I spent most of this month preparing for a job interview to confirm my temporary promotion as permament. I had that on Wednesday and found out I was successful on Friday. I absolutely hate interviews and failed the past two I had for this same grade, so that was a big stressor and took a lot of my time. I expected to feel more relieved and elated than I do… But hey-ho - the mind/body is a mysterious thing.
With all that done, I want to throw myself back into writing. I had some great feedback on my little hobby project which entail a ton of re-writes and re-thinks to bring my writing/style/game design into line with what is needed for a HG. So for that I’m really thankful, even if I spend a lot of time staring at the screen trying to figure out how to re-write this stuff and weave in lots of new choices.
Took yesterday off to reset my brain and today I have written some words!
I finally sent Interstellar Airgap off to beta readers. I feel like I could conquer the world. I said i’d take a week off but i want to write something new!
You know you’re working on a Choicescript project when you set a goal and you royally miss it. It’s part of the process and it’s fun.
I manage to finish a good chunk of my story and I’m really happy about that. A lot of things will change during rewrites but for now, I know that there’s a structure and all I’ll need to do is add on.
I still have to write 5 different endings, that will reconnect stats choices, depict an epic battle, and also epilogues that gives the player more bonding time with friends and RO’s.
But for now, I’m going to take the rest of the month off from writing and reconvene in June.
There was so many times I wanted to give up and didn’t feel like writing because I felt like it was pointless and just another game what’s the difference. But thread like this, and reading other people progress, and also some Tumblr warriors kept me going.
And also. I freaking love the story that I created.
I finally, finally, started working on my game. Surprisingly, I got the stat page done in a couple of hours, and now it’s on to exposition ad character creation. Actually looking forward to that.
The goal is to get out a demo at the end of next month, but I really wanted to get it out in May already. It’s gonna be a struggle with running a business, working elsewhere part-time, and having only one day off a week, but writing is honestly the only way I really feel relaxed after a long day. At least until editing is actual.
I also spent like a hour picking a working title yesterday. The struggle is real
Just finished one of four RO scenes in the second chapter of my WIP. Started it exactly a week ago and it ended up being about 15,000 words or so. I’m looking to hopefully complete an RO scene a week, so here’s to keeping that schedule!
Well it has been a dismal 2020-2021 run for me creativity wise. I lost my mom last March and the creative gears stopped turning until December when I released my first WIP demo. I worked non stop on it for a couple of days. My mom’s birthday was May 12th and it marked the 2nd birthday of hers with out her… But a few days before it, the 8th or so? I got a spark and worked on and released my second WIP a couple of days ago.
After so much love from this community on the second WIP I’ve started back on my first WIP since it was an incomplete chapter. Now the creative gears won’t stop turning and I have a bunch of new and old ideas are playing tug of war for the spot light, but my goal is to finish out my first WIPs first chapter and update the demo this month. And who knows maybe a third one also I also have to focus on other writing projects outside of choicescript.
The power went out several times today, and of course it had to happen while I was saving the file. My Chapter 1 got corrupted, but thankfully I was able to recover it (the power went out too while I was trying to recover it). For some reason the file folder wasn’t saved on my Dropbox, but I think it’s because I wanted to create a separate copy and not overwrite the old files.
I still have my old files from the previous updates, but it would’ve been very disheartening to lose all those edits and new additions I made. It was very stressful.
I have been struggling to reach my goals these days. I sit down to write and a few hours later - found myself scrolling through some weird part of the web. It has become somewhat a habit and its hard to actually pen down anything now.
I will be setting new goals now and will try to work harder. I need to finish Chapter 1 and write it in schoicescript (which I usually dread because it’s not my kind of thing).
Another goal of mine will be to balance life and writing side by side. Sometimes, its hard to write when I am anxious about something, so I have to work on controlling that.
