The Challenge of Fractal Writing: I am new to writing IF. I traditionally write print non-fiction. If I write 5 pages, I can expect my reader to read 5 pages. I can imagine the experience of the book through their eyes and write to that experience. I can tell when interest will lag, or a chapter feels too long. But I am finding it increasingly difficult with IF to understand my reader’s experience. If I write 1 page of IF, and there is a choice with 5 options, and each offers a choice resulting in 4 pages, then yes, their time spent in-book is roughly the same. But as I write I am finding that it’s more interesting for me if one of those 5 options leads to an unexpected OR a locked path, that might, say, lead to 5 pages. And then those pages might offer a choice, and this begins all over again. So as I flesh out the first chapter of my book, and I explore all the different options and stories for my readers to explore, the path is turning into a fractal, with a length of infinite depth. So much so that I have thought a lot about whether my FIRST chapter is ACTUALLY the entire book. Which means I myself have two options - scale back the scope of that first chapter, and just REIN IT IN, or reframe my narrative and do all I intend within what is current my first chapter. For now, since I don’t think I can pass values between books, I will do the first option. But that means I need to remind myself constantly of scope creep and falling down the fractal.
Game or Narrative?: I was attracted to ChoiceScript because it frames narrative choices and conflict as the main game mechanic. I think that is fascinating. My WIP - Exit Through the Gift Shop - is an adaptation of a board game I have been developing for years. The board game is a legacy game; that means it is designed to be played, like most games, multiple times but, unlikely most games, each play session is changed based on decisions made in the previous game. Cards get marked up or destroyed. New rules and pieces may enter the game. And over time a larger narrative can be told through these changes within the game. In my board game, you start as a child visiting a museum with your siblings and earn Nostalgia points by posing for family photos 1. with exhibits that align with your interests and 2. with sibling besties and avoiding sibling rivals. I thought it’d be fun to use ChoiceScript to flesh out the meta-narrative in the board game, as the players’ characters age game to game, decade by decade. So I entered CS with plans to figure out those narrative choice conflicts that can sustain interest over the chapters. And I am doing that. At the same time I am finding myself ALSO leaning on trying to recreated the board game mechanics - making choices to strategize how to maximize one’s Nostalgia score, but in ways that make sense in a text-based game. So I am currently undecided - should I try to turn my book into more of a game where a reader, for some reason still not clear to me, is making decisions to maximize their score in one particular direction, or is that being lazy, and designing against IF affordances, and I should instead challenge myself to avoid a “score”-based mechanic and instead learn how to use the pieces in play - exhibit interests, shifting sibling alliances - to learn more heavily on interesting, conflicting narrative goals?
That’s why it’s crucial to decide on your story’s structure on day one (or even before you write a single word of the actual game) and why that structure should be mostly linear. Writing by the seat of your pants does not mix well with branching narratives, and neither is particularly good on its own either. As a beginner, your best bet is to write a story which progresses from scene to scene linearly, where the player’s choices determine how things happen rather than what happens, and only think about genuine branching once you have something solid to work with.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen an IF where the goal is to maximize a single score for the sake of maximizing that score. Even the very earliest text-based games like Hamurabi provided flavor to player’s choices and an in-universe reasoning for why it’s good to succeed. Some stories might be more game-y than others, but most of them have the player pursue a variety of narrative goals rather than a singular objective.
Disagree with this, as well as with the disparagement of branching narratives and pants-seat writing tout court. It’s true that incorporating major branches and allowing the story to find its own shape both increase the odds that the project will grow to a scale the writer can’t finish – but the risk can be worth accepting. A few of the most popular CoGs/HGs are linear, but most of my favorites are the big ones with more variability. And for some of us writers, the joy of discovery does more to keep us writing than the deadening effort of sticking to an outline.
@Barry_Joseph: values can pass between books. If you write a sequel, once it’s ready for publication HG will let people save their game from Vol 1 and carry the stats over to Vol 2.
That doesn’t mean that it’s a mistake to err on the side of reining yourself in. It’s good to try to resist scope creep, especially for your first project. But if the joy of fractal storytelling is too strong to resist, run with it.
Participate in at least 1 game jam - I’m beginning to think this is a pipe dream for me
Complete at least 1 game jam - definitely thinking this is a pipe dream
Learn Spanish enough to be able to use it at work (earn a $2 raise by doing this) - Duo is now sending his minions, the various talking heads he works with, to harrass me via my phone notifications…
October’s Goals
Finish Chapter One of Phoenix Rising - I have not finished the daydream section. It’s still making me want to rip my hair out with how repetetive it is. BUT IM CLOSER TO THE END.
Get posts on the Nascent Souls Tumblr up to end of november. - Oddly, this one has been easier to keep up on…
Get the game to a point where I can ACTUALLY POST AN UPDATED DEMO, GODDAMMIT. – stares balefully at it It’s mocking me, I know it.
