September 2023 Writer Support Thread

Game Development Writing and Content
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Welcome all to the support thread for September 2023.

:spiral_calendar:

:birthday: Happy Birthday to September babies.

:mega: Thank you, everyone who continues to participate in these threads – it helps others when you do participate, sometimes more than you think.

The first weekend of this month is a holiday for those of us in the US. :confetti_ball:

Some of us will be spending the time on Starfield, which was released yesterday. Some of us will be using the time to write and others will be doing their own thing.

It is also “back to school time” for many.

If anyone has specific questions or concerns I may help with, please let me know.

:open_book:
:leaves: :fallen_leaf:

This month’s support focus is on writing characters. The following articles helped me, and I hope they will help others as well:

The first article covers the basics. It is a good introduction for new writers and a solid refresher for experienced writers that want to remind themselves of the basics.

The second article is a checklist type of article that helps define specific ways to further develop your characters. Each entry is a summary, but there are 33 of them to help direct you further.

The last article is a little more advanced, focusing on character relationships in particular.

https://www.writersdigest.com/improve-my-writing/8-ways-to-write-better-characters

My goal this month is to work on my common route for Patchwerks, taking the feedback I received and make improvements.

This will most likely be a multi-month effort.

May everyone complete their September goals.

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I am in holidays and it is Starfield month . My goal is keep the Jam going trying to return writing gradually. I am steady in my therapy and want to keep all that way.

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Not into Starfield, sorry.

But good thing my writing activities will wind down graciously, as I’m almost done doing the revisions to Falrika the Alchemist before submitting it to CoG staff for the private beta.

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Good luck for September, everyone!

I am hoping to complete an outline for an unannounced project, do some work on a non-CoG-related thing, and write Chapter 5 of Honor Bound. I think it is going to be a bit of a squeeze but I’m hoping I can get at least some of it done.

In other news I have started something on Tumblr: IF Seal, an interactive fiction advice blog. I have a vast fondness for advice blogs, and often get questions asking advice, so I thought I’d put it in one place while giving myself a silly seal persona because why not?

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New month, new chances to get things done. I always feel just a little bit energized by the prospects, I must admit. For this month especially, I think, since I’m getting close to some pretty big milestones.

September Goals:

  • Finish and publish Chapter Ten of Asphodel
  • Finish half of Diaspora’s last scene

Good luck to everyone with their writing, editing, and potentially video game playing this month!

Also, @HarrisPS IF Seal is adorable. And clearly very wise. :slight_smile:

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Longtime beta tester and game editor to help others with their games, but was wondering if anyone who likes writing fantasy was ever interested in becoming a writing team? I love to write, but love even more having another person to inspire new thoughts and keep me to deadlines

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I hope to complete a Halloween Jam entry this month, even if it’s only a small one.

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Some of the best horror moments take place in short scenes, go for it! I’m also here if anyone ever just wants someone random to proofread anything

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Not yet, but I’ll send you a message once the first draft is ready.

Thanks for the offer. I really wouldn’t know how to go about those kinds of things for jams etc. otherwise :sweat_smile:

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last month I surprised myself by managing to get one branch of the chapter done, right on the last day. this month I mainly want to get that second branch done.

oh…when the branch is done then the chapter is done, and when the chapter is done, I’ll have made enough progress to show the first chapter to my partner…I’ve never had a goal like this where I could clearly see some sort of actionable finish line…it’s thrilling.

for the halloween jam, I’d like to just keep working on it. It’s not the sort of thing where I can guess at word counts or sections done—I just want progress.

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Last month is the past.

It is not the past that defines you, but how you define the future. Which is why I am going to ignore what happened last month and move forward with new optimism!

September Goals:

  • Construct the blueprint for Act 2’s rewind section
  • Finish outlining the final character I have yet to introduce in the WiP.
  • Draw the damn cover art.

Remember everyone, the future is what you make it! Good luck in september!
(^▽^)/★☆♪

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So this is the month where I finally reach Level 40 (I’ve chosen to level up instead of getting older for the past ten years and I’m sticking to this as its much cooler).

My goals for September are as follows;

  • Finish Reflections - my entry to this years Halloween Jam.
  • Finish Bound - a short story I am writing for a writing competition being held at the Hospital where I work.
  • Commission the talented @defenestratin for the cover of my next game and get the first chapter on that finished (I’m hoping to open a new post with cover art and opening chapter on the 1st October. :slight_smile:

Good luck everyone with their goals this month. Keep writing and keep having fun!

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It is not the size the objective of the jam. It is have fun, practice, and show ourselves that we can add a project.

You are a pro you will have zero issues to end somwthing

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Thanks as always @Eiwynn for the resources :slight_smile:

I’m going to shoot for the stars again this month because why not. I plan to finish the first draft of my Halloween Jam submission, and finish at least 2/3rds of my game’s next chapter.

Outlining time cost was mentioned in the previous thread. I spent about 20 minutes today staring silently at a wall, putting pieces together in my head :joy: Someday someone’s going to catch me doing this and I’ll have to explain why I’m standing in the doorway with a spatula in hand, but today was not that day.

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Soooo, I realized after giving my still-in-progress chapter a read-through, that the section I was working on all last month throws off the rhythm of the whole thing. :smiling_face_with_tear: However, I think I can salvage it by reordering the sections. Worst comes to worst, I’ll just have to get rid of that portion and call it a loss. Alas!

That being said, my goal for this month is to complete the skeleton of my fifth chapter and fill out the many branches of part 1.

I may have to restructure the rest of the IF I have planned, too. It may be a bit too ambitious for my current capabilities.

Also, good luck to those working on a Halloween Jam submission! I wish I had time for it this year, “twisted mirror” and doppelganger-type tropes are so cool.

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If my writing had a face, I’d punch it. No hesitation. Its on sight, dude, ohmygod. I keep reading, because they’re like “you gotta read if you’re gonna write!” and still the head is empty. :kissing: Someone, send help, pls.

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My goal this month is to work on Thicker Than Chapter Four. I’d love to get it finished by the end of September, if I can. If I can’t, I’ll be happy just getting it a little bit closer to complete. It’s got a few semi romantic moments and those always take a little more time to tangle out.

I’ve been chewing through some imposter syndrome lately, so I’m trying to be a bit gentler with myself and my writing. It’ll get there, even if it takes a little while to do it. :blue_heart:

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Don’t know whether any of you need to see this, but with the increasing expectation of authors producing work at whatever cost to their mental health and normal lives, it’s worth reinforcing.

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Thank you, this and the Dave Walsh blog post Jenny Trout linked to are really, really worth keeping in mind. I don’t mind saying that since 2020 I’ve had therapy here and there related to burnout, noticing the signs that I’m hustling too hard, and taking time to rest and enjoy a personal life. It is really easy to fall into a pattern of feeling “what I’m doing isn’t enough” but it’s insidious because there is never going to be an “enough” that feels meaningful. Taking breaks when needed will not only help one’s writing, but also one’s health and happiness.

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There is a lot said in both her article and the one she links in her essay.

Hopefully, people will take the time to digest them and truly reflect on what is said.

Entitlement is not dealt with in the essay, but this topic, too, should be one on writers’ minds.

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