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Some Advice!

4 years ago

Hello all,

 

I'm currently working to create CYOS since I find there are few really good ones available to download. I'm hoping ot bring as many people in on this as I can, however. If you have some free time or have any ideas on what you would like to see in a CYO story then please feel free to share your thoughts below. If you have any interest in checking out my site then feel free to ask as well (I won't shameless plug since I don't know if that's allowed...and since I'm not sure anyone would care)! 

 

Some Advice!

4 years ago
Wow good thing you specified 'available to download' or it would've been lynching time.

So you're looking for people to co author games with you on another site, but you don't have any specific ideas of what kind?

This whole thread is just incredibly vague, I don't think people are going to take you very seriously as a writer to do a project with if you don't put any effort into your OP and don't seem to have any ideas of your own.

Some Advice!

4 years ago

Nah, I've looked around enough to see that there are some really amazing CYOS out there online. It's the downloadable ones where I find some lacking mainly. 

I mean, I'm not really looking for co authors, if I'm being honest. I like to work my own pace and it's something I do for my own enjoyment. If I was ever working on someone else's schedule then it would begin to feel way too much like work to me and I'm afraid that spark would go away.

The problem isn't that I have have zero ideas of directions to go in. Just the opposite honestly. I have so many different ideas that are all equally, more or less, appealing to me. The only problem is that I whether or not others would find them interesting is kind of where I doubt myself.

Some Advice!

4 years ago

Basically, it doesn't really matter whether other people find your idea interesting. If you're a good writer, people will like your game regardless. (I'm really not much of a fan of the zombie apocolypse genre, but Dead Man Walking is one of my favourite games on the site, because the story is compelling and the writing is amazing.)

So yeah, just write whatever you feel like writing. If you write a story that you're not really interested in just because someone else suggested it, then eventually you're going to get bored.

Some Advice!

4 years ago

I have to be honest, that makes a lot of sense. I'll take your advice for this. 

You're right as well. Honestly, if I starting writing and creating a CYOS game just because it was the most suggested, if i hated it, then it would end up being the most boring, unenjoyable thing anybody would have the misfortune of coming across.

Also, Dead Man Walking sounds pretty awesome already. I usually am a fan of genre if it's done right. This one seems very much worth a try! Thank you :)

Some Advice!

4 years ago

Oh yeah, go play that. Easily one of the best games on the site. ^_^

Some Advice!

4 years ago

I've actually been playing yours currently. A Price of Freedom: Innocence lost. It honestly has me wrapped in the story already. If it wasn't for my bed calling to me after far too long apart, I don't think I could have stopped reading.

Some Advice!

4 years ago

D'awh, thanks! Glad you like it. ^_^

Some Advice!

4 years ago

Any Idea Can Work Spiel & Audience?

Almost any idea can work, it is all about execution. Sure, some ideas may put off certain readers, but if the work is engaging for the reader I'd say you've succeeded.

If you really want to reach wider audiences think about demographics and stuff, who will be reading your story, who will be your target audience? Don't say everyone (generally false) or people like you (too vague).

You certainly can aim for wider audiences, but trying to write for everyone will likely end up with you writing for no one, as your story will be too bland to engage anyone.

Writing for people who share your interests is perfectly fine and something I'd generally expect, but if you are trying to think about who you are writing for you'll want to narrow it down to some more concrete thoughts.

What to Write

Moving on, how many branching stories have you written so far?

If you haven't written any yet, I'd just advise picking a random idea and pushing yourself to accomplish it. It can even just end up as a learning experience. I mention this because too many people have ideas, but then struggle with the actual act of writing, however if you never write you're not going to get better (if you ask me), so write!

On the other hand, especially considering you have a site, it is possible you have written branching stories before, in which case I'd say either write in the same vein as your other works, or work on filling in gaps (and thus going for more variety).

Obviously, you'll never be locked into anything, but readers can come to associate you with a certain type of story, even if you can change your approach later. But this is my advice if you're struggling with picking an idea at the moment, as figuring out some sort of approach can be good, since it can provide guidance.

Alternatively, I should mention, you can be one of those crazies who works on multiple things at once, bouncing between ideas as inspiration strikes. This can be tricky to pull off which is why I don't generally recommend it, but as I'd say writing is about finding what works for you, I figure I might as well mention it. With that said, do be careful of just bouncing around constantly without returning to finish ideas, as that is a pretty bad limbo to get stuck in if you actually wish to finish something.