Bonus at work. - Slowly working on this one.
Keep up with my Accountabili-Buddies so that we all make progress on our games. @RascaldeesV2 @Phenrex @eveelution @levviathan@Suyin @Eiwynn . Also looking for more accounta-bilibuddies too! Apply now!
Praying your surgery goes well and recovery is swift and easy!
Good luck!
This is quite the conundrum you have for yourself. …I think perhaps, you should lean towards whichever one feels right in your heart, but not so far that you fail to use the structure Choicescript offers you.
I’d agree with this - with the caveat that it’s probably not a risk you want to take with a first project.
My opinion has always been that the biggest hurdle a writer faces is finishing a project, and once you can prove to yourself you can do it, it becomes easier and easier to see more ambitious goals as doable.
It’s tempting to go big on the first try, but the more and more your debut project spirals out of control, the more likely you are to see it as impossible to complete. That’s why I’d recommend a smaller, more linear project at first, and then going bigger and bigger as your confidence in your own abilities grow and are validated.
Lords of Infinity was supposed to be where the series started, but if I’d stared down writing 1.6 million words right off the bat, I’d have never started. Writing Sabres (180k words) and Guns (400k words) first gave me both the skills and the confidence in those skills to tackle a less linear project with a more open structure.
I’d also argue that while it might not lead to the most polished story structure, making it up as you go along is something you kind of have to do if you’re writing your first CS project while still getting a feel for structure and the limitations of the scripting language. It’s all well and good for a trained civil engineer to plan out a building - but someone with no structural engineering experience whatsoever isn’t probably going to figure out how to lay out an apartment block no matter how much they plan ahead.
Experiment, tinker, figure out what works and what doesn’t, then move forward accordingly.
Write a minimum of 750 words every day. Even on the day of my sister’s wedding.
Reach 90-100% completion on my current chapter of Wonderland Noir.
Having been away from the project for almost a year due to a self imposed exile from the internet and the vast majority of my comforting hobbies, I’m awed at how much my priorities and perceived direction for the story has shifted. I’m writing more breathing moments for the characters, giving them opportunities to interact and develop their personalities beyond what they have simply spoken aloud (though I still find the dialogue stilted, guess I’ll have to talk to more people). No public updates yet, but more content has been added to the earlier chapters and the pace is a bit slower. I’ve also made the decision to add more backstory to the protagonist. While this comes at the cost of customization for the player, I feel that it will lend itself to a more coherent and emotional story. I did something similar for Departure, and I think it led to a stronger narrative. Are we allowed to post snippets here for feedback?
@hustlertwo Sorry to see you go, but I hope the screenplay writing goes well! Certainly a unique premise. I have no discernible qualifications in this field, but if you ever need a proofreader feel free to ask me.
@Eiwynn Another thanks for making these threads. I’m sure there are lots of lurkers like me that derive value from sifting through the information within, even if they don’t post. And having a space where newer or uncertain writers can receive encouragement is always welcomed.
I am wondering if the forum will like o be ready for a contest with judges scores and all that. But dunno. I don’t have the prestige or presence to organize it anyway.
I personally have like two people fighting one trying to me organize and doing projects and Ft he other saying that I will fail in everything and anything and should not trying and do the ridicule.
Hey Mara, I noticed the judging period for the halloween jam only goes for a week? Might be too late to change regardless, but would you consider making it a longer period? Might hopefully have people get a bit more time together to play through more that way?
It has always been a week for voting. Mostly because games are not big in work account as they are a jam. But It could be something to talk for a future editions. But further the time of voting less interest and hype the audience have. If you extend too much a voting process you risk nobody actually doing the deed.
This week, I’m dealing with a lot of medical chores, for me and for family. Still, when I laid out my schedule, I insisted on saving a few 1-2 hour time slots and dedicating them to my ongoing secret project. I might not make as much progress as on a full work week, but I don’t want to get rusty. I think I need at least 3-4 more passes before this draft is ready for someone else’s eyes.
I should probably listen to this advice but i cant help it. i see a scene, i think of ways that it could be branched out or given some variation and go for it. even if youre a beginner your work still needs to have some kind of branching and non-linear pathways or else its just a book.
luckily for me most of my branching is very small stuff, mainly just small edits of texts based on stats. its like hades which has an absurd amount of dialogue for even the smallest of things. ill probably end up doing some editing in the future to change some of this stuff, idk i just wanna write and figure the rest later.
I’m not saying that a beginner should never branch, but that you definitely want some experience under your belt before you go big.
I’ve just finished a sprawling non-linear chapter with multiple paths and outcomes. It’s 85k words long. If I were where I was at 12 years ago, I would have never even contemplated finishing something like that.
