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I'm a new writer, and I don't really know very much on how to do this. Ok, I figured out the basics of the thing. I know how to connect pages, and that's pretty much it. I would love some help, on the what the community is like and writing techniques. Thanks.

I am immediately started writing a story after joining, i'm new and I don't really know how to do things. Please help

I started doing this just yesterday, and I would really enjoy constructive criticism. Thanks!

There you go buddy, I combined all your nearly identical thought fragments into one nearly complete one in a single thread. Now people will have just one place to try and help you understand this thing instead of three, what I'm sure would be a large and confusing number!

Thanks, which forum is it in and what is the name?

This thread. I'm speaking of this thread that we are in right now, where all three of your posts have been combined into one OP.

I dont get it

Read the articles and practice a lot. 

thonks

My advice is first of all to take some time reading a few of the higher rated games on the site. Then read some of the more recent games (always much more varied in quality) and their reviews as well. It will give you the greatest idea of what readers are looking for, what the editor is capable of, and how other people apply branching to their plots.

Connecting pages to other pages is really all you need to know to begin with as far as using the editor. The stories must branch most be complete, but otherwise prose quality, entertainment value and the time you take polishing it all into a finished product will take you much farther here than anything else you do.

Thank you, that really helps!

Just read some of the featured stories in whatever category is your favorite, read a couple articles, and you'll be all set. You don't even need to know more to the editor than connecting pages if you want to write a simple story (simple in terms of branching).

Actually I figured out variables and items, but thanks!

I published my first story I don't really know if it's good, feedback would be appreciated.

One thing that people on this site hate is "Chapters", because those actually exist within your storygame and people really don't want to read an unifinished product.

ah
thats a mistake

It's going to get taken down for low ratings, but that happens a lot with first stories. It's why we always recommend newbies take time to browse some of the higher rated stuff here before getting too deep into their own projects, so they can get a sense for what goes over well.

Luckily you're just 2000 words into this one so no real loss. Next time you should go ahead and finish the story behind publishing it, and you might want to look over your formatting since I'm seeing entire pages along with dialogue etc just kind of crammed together in a single block.

When the story is unpublished in sneak peek, you can still share the URL with anyone you want, so this would be a better option for you to get some early feedback. For a few reasons, publishing really should only be for complete stories that are as polished as you can make them. Remember there's not any rush to push these out the door, people will often spend weeks or months on writing a storygame.

Ok thanks, that helpss

So I wanna follow-up with what I said previously, but just with the idea of practice. It seems you have a good desire write and improve, but, after reading some of your story, there is a clear need for refinement. This isn't bad thing; everyone needs refinement. My suggestion is start with something much smaller, and then work yourself up. Flash fiction is a great way to start off the basics of story creation/structure. It also helps enormously with how to write a story with good flow and transitions, and I think it goes without saying that it helps with practicing grammar, syntax, etc. 

How exactly you go through the writing process can vary, but one of my favorite ways to practice basic story structure is working from a 6 word story to a 1000 word story. The idea is to include exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution in each version of the same story. Here is Ernest Hemingway's famous example of a six word story:

"Baby shoes, for sale, never worn."

If you go through the whole process, then you will turn that 6 word story into a

100 word story 

Then a 

300 word story

500

750

And finally 

1000.

It's a good way to practice a lot of basics before you get into creating a 5+ rating storygame. 
 

Although I'm not a completely "established" story writer here yet, I think I have some valuable contribution when it comes to the writing and refining aspect.

I recommend editing, editing, editing, editing. For me, most of the time what I write first does not end up being the final copy, but more a rough description of the main ideas or events I want to convey. Like the "facts." It's from editing it the right way it becomes like having an "experience" through the words.

My mindset when editing is to read it as if I wasn't the one who wrote it at all, and just get what the words are putting out, independent of all the stuff I already know about the story. Get what the words are saying as if you don't know anything about the story already, because that's what a new reader is going to read. I like to view it in the story viewer even to really get a feel of the whole experience. Then when you get into the editing, and really having the ideas you want to put and jumping into that world, it's like painting in a sense.

Oh, and have patience

Being able to take on the outsider's view is I think one of the more important things when it comes to presenting a story, but it's definitely a thing you have to train yourself to do.

Elements like pacing and buildup are extremely important to the impact a story has and they're all a matter of information control, when and where and how the facts and context are laid out for the reader. And then of course formatting and polish as far as the technical side.

Could someone maybe playtest this
This is still a draft
thanks in advance





https://chooseyourstory.com/story/firebridge

No, please. I beg you! Not another one! Please no!

did I do something wrong? or is this a joke?

Poor grammar and spelling, inconsistent capitalization, unfinished branches... have you even looked at your story?

this is just a draft, I plan to fix this

Yes.

Love the enthusiasm.  Now rewrite your story 25 times over the course of three years, and then publish the link after getting your mom and all your friends to test it for you first.

Are you sarcastically attacking Wizzy or did you mean to respond to the noob?

I'm not quite sure sam knows what threaded view is

It's obvious you're putting some effort into these, but it really does need a lot more proofreading, and major parts of the actual plot seemed so random I had a hard time getting into it. I guess the subject itself just did not immediately grab me and there doesn't seem to be a lot going on to develop the setting or characters beyond that. Lots of seemingly pointless details in the first couple of pages too when that space could've been put to better use IMO, that's where readers are going to get their first impression and decide whether to keep reading.

There does seem to be a decent amount of branching planned though (assuming the dead ends aren't all just going to lead to game overs) and a plot about closing dimensional rips to stop monsters from coming out should in theory not be difficult to build a story around.