m not trying to be like you. Or Hannah. It really feels that I’m stagnating- I’m more concerned about trying to be the best than letting my actual writing out. In fact Welcome to Hellwaters was supposed to be the next step after what ground Emily Short broke. Coming from a moderator, I’m worried that the above may not be true.

Also, that stat screen of yours looks surreal!

@HarrisPS

it’s very normal for a first, second, or even third or more project not to work out. The first Twine IF I published wasn’t the first I’d tried making; before even trying to make a large ChoiceScript project I made several short Twine games to practise branching narrative and see if I could stick the landing (this is why I often recommend starting small with the first few projects because it’s really good for getting more confident in structuring games!)

Before applying to write for Choice of Games, I started three big ChoiceScript projects that never went very far - two of which, a Monsterhearts-ish teen urban fantasy and an magical investigative politicking thing, I actually lost altogether in a computer transfer (not that I’d made much progress on them anyway), and one of which I did put up online but was very much in its early stages. Even my first released CoG wasn’t as successful as my second one… etc.

It’s important to finish things, like Paul Wang wrote in that excellent article. But if something doesn’t end up getting finished, it’s also important to learn from what you’ve done and to bring that through to whatever you make next.

It’s really nice to hear what experiments you did before that big thing of yours took off, Hannah! And thank you for that Honor Bound update!

@Jacic

Given the discussion about the hell hound in Phantasmagoria last month here as well, I’m starting to think there is a sizable market for games with pet-able, scary, otherworld not-dogs

Given the option to pet that dog, well, if Honor Bound is any indication, everyone will click it! I hope we can finally see the expanded version of your Ectocomp entries Raishall and Phantasmagoria out into the world!

@Stewart_Baker

you might enjoy The Good Ghost by Passerine , from Ectocomp 2022. (Although I guess this recommendation is kind of a spoiler, since it’s not revealed until the end of the game that you’re playing the ghost of a dog.)

Passerines’ free bird won last year’s IF Short Games Showcase, by the way! It’s an escape room, but you’re a bird, like Jacic’s Cage Break, and both games were in last year’s Seedcomp. Speaking of Seedcomp…

I also reviewed all games in the Seedcomp. They were fantastic, and that’s an understatement. I feel that my best strength is perhaps reviewing stuff, though I’ll need a bigger sample size to actually comfirm that. Disclaimer: I beta-tested one entry, Mathbrush’s parser one called Faery:Swapped. I haven’t even beta-tested any Choicescript ones yet!

@izzily

(a little of me is worried that the action to conversation ratio is drifting out of alignment, but idk. the conversations aren’t pointless? maybe it’s cause it can feel self indulgent)

There is always a place for conversation.

@ViIsBae

(even though I personally like A Chance of Rain the best)

Me too. At least it’s not a Chance of Meatballs.

@Sailingshells

when I finish my game

Well done- and your game is on IFDB to boot!

@MoonlightBomber

To give you an idea… NaNoRenO 2024 - itch.io

Yay for visual novel publicity!

@SamsonJBodney

Maybe someone else has written failed demos but learned a bunch from it or found the experience fulfilling. It all depends on the individual.

One man’s meat is another woman’s poison.

@Robd5822

laid out like an interstate highway carving a path from point A to point B, tunneling through mountains and bridging rivers, implementing eminent domain, and smashing right through houses. But then, when I started the work, my highway ended up looking like a drunken road crew with ADHD built it. It weaves and meanders around, and I add all kinds of stops along the route. Signs pop up saying, ‘See the World’s Largest Ball of Yarn!’ ‘Eat at Joe’s!’ If you’ve ever been on a road trip, you could drive by that ball of yarn and reach your destination faster. You won’t be able to say you’ve seen the world’s largest ball of yarn, and hey, Joe’s has the best apple pie. And you’ll make it to your destination but have a story to tell about your journey getting there. So, embrace the flavor text and take the scenic route. Your story and your readers will be glad you did.

The world’s tallest fire hydrant might be on the way, and I’ll have to stop and check it out.

That’s really hilarious! It just got me thinking…

@Havenstone

Ultimately it’s the joy of writing that gets most people across the finish line.

This is short and succinct. Perfect for someone like you Havenstone.

@sana

How do you guys keep writing when life tries to get in the way?

This is a problem that definitely I got hit with too.

@Eiwynn

At times like you are experiencing now, I view writing as one of my refuges, a place I can shape and form, and a place I can go to still my racing thoughts or raging feelings.

It is during these times I like to focus on my character arcs because often I can express their feelings, emotions and thoughts easier.

This certainly would not work for me, since this is preventing me from solving my real-life problems. Especially those character arcs.

@HarrisPS

I’ve been there and know how hard it is. Try to be kind to yourself about it and the writing - it’s very understandable to find it hard to focus on creative things when going through a tough time. As tricky as that can be, I find that dealing with the immediate needs - food, sleep, moving in a way that makes my body feel better, talking with friends/family, getting out of the house a little bit - is helpful initially, as it nourishes my brain and improves my health. I can then build on that when it feels right to write again. Doing small, manageable writing such as a short character exploration that isn’t intended for anyone else to see can be a lower-stakes way of stretching my brain and slowly getting back into the zone.

A nice thank you for that advice Hannah!

@LiliArch

I can’t properly do anything that requires focus if my stress levels are too high, so first order of business is to lower that, but after it’s done, writing actually improves my mood.

I probably function that way as well, but there’s a catch: writing helps me to relieve stress, but takes away my attention to the problem currently at hand.

I probably would spend more time with real world stuff than on writing Welcome to Hellwaters, but that’s really necessary. Anyway, thank you all for the encouragement!