Oh, entitlement. When authors/creators give in too much to rabid fans and so-called “focus groups”, they sell themselves out, in very nasty ways. I just stick to what I do best and never let the pressure from entitled people get in the way of my authorial integrity.
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See, I have an issue with constantly falling into “not enough” and struggling to get out of it. Trying to is like walking through waist high sand for me, and I know that it impacts my pace greatly. I could wake up going “I’m gonna write a chapter today!” then if I stumble or am just completely blank and devoid of words, that awful feeling sinks its teeth again.
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This is a funny statement. I guess this touches upon the old question of ‘is the art for the audience or for the creator’? Personally, I believe it’s a dialogue.
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On the topic of not rushing authors: I’ve noticed recently that when someone on the forum asks about progress or expresses a desire for the next installment, etc, there’s always at least one person who’ll act as if the commenter is rudest person, and that what they did is the greatest sin someone on the forum can commit. And so they themself will reply very rudely to someone who probably didn’t mean any harm.
I just think we should all try and remember that if we see someone on the forum asking about how progress is going, when the book will be done, etc, they probably aren’t trying to rush the author or be rude. They probably just like the game and want to play more of it. And so they try to satiate their curiosity by going to the thread and asking a question
So remember: please be nice to strangers on the internet
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@Anna_B One of the most important rules on the forum is not asking for updates.
And it is for a clear reason. Before that it was thread after thread filled with very toxic remarks.
“I love this shit WHERE IS THE REST…It has happened a month since the last update… It is dead. Please not be dead…”
Several authors stopped their games due that damn toxicity preassure.
So the reaction is justified. If you go to a damn forum read the rules.
However, people should not engage with them and simply flag their posts. But believe me that rule is there for a very very good reason.
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I agree, especially when it comes to interactive work, and especially-especially when it comes to WIPs where authors are asking for feedback that may improve their work. But as with everything, it’s a balance - sometimes players will ask for things that go against an authors’ design principles, or is too large in scope, or even, rarely, is totally in opposition to an author’s values or vision.
An author isn’t obliged to change their work in response to feedback. But it is wise for authors to at least take a good look at it all the same, as it may be of use and worth bearing in mind even if changes aren’t made.
It’s very rare that I get feedback that I reject entirely - and that has been nonsense like complaints about female characters in positions of power, or saying a queer-friendly society doesn’t make sense, or, memorably, saying one of the characters should be taller so the player finds them more attractive. That sort of thing I’m perfectly happy to discard. But for other things… even when I don’t agree with it and/or I don’t make an immediate change, I try to look at it carefully with an open mind and figure out how the player has come to this conclusion.
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I think what @Anna_B is getting at is that they likely don’t have any malicious intent. So while they should be corrected, it shouldn’t instantly come with a cold shoulder.
Now, if they keep doing it on the other hand…
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I know but I am also trying to explain new people where the hostility come from. We should flag and not engage but Flag. Because it is a rule. When you join a forum first thing appear is the rules. And that is with rhe no bigotry the two main ones.
So people dont engage flag it.
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On the topic of not rushing authors: I’m ashamed to see the Forum feedback decorum thread spiral downwards. I have always been pretty fearful about being active on forums, since there is a lot of negativity. Which makes me even more negative. However, the writer support thread, thanks to the masters, has been relatively positive- everyone encourages each other.
You can ask about the author’s progress, but it is their discretion to provide it. Similar case for feedback. Stepping on each other’s shoes is unavoidable, but how you react is controllable. Please remember to be nice to each other, no matter what!
My goals for September:
Do more research and worldbuilding. Create more character profiles. Increase my publicity. The reason nobody asks for anything is that I don’t have much, or any, publicity to begin with, other than those on the writer support thread. More updates to come soon!
Edit: It’s probably my fault for having no idea of how to boost publicity and shooting myself in the foot in the first place.
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September, yuck. 
My September goal is similar to August, with a little more:
- Keep up with working on feedback messages through my Beta, which I am currently behind on, but only by a little.
