My art teacher would say that art is “the act of deriving meaning from synthesis” so if you’re making something intended to make people feel or understand something, it counts as art as far as I’m concerned.
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I usually try to have some linear fiction on the backburner, for when my brain just can’t handle writing 3000 words knowing the reader will only see a passage or two at most. Last year, I was stuck in a doctor’s waiting office for an egregiously long time (with my mother; not my appointment), and I came up with a story concept that I’ve been noodling with, on and off, since then. I don’t know if it will shape up, or what sort of story it will be when it’s done, assuming I ever finish it. But I have it to write and to enjoy, and I do think the story has potential. Perhaps as a novella.
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I took your suggestion; and thus, without altering the backstory too much, here’s a revised version.
Revised lore book
Book 5: How to Deal With Conflict in a Sober Way
by Candace Ezeli
Conflict is an unavoidable part of life, and it can escalate into something worse with the volatile mix of complex and nuanced factors.
If we want to settle conflicts before they get worse, and give the Goddess some relief, there is one way: Ignore the metaphorical scoreboard in our minds.
This “scoreboard” is manifested in three words – “even the score”. It is closely related, and is rhetorically similar to, “an eye for an eye”.
Whenever someone did something wrong to you, and you wish for them to be punished one way or another, that’s “even the score” taking root.
If unchecked, it mutates into the cycle of violence, where the oppressor becomes the oppressed, the oppressed becomes the oppressor, and this switching of roles goes on without end.
Those who were the first candidates for demon-hood let their own egos prevail, simply because forgiveness was absent in their hearts, and revenge took its place.
If you want a healthy life, the score should not be: Me: 1; The One Who Wronged Me: 0.
It should instead be: Me and Everyone Else: 1, Scoreboard: 0.
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It’s become a lot less controversial now. 
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Jumping in on the novel/IF conversation: I self-published several novels before finding Heart’s Choice and CoG as a whole. I also queried a handful of manuscripts to agents over the better part of a decade.
I’m honestly glad I didn’t land an agent. My creative energy is better served writing IF, and people actually read my stories! Trying to get people to buy your book is hard enough, but will they read it? I mean, how many books do you have on your shelf that you haven’t read? I have a lot. For a whole host of reasons, IF is different, and I like it.
While I have distant-future plans of making a series of novels based on my games, it’s become apparent that it’s best if I write the games first and then extract the novels. I also think it will be good if several years’ time passes before I go publishing novels that differ from the games as people might be less shocked by the twists the stories take and the changes from what they’re used to as I envision yet another version of the story. There is no canon, only possibilities.
At this point, writing IF not only satisfies me creatively, but is rewarding both monetarily and personally. I get to interact with fans and other writers. I get to bring all my darlings out to play and create a labyrinthine world where a story can be experienced myriad different ways. Writing the first game broke my brain a bit, but I think it has rewired itself in a good way, and now that I’m on my third game it’s more fun than struggle. It’s not easy, especially in some sections, but it’s a lot easier than it was when I was writing TMP.
I have made way more in royalties from IF than from my novels. It’s not even close. And now that I’m writing a WIP for Hosted Games, I have a Patreon. It’s fun to have a place where I can bring out all the lore and side stories and random thoughts to share with fans. I had no idea people would be willing to subscribe to my Patreon and support me as I write my game. Like seriously? This is a thing? 
As someone who probably would’ve kept struggling as a novelist for the joy of writing stories, slogging through the burnout of marketing and the minutia of self-publishing, I’m so glad I went looking for paid writing gigs and stumbled upon IF. I am extremely grateful that Heart’s Choice gave me a chance and for the help of my editor who coached me through learning how to translate my skills as a novelist to the world of interactive fiction. 
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This is an awesome sentence. Although I’m also a bit creeped out now, since I was just reading some horror short stories. 
(I’m still on-off trying to write a children’s book, which I also seem to remember only occasionally. Eh.)
Anyway, I decided to tackle my impostorness head-on and actually clock my drawing time (it’s no wonder I can’t make a ten-hour result if I only work for four, after all). Wish me luck!
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Something I was planning on doing with Quiver was to create a system specifically for Sir Guy that tracked his encounters with Robin.
It would track;
Where you fought him
How it ended
Any injuries either of you inflict on the other.
How you fought him.
The idea is to let the game create a more dynamic rivalry between you. With him mentioning previous encounters and altering how he tries to deal with you. For example it you end up pulling out your dagger while fighting with your sword next time you fight he would be wearing a buckler to try and counter it.
The idea behind the system is taking the nemesis system concept of tracking encounters but focused on a single enemy and combining the Dr Freeze fight concept in Arkham City where the boss learns from your previous attacks and stretching that over a few encounters.