So: I love my mechanics now. I don’t like-like them, I love them. Not that they’re flashy or particularly innovative, but as much as I love playing with developing stats, I do struggle with making them matter beyond the scope of “well they should exist so I gotta get 'em in there somehow.” I feel really, really happy with the way I’ve worked them in thematically and I’m just really excited about it.
I’ve got my “thin” outline about 75% done, which is also a huge deal for me as outlining beyond chapter… one is really difficult lol and obviously I still have that other 25% to go, but progress! (I did cheat and write the first scene. Twice. But we all have our vices lol)
I also had a weird breakthrough last night/early this morning. A strange and unpleasant thing happened and I was so anxious that I was honestly considering going to the ER (I’m totally fine!) but instead I sat down and started the framework for this small side project I’ve been thinking about for a while. And I got 90% done with the whole thing. I’m gonna clean it up over the next couple days, or maybe just today even, and then it’s literally finished. And again, it’s small, but it’s been stuck in my head for several years now and it’s important to me so I’m happy to have made it. And I can’t believe I just churned it out at 3am and that, when I reviewed it this morning, it didn’t sound like a drunk term paper about pastoral poetry.
@spoano I’m really sorry about your mom. I know how hard it can be to deal with things like that, let alone get yourself in a creative and motivated place. I’m really happy for you for the progress you’ve made, though! That’s amazing!
@Franzinyte I read that first sentence and got so upset for you so immediately lol but I’m glad you could get your work back.
@Hazel I just came over from that post; it was great! It was so well put together and helpful and I went and got a towel to roll up in front of my keyboard! Thank you for making that and I hope you get back to best soon!!
@Nevada I’m sorry you’re having such a rough go right now. I can understand all those feelings. It’s important to develop discipline in practicing your craft but don’t push yourself to the point of unkindness to yourself. You deserve patience and understanding too! Nothing wrong with taking a little break if you need to recenter yourself and then come back feeling better.
Good luck to everyone on their goals for the rest of the month!
With the speed I’m currently getting things done, a demo might actually come out this month!
I just finished up my intro scene & all its branching paths and somehow that alone ended up being ~4,800 words (excl. commands.)
I’m hyped. So glad I started this journey, not only because of the creativity but for the community I get to be a part of. Can’t wait to get the first few chapters done and hand over a demo for y’all.
Congrats and good luck. I set a goal to get one case (private investigation) done a day to complete my first chapter of my first WIP I already released a demo of. But my neck had other plans as I pulled something this morning. Don’t get discouraged, if the work slows down or halts just find something else productive to do. O worked on something that didn’t take as much brain power to work on.
I’m having second thoughts on the stats I planned to use. They’re for the character’s skills, so it’s a percent and not an opposed pair. I can think of good uses for two of them, but the third, not really, and I can’t think of a good replacement either…
I would say incorporate some choices that require a certain percentage of those skills. 3 or 4 of those choices along the story should be good. Like in the choice, if the skill is not high enough, it will gray-out.
I can’t wait to see what you have in store for us!
Writing for me has been going awfully slowly. I’ve only written about four notebook pages, and a few other ideas on voice recording. Really crossing my fingers that the pandemic situation here will improve, because half the time right now, I’m too exhausted after work to even think of writing.
Combat, Intelligence, and the one I can’t think of a good use of is Stealth. What good is stealth for, if all you’re doing is marching around the desert for days hoping not to get lost, forced to do hard labour in public places, and trying to shoot at stuff while you’re wearing a super conspicuous blue uniform and standing inside an un-hideable giant fort? The enemy knows you’re there and there’s not really a use for stealth anymore when you’re already actively throwing punches, either.
They’ll be used for skill checks for sure, one choice per stat that checks if you have a high enough % for that certain stat (this is going to be quite linear). Some of them will be pass/fail checks and some of them will be greyed out. I just can’t think of a good use for the last one and probably need to change it into something else.
For your WIP stealth can be important. Not being detected by the enemy or sneak up on the enemy. But if you are not sure, yes you can replace it with something else.
I also have to focus on other writing projects outside of choicescript.