@rinzygreye It is currently in the WIP section. Titled The Realm of Steel
Iāll be sure to check it out
Iām not quite sure what this āgoodā¦ personā is referring to if not referring to skill, my first impression is you mean being knowledgeable about the subject or being a decent human? Eiwynnās advice is probably most appropriate.
I donāt have advice, because in my project Iām writing about many things I barely understand (doing on-the-fly research), so not being good enough to write the subject is a given in my case, in addition to poor writing skill. And some of the stuff can feel preachy and I donāt know if I have a right to talk about them (not lived experience). But I keep telling myself, Iām writing it for me. Itās for me. Other than that I of course still get stuck since I didnāt plan that far, or the plan no longer works. So gotta let the subconscious do its thing a bit moreā¦
So! I have reason to celebrate, for Chapter 4 is done! ;D It ended up being a thicc chapterā¦more than 25k words! The chapter alone makes up for 1/3 of the entire game. Iāve decided to hold out on uploading it to the demo until Friday, because I feel like I need to give myself time to sit with it and look over it a few more times.
Still, Iām pretty happy that I at least finished it before university starts tomorrow! I canāt wait and see what peopleās feedback on my chapter is. Thatās always my favorite part.
Both perhaps, but more the second one, I guess. Itās hard to explain.
Maybe the simplest way to explain it is that the story Iām writing is very much about how a personās actions, even insignificant or well-intentioned ones, can bring joy or suffering to and shape the lives of other people. And Iām psyching myself out because this story could be exactly that for another person. Iāve been hurt by stories before, sometimes pretty deeply, and sometimes in ways I know the author never, ever intended. I guess Iām just terrified that Iāll accidentally hurt someone else with mine, no matter how careful and thoughtful and safe I try to make it.
ā¦Maybe it is less about me and more about the story that Iām trying to tell? Is there a difference? Hmm.
I appreciate that. Itās a relief to know this pressure is common. Iāll look around a bit and see whatās out there as far as dealing with these worries.
Ugh, your brain works kinda like my brain. Itās not fun in this instance.
I think in this kind of case, likeā¦ part of what you can do is, if not trust yourself, trust the process. There are going to be people out there reading your story in demo and beta form, and around here a lot of them are very good at pointing out exactly the kind of thing that worries you, I think. It can be tough to submit something to the terrifying ordeal that is impartial strangers on the internet, but this is exactly what doing so is for, really. Or at least part of what itās for.
I think some of that confidence might come back as people continue to read. Because either theyāll tell you something feels wrong and you can fix it and know it wonāt appear in the final version, or no one will say that and you can be pretty statistically confident that youāre not going to do what you fear doing.
@Jayffel Iām not sure if this relates to what youāre feelingā¦but I think the feedback people will give you on your wip would partially help. And like you said, in the stories youāve read before you knew the author never intended for you to feel hurt, and the case could be similar with your story. For readers affected by your work, itās a consequence of the story, rather than your intention. As for how to prevent that in the first placeā¦Iām not sure how to do that, especially if youāre dealing with sensitive topics, as everyone has different personal experiencesā¦maybe someone else would have better advice.
As for my writingā¦itās been going a lot slower (read: almost nonexistent) than I wantedā¦but Iām going to blame that on the start of school and having to juggle classes with my wip.
Have you ever started writing at Point A, and you know youāre going towards Point B, but then you get stuck along the way? Thatās me. Iām stuck. Sometimes the vague spaces in between my plot points really get me; maybe I should try writing the skeleton code first? Iām just afraid leaving the option for later is subtle procrastination, and even when I get back to it I still wonāt know what to writeā¦
On a happier note, I got to reconnect with a creative writing club, and the group chat sends some good memes. If it pleases the thread,
But memes aside, I hope everyone is taking care of themselves, and for those dealing with the fires and associated hazards, stay safe! Hopefully the situation improves soonā¦
Excuse me while I steal that meme and proceed to start at that for 2 hours instead of writing.
Thanks for sharing that!
