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Storygame opinions, :]

3 years ago

Do people here prefer a story following an original character, or following a story with themselves inserted? I feel sort of hindered writing "You" all the time and am not sure if it affects how my writing is or not. I would just like to know what is the preferred kind of story, if in second-person(involving the reader) or another point of view for original characters.

Storygame opinions, :]

3 years ago
Second person does not at all imply the character is the reader.

I'd really recommend reading a few stories on the site before popping up with this stuff because I fear you're just going to get a bunch of people calling you a dingbat in assorted ways now...

Storygame opinions, :]

3 years ago

Oh... :[

Storygame opinions, :]

3 years ago

You should just get used to "you."  It's fine, it's invisible when you use it in interactive fiction, and no player will mistake the "you" for themselves unless you actively encourage that sort of thing.

I'm reminded of my all-time favorite student comment on a paper that something in a poem "actually made me feel as if I was in the room eating soup with the grandma" or something like that.  That always makes me concerned for them.

Storygame opinions, :]

3 years ago

Thank you for the advice, I'll use it well!

Storygame opinions, :]

3 years ago

Characters with personality are cool

But sometimes storygames that are more game than story can sort of benefit from having a protagonist whose details are left a bit vague, and the reader can have fun filling in the blanks for themselves.

With that said, I think the majority of people like to immerse themsleves with a character that they can relate with but isnt some weird self insert.

If its using the word "you" there are plenty of ways to change the sentence around or use descriptions and character senses that let you avoid the great wall of you.

There are also some good third person cyoas like Unbroken and Father Leafwine is Dead if you want to read those and get an idea how to pull it off.

Storygame opinions, :]

3 years ago

Thank you for your input!

Storygame opinions, :]

3 years ago
Anyway, as others have said, second person present tense is the standard for CYOA-style things and other interactive fiction. The 'you' generally is a character with a personality and background established by the author, just like in any other story, and the idea is that the reader takes on their role. (Of course as the author you're in control and can handle it however you like... you can check out Gower's games for some examples of some more unique ways to play with perspective.)

Third person has been done and that's fine if that's your preference, it just adds a bit more distance between the reader and main character IMO, while I find second person to be more immersive and immediate feeling.

Storygame opinions, :]

3 years ago

Okay! Thank you.

Storygame opinions, :]

3 years ago
Reader-inserts are for fags.

Storygame opinions, :]

3 years ago

That's strong wording, but I see where you are coming from.

Storygame opinions, :]

3 years ago

Lol fag

Storygame opinions, :]

3 years ago
Couldn't post a paragraph in the vampire thread but you have time to lol fag a noob, smh my head.

Storygame opinions, :]

3 years ago

When was the deadline exactly 

Storygame opinions, :]

3 years ago
24 hours after I made the OP and tagged everybody.

Storygame opinions, :]

3 years ago

I dont know I probably thought I had already run out of time but probably didnt actually until....well, not that long ago

Storygame opinions, :]

3 years ago
It's just as well, now you're going on adventures with Corvin, while everyone else in that village is almost certainly just going to fucking die.

Storygame opinions, :]

3 years ago

Works for me!

Storygame opinions, :]

3 years ago
Commended by Killa_Robot on 5/22/2020 6:41:54 PM
Step 1: Feel free to ask for opinions on things, that's what these forums are for.
Step 2: Ignore all the opinions you don't like. One thing you will learn very quickly if you write things and release them into the wild: No matter what you write, some people will love it and some people will absolutely hate it. If you don't believe that, look at the ratings for any story here on the site that has more than 50 ratings. The odds of that story having a one rating and an eight rating are pretty darn high. Look at the highest rated stories on the site: you will find some people have rated them a one. Look at some of the lower-rated stories on the site (not the really crappy ones, but still): you will find some people will have rated them with an eight. That's just the reality of writing.

While as a writer myself, I can certainly appreciate that you want to write what others read, I would still suggest that you really write for yourself. For me, it's about the story -- I find a story that need to be written and I write it.

As for the individual vs character:

There are advantages and disadvantages to each. When you put the reader as the main character, you can be limited in what you are create around the character. If you say that the main character is a six-foot tall, five-foot wide bodybuilder, it might be hard for the 5-foot tall female reader to get fully immersed in the story. But you also don't really have to put as much effort in the backstory around the main character if the character is the reader because it won't make sense.

On the other hand, if the story is about a character that is not a reader, you can do literally anything with the character. You can create anyone who knows and does anything. But that can be a little bit of a disadvantage as well because you need to create all that information about your main character. You should know their background and everything about them if you're writing about them.

So yes, read other stories here. Read new ones and old ones. Read some of the featured stories and read some of the non-featured. You will likely find all kinds of stories with different points of view and different adventures. Then write what makes sense to you. Feel free to post excepts in these forums and ask for feedback. Then write your story!

Good luck.

Storygame opinions, :]

3 years ago

Sorry for such a late reply! Thank you very much, that makes me feel more confident.

Storygame opinions, :]

3 years ago
Why do people even make threads if they're never going to bother to log in again?

Storygame opinions, :]

3 years ago

I'm sorry you feel that way :[

Storygame opinions, :]

3 years ago
You literally waited 13 DAYS for someone to notice you disappeared so you could come back and go what lol I'm right here.

Storygame opinions, :]

3 years ago

I didn't wait, I just lost motivation and had life matters to attend to. I didn't expect anyone else to answer.