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Introduce yourself and get to know the community.

Hullo, I guess

5 years ago

Well hullo there, fellow lover of storygames. I stumbled upon this gem of a website some years ago, but have only rediscovered it recently. Only now have I made an account, so yeah.

I guess this is just a post to say hi! I would also like to inquire about what you think makes a good storygame, is it good character development or creativity; vivid descriptions or a realistic world? I'm a little new to writing, having little experience outside of school, but this seems like a great place to perhaps practice.

Once again, hullo!

Mizal

Hullo, I guess

5 years ago

Ah, another "precocious" 12 year old, cool. Welcome to the site. I'd recommend browsing around and reading some of the featured storygames to get an idea of some of the possibilities (as well as the quality level readers are looking for). One of the more important things about a choice based game is actually the choices. You may have trouble getting a handle on plotting and pacing too; lots of new authors can't even manage that on a normal short story, and a CYOA is far more complicated and apt to spiral away from you. Setting and characters are an integral part of any story of course but you can't focus solely on those, it's all a balancing act. Strong imagery is very underrated and something of a lost art, but just make sure you can distinguish 'vivid descriptions' from purple prose. If not, it's probably just better to stick to the idea that less is more.

MidnightStorm

Hullo, I guess

5 years ago

Alright. Thank you very much for these tips... I really wouldn't call myself precocious either, if I ever do come off as pretentious or anything, I'll try to correct myself.

Oh yeah, and you seem to be everywhere on this site. Everywhere.

Mizal

Hullo, I guess

5 years ago

There's just this certain way of wording things the precocious ones have, like, "Yes indeed, I do have access to a thesaurus and I employ it vociferously. Salutations fellow humans, I am one of your kind!" Nothing about yours was that bad, but I have seen so many of them lol. Anyway, have fun on the site. We're always in need of people to write reviews if you're looking for a way to earn points and commendations and get popular here quickly. And yes, I live here, thanks for noticing.

Will11

Hullo, I guess

5 years ago

Hey, welcome to the site :) It's hard to say what makes a good story game, it's like saying what makes "good" writing :D If people enjoy reading it and it passes the time in an enjoyable way I guess it's good, mostly with my story-games I just want to make something that someone will enjoy playing through for 15-30 minutes, other writers prefer more serious novel-length immersive story-games with high quality writing. It all depends on your preferred style and what you enjoy. If you enjoy writing it then people with similar interests will enjoy reading it :) There's never any one thing that everyone likes.

castorgreatpoetguy

Hullo, I guess

5 years ago

Saluton!

A good storygame, as Mizal mentioned, is a balancing act. On one side of the scale is the aspects of any good story - which is the plot, setting, background details, character development, that sort of thing. On the other side, a unique aspect of CYOA, is choice. A good storygame is, by design, a good story, but with multiple different outcomes. I will probably post a thread about it later.

Anyways, welcome to CYS! As Mizal said, reviewing stories is an amazing way to earn points and respect. If you're starting out, the short stories written in Creative Corner is a good place to start. I look forward to seeing your progress!

Also, a quick warning: Do not enter a contest without knowing how difficult writing a storygame is. If you miss a contest outline, you get SHAMED, which is truly undesirable. Trust me.