But as the nemesis system is copyrighted would that be too similar or is it different enough not to be problematic?
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The next story in my superhero series is less superhero and more a Sci-Fi Murder Mystery with Horror elements… Well, I guess I always knew it wouldn’t do well.
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Well I’m thrilled.
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I think you’re fine. Most of the stuff in this patent is just standard IF stuff as far as I can tell, so I doubt anything like this could hold in court.
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It almost certainly won’t. But if you know that going in and write it anyhow, then you’re fine. Some stories you write to get rich. Others you write because you just really want to see them come about. The ideal is if it can be both.
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That’s what I originally thought as its just variables tracked which would be standard for IFs but just wanted some other opinions before I put in the work for it.
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After poking around itch for a bit, I decided to put Scarlet Sorceress in two game jams. The Women’s Game Fest and the Interactive Fiction Showcase. (Game jams are typically events for developers to build a game in a short time, but some organizers use the jam platform to host game showcases for already completed works.) I’m not sure if this will get some extra eyes on it, but no harm, I guess.
Unfortunately, both events (by default) sort submissions by popularity, so you’ll immediately know how you compare to the others. 
On the Women’s Game Fest, Scarlet Sorceress is 84th out of 145 entries, which I suppose is a decent performance, considering that it was only out for two weeks and is competing with titles which have been out for months. (For the record, Scarlet Sorceress has passed 4000 views and 2000 plays on itch at the two-week mark. Let me know if you want the full analytics.)
Interestingly, I found the demo for Devil on your Shoulder in the jam. 
It was released this year, so it qualifies.
On the other hand, Scarlet Sorceress is 6th out of 40 entries on the IF showcase, by popularity. The five submissions ahead of it are all visual novels. Unfortunately, intfiction is still a pretty small and niche community on itch. I guess that makes me a big fish in a small pond. 
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That makes a ton of sense! That’s how I’ve gone about turning my concepts into games too - a vibe/atmosphere/theme that expands into a branched story, rather than a more specific story. I think the idea I have is probably more exciting to me as a game with a wider range of possibilities. Which… probably means it will be a very long time before it goes anywhere, heh, but never mind.
I’m really pleased that it’s been a positive trajectory!
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All of this sounds awesome. You should do it!
I think that sounds pretty cool!
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I think you’ve summed up why I love this medium in a single sentence! I remember talking with Eiwynn last year about how incredibly different my two playthroughs of A Kiss From Death were - and how incredibly impactful the first one was in particular (I came close to tears at the way my immortal
spoilery ramblings on how much I loved this game
met a sweet, hot demon, married her because, well, the demon wanted it so why not? It’s only 80 years or so. And they lived all those years together and never viewed it as more than a certain distant affection, though they said and did all the “right” in-love things. They never questioned why it was so easy to do. Then when she died it came crashing onto them like a collapsing building that they’d loved her all along, and would never, ever get to express it. They met a bard after decades of trying to recover via meditation in the woods and fell into a sweet kind of companionship, both knowing they’d never be “in love,” but that they loved each other. Then my MC watched them walk into their own death. Then at the game’s end they underwent endless torture and eventually became the god of time, and every time they asked themself “why am I not giving up?” - because they wanted to give up - they couldn’t. Because they kept coming back to the thought if I save this world, she’ll have lived, and that matters. I don’t know why but this one, single mayfly matters enough for the whole world to merit existing.
And then my second playthrough was the total opposite. No romance, just hanging out with a suit of armor learning about each other until the world ends, and learning, with a lot of grief and platonic love, how to accept that and face the void somehow together.
Like, those are such different stories and I love this medium for making them both possible within the same world. Also Eiwynn made me promise that eventually I’d get over my shy a** and post that story/experience bc like we all know she was (correctly) of the mind that saying nice things about each other’s work is good. So promise kept, friend
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Today’s problem: The more I write “costume customization”, the more I’m trying to write “custome costumization” instead.
Argh.
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Hey all. Just wanted to let ya’ll know some of what I was freaking out about has resolved, and I’m working steadily again. Wish me luck
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I love this sentence. I myself like to think of the multiverse when it comes to my own work, with the reader creating a new world each time they click play. So whatever happens in that playthrough is canon to that world.
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I just finished Act 1 of my novel (first novel I have a chance of publishing). 21,589 words so far and the last chapter might be my favourite piece of writing I’ve done, it’s true what they say about regular practice giving you a better sense of personal style. Part of me wants to go back to chapter 1 and start re-writing it all but I’ve fallen for that trap before, it’s absolutely imperative that I get a first draft done this year. Wish me luck comrades.
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