What I Want to See

Quality and consistent writing, good flow and pacing, well handled branching (whatever the style), compelling characters/plot/world (with more weight given to whatever is more relevant to the work), and perhaps, just maybe, some sort of artistic vision/intent (even if that intent is just to write something fun/cool). Some sort of themes might be nice, but I shouldn't get ahead of myself.

But this is all a bit misleading, because my expectations do shift depending on what I'm reading, and honestly, I'm pretty bad at picking up on stuff like symbolism and the meaning/message behind works, so I should hardly be mentioning that I want themes when I probably wouldn't even notice them.

As such, what I truly want is... proofread stories, as that'll increase the likelihood that they are what I truly want. Well-written shit. So go forth and put some effort into what you are creating, and enjoy yourself!

TL;DR

Just write something, anything, but if you've written stories before maybe write something similar to something you wrote before (i.e. more fantasy). Ultimately, just put in some care and effort, almost certainly proofread, and above all, write.

Some Advice!

4 years ago

Thank you!!
I really appreciate your advice!! You're right as well. You can't please everyone. There isn't a single story or idea that every single person will be happy with. 

In that case I'll focus on the things that excite me the most and work from there :)

 

Some Advice!

4 years ago
Basically what Briar said, you shouldn't worry alt what other people want. If it's something you like and you write it will then there will be others out there who like it too.

We get the 'what write????' question a lot and the answer is always the same. CYOAs are a lot of work and you need to pick something that can maintain your interest throughout the whole project so that you can finish it or what's the point? If you start getting bored with your own work, readers likely will be too.

And it's fine if you want to link to your site. What are you planning to use to write these with?

Some Advice!

4 years ago

That's very good advice. I would hate to put so much time and effort into story, only to get bored at the halfway marker and end up either abandoning it all or lazily pushing the rest out after that.

That's true. I guess it's kind of a silly question in the end. One with almost endless answers as well.

I appreciate that a lot! When I get around to creating my profile I will likely link it there in that case. Honestly, I've been using a program called Chronicler. It is, admittedly, a little clunky and prone to closing randomly, but I like that I can scroll out and kind of see the web, so to speak. I am currently looking for something a little better, if there is one. 

 

Some Advice!

4 years ago
There's always Twine, but there's no real central community for it and it seems primarily used for little clicky things about social issues and sadness so I'm not sure how managable it would be for a real story.

ADRIFT is another option, it's Windows only and designed for downloadable parser IF, but can be used for CYOAs just as easily. I know someone working on a massive sci-fi one right now. The site itself is older and even uglier than this one and nothing about it ever made the leap to mobile friendliness, but it's a program I've fiddled with on and off for more than a decade now and it's pretty simple to pick up and just start messing with. I've never heard of Chronicler, I'll give it a look in a bit.

Some Advice!

4 years ago

Thank you for the suggestions :)! I'll have to check these two out as well when I Get the Chance. 

Chronicler is, from my understanding, a newer one that's still being worked on. Even the version I curently am using is only 0.11.1.1. Admittedly, it actually does feel a lot more complete than that though.

Some Advice!

4 years ago
Oh, it looks like it's an editor for ChoiceScript.

Thanks but...yeah I'll pass. Lol.

Some Advice!

4 years ago

Yea, I think it was something like that. Is ChoiceScript bad in some way?

Some Advice!

4 years ago

Choicescript's great. The company that owns it... Not so much. cheeky

Some Advice!

4 years ago

I think Miz is concerned that there is some virulent strain of brain fungus that dwells within the code itself that afflicts its users,  Naturally, this is a nasty rumor that needs to be laid to rest.

Some Advice!

4 years ago

Yeah, choicescript itself is a hell of a lot easier to use than CYS... Which mizal can probably guess due to the amount of "How I make button do thing?" threads I've been making in the Advanced Editor forum. cheeky

Some Advice!

4 years ago
All you're really doing here is proving the brain fungus theory.

Some Advice!

4 years ago

... A very good point! ^_^

Some Advice!

4 years ago

Ah, I see what you're all saying. 

Yea I suppose that actually makes a lot of sense tbh! I'll have to set some time aside tonight to check out those other programs you mentioned. I certainly don't want to putter around with brain fungus while not really knowing anything about CYS games at all!