So, I really donāt have much to say for this week, because after finishing chapter 2 I really needed a break. Today I sat down to brainstorm one of my characterās backstory (for like the fourth time), hopefully this will be the last one I have to come up with. She has such a wide range of possible backstories, I donāt know what Iāll do with her
@Jayffel I donāt know if it will be of use to you, but when I feel like an inadequate writer or like Iām not performing to my best, I tell myself that I will never know if Iām capable if I donāt actually sit down and write. Itās also important to be kind to yourself, take a nap, a break, read something else, remember how writing makes you feel.
And if nothing helps push through. Keep writing, if your brain says āthatās awfulā tell it āit doesnāt matterā, if it says āyou canāt do thisā tell it āI AM doing itā. Once the book is finished, you can worry about mistakes and editing, for now, you just have to write, anything else is future youās problem. Last year I found it difficult to find enjoyment in writing, so I started telling myself nice things. āIām doing greatā, āI can do this, I am doing itā, āItās not perfect, but it makes me happyā, āitās okay to be nervous and afraid, but Iām not my insecuritiesā and it helped a lot, maybe it will work for you too?
@Aerin Well, I donāt know if this what youāre referring to, but I have left labels for later. I leave some space for it and weeks later I try to write it, however, I do not recommend it. I find itās easier to just write anything. Anything that comes to your mind, even if you think it doesnāt make any sense.
When I leave scenes for later I either forget about it until itās time to update the demo or still donāt know how to fix it when I finally go back to it. But when I write whatever comes to mind, even if I donāt like it, and move on, I find it easier to come to a solution, to come up with something better.
Still, every author is different and different situations may call for different approaches. Try both, see which one suits you best, however, donāt let your indecision stop you from writing. And good luck with your classes!
Thank you, I really appreciate your well wishes, and same to you!
I feel that way about social situations too. But if everythingās safe, the connection might not be established in the first place, or fade before one wants it to.
If the writing is very personal, then I think it is hard to separate them (unless using much recommended compartmentalizing technique for receiving criticism ). Many people do not even distinguish between actors from the characters they play. Butā¦ if they will do it anyway, might as well just make oneās case that one will stand by at the time.
Jokingly, we can minimize potential hurt by not becoming too well-known.
Soā¦Iām almost done with my Halloween project. Just need to code the endings in, put it through some editing and play-testing and then Iām done.
Congrats!
Someone understand how to limit them self to manageable game sizeā¦
Meanwhile, I am ending the prologue with more than 5k words lol. It will be dicey. As I want to do several stories in different formats to people trying new Interactive formats.
I better get an entry in for September!
Itās a super busy time for me. Work is up and running, kids are going to school, and summer is over.
But, I had a good weekend of writing. I wrote those awesome words āThe End.ā But, Iām not near done. Iāll be saying The End many times in this game (20 endings!). Also, I have lots of extra details to add and a stat code.
Sept/Oct is going to be tough. I see more time coming for Nov/Dec/Jan. Oh well, it is what it is.
So, Iām happy to report that progress is still being made.
Thatās a lot for a chapter more so is the fact that you can easily cross over the minimum requirement for number of words to publish a Hosted Games book which according to the wiki is 30k
Congrats
Any chance I could join?
It is official. I have done my daily writing for today and renamed my āfunā .txt
file as legos.
So i kind of went crazy last night. It was like 4 AM, I had just finished updating my dashingdon link, I was going to bed. But then an idea for branch popped in my head. I pulled out a piece of paper, wrote down the current major choices, then kept going. And going. And going. When I finished at 7 AM, I had so many branches, and 23 different endings. Even if I only had 5,000 words per chapter, Iām looking at potentially 1.2 million words. The sheer scope of that hit me like a ton of bricks. I just had to pause for a second, and thought woah. Iām not sure whether to trim or not, I only added choices I wouldāve wanted, I didnāt even include what others might want. I was a little bit daunted to tell the truth. Iām now more excited, but also a bit more realistic. Thisā¦ is going to take awhile.