- Get the other assets together: some image fixes, blurbs, screenshots, etc.
- Play test on Normal and Hard.
- Start some conversations on balance, but not until I’m caught up on feedback again.
I have no real deadline, besides that I’d like it to be complete, so I suspect I’ll continue to polish all of September and into October as well. We’ll see what it looks like at the end of this month.
My biggest trouble is lack of time. September means being busy with family and work, but now that it’s in beta, just keeping up with feedback means progress is getting made, so that’s my biggest priority.
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Treating others kindly is always a good thing.
Now, let’s move beyond this topic because this thread is not the place to continue discussion on forum etiquette.
Thanks, everyone.
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My September goal, since I put out a new update today for my WiP, is to get feet on the ground running towards progress on the next chapter. Classes are active, so if I get at least 5-10k words on it this month then I’ll be happy.
Good luck writing everyone!
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August ended badly for me so I’m just going to leave it at that and move on to September. Let’s just say I cannot wait for this year to be over already.
My goal for this month is to get about 10k words playable done and to have the updated WIP up but I will be happy if I get another chapter completed.
Good luck and happy first week of school to everyone who’s going back.
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September is a new month, and hopefully the beginning of it cooling the hell down here in colorado. So I’m very much looking forward to fall weather. Can’t afford Starfield, although my husband is going nuts for it. XD So I’m focusing instead on getting his and my streaming channels up and running. That, and finishing the first chapter of Phoenix Rising properly. I don’t want to update Dashingdon without a properly finished chapter… It just feels cheap to update it right now.
Goals:
- Finish Chapter One of Phoenix Rising
- Outline Chapter Two
- Implement any feedback on Chapter One
- Figure out how to stream some of my coding sessions (yes I’ll link to them)
- Add another month of posts to the Nascent Souls Studios Tumblr
- Get a full-time job (self explanatory)
You know, I could use something similar, but I’m not 100% sure about the team aspect. I need someone I can ramble to about the story and issues I’m having writing it. Someone I can Rubber Duck it with.
This is such a cool idea, holy shit. I love it.
You need a writer friend whom you can discuss things with. That’s how I manage the punchability of my writing’s face. XD (Yes, this is me volunteering, Dm me for my discord ID.)
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I put out the first chapter of my book last month, which was a nice milestone to hit. I intended to also put out a second one but I got sick and that completely stalled those plans.
Anyway, the main thing I want to focus on is getting out at least two chapters this month, and maybe start working on more after that if I can stop procrastinating.
Also to try and come up with fewer incongruent ideas.
I’ve been curious about having a Discord server for writers to throw ideas back and forth and just generally helping each other out. I realise this forum is the established choice but I was thinking about something more…freeform, for lack of a better term, and on a smaller scale, to make it easier to get feedback on prototypes without the scrutiny of the wider public.
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I actually have a few I talk to sometimes! And my own mother even 
. The more I’ve done it, the more fun it’s become. (I will DM you though… 
)
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There IS a choicescript discord server. I’d put an invite here, but the invite is disabled, so you’ll have to search the forum for a link (that’s how I found it too)
Edit: I FOUND IT!
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I’m thinking of writing some downtime events for Shattered Earth to allow the MC to get to know the crew better, which would involve doing some chores with your chosen crewmate. This would be four branching paths, so here’s hoping that I can get at least two done this month 
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That link’s dead, for the record. Found it in this thread, though.
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What a great start to the thread so far! Writing good characters and mental health----- a nice balance. I had a wonderful time at the lake sailing and swimming. The sun was hot; the water was cool----- silty with golden flecks of pyrite. Even tried some bell yoga (I can’t remember what it was called ). It was very relaxing . My friend got stung by a hornet at the end----- We didn’t know what to make of this----- Perhaps nature reminding you she is always there. I wish you all the best in September with your goals. I am going to grab onto Eiwynn’s focus and really try to nail introducing my next two characters. I spent a long time with Liam…now it is time to stir the pot and get a good group dialogue going. I hope I can pull it off.
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