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Okay, some of you guys might remember that when I was entering the Spring Thing, I had a "self motivation" thread where I'd set writing goals for myself each day and let everybody know whether I met my own goals or not. Basically, I'm looking for some form of self-motivation, but I don't want to constantly annoy everybody on the site by just posting in a forum about my progress every single day, so... I'm looking for a writing buddy!

A writing buddy is somebody else who's currently working on a story game or just a story in general. The basic idea is that we tell each other how much we intend to write that day, let each other know whether we've met our own targets, ask each other for ideas if we're stuck for inspiration, maybe proof-read each other's stories... Stuff like that.

Before anybody offers, I figured I should make a list of things that I'm not looking for:

I'm not looking for anybody who wants to write a storygame, but doesn't have any ideas for a story and wants me to help come up with one. I personally find it really hard to come up with inspiration for a new story, and once I think of a plot, I kind of want to write it myself. I'd be very unlikely to give out any really good ideas since I keep all the best ones for myself.

I'm not looking for a co-author. I'm happy writing my story on it's own and I feel like I know exactly where it's going, so I'm not looking for anybody to help me write it. I'm also not interesting in co-authoring anybody else's story right now. I don't want to get distracted from writing my own game by helping somebody else write theirs.

I'm not looking for somebody who's working on a short game. The game I'm working on is probably going to have a play length of 8 by the end, and I don't want to find a writing buddy who'll send me a message on the third day going, "My game's finished now! It's ten whole pages long and there's at least two sentences on every page! I'm so proud of myself!" 

So, after that little rant, is there anybody else working on a pretty long story game that thinks they might benefit from having a writing buddy to talk to about how much/little they've written every day? ^_^

I'd offer to do it for a short while, emphasis on short since I'm aiming to do something that lands on the 90-100 page mark, but I'm already at 78 pages or so, so I guess I may as well be the guy who writes 10 pages and then has it done with. I certaily won't have it done on the third day, though. I might not be writing it all the way through, I think, since mine probably won't take me as long as yours will. But I think, combined with the illustrations and fotzing around with the advanced editor, it should still take quite a while. I do think I'll need some motivation though, to get me through the hard times brought on by working with the intimidating AE... It would also be nice to have someone actually telling me to draw something, though.

You'll probably need to bring someone else aboard though, my story probably won't take long enough. Not without a head injury, at least. Hell, I think I'll pester the forums in your stead.

That'd be cool! I know you're a great writer, so the last 20 pages of your story will probably take a decent amount of time and effort on their own... Plus I can always just find a new buddy when you're done. ^_^

Well, I have written an 8/8 length story, as my first story, and I'm planning for my second story to be just as long. Does...does that qualify?  

Sorry! I'm sure you'd make an awesome writing buddy, but I'm looking for somebody who's either working on a game right now, or planning on starting work on a new game straight away. The basic idea of having a writing buddy is that we motivate each other to write, so... If the buddy isn't actually writing anything yet, it doesn't really work. 

You starting up Part Two of Freedom?

I'm starting up Freedom from scratch... Well not from scratch, I'm keeping most of what I've already got, just tweaking it here and there and adding to it a lot. New game's gonna have 5 stats ^_^

So what's gonna happen with the currently existing game then?

Current game stays. Since it's my entry for the Spring Thing I'm not allowed to take it down. Game I'm working on won't be in parts though, I figured that instead of doing 3 parts like I was planning before, I'd just make one really long game and have updated part 1 as well as parts 2 and 3 all rolled into one.

Hopefully this should work better since I wouldn't have to try and figure out a way to transfer all the stats, approval changes and character deaths from the first game to the second game. 

You should do something to switch it up imo. Maybe switch the main character to being the younger brother. That way you can watch the previous main character slip into depravity just like the little brother foreshadowed haha.

Much as I love to watch corruption and depravity, I'd rather be able to choose whether or not my character falls instead of just watching him fall. True, in your scenario, he'd no longer be "my character" but the reader would still experience a sense of loss.

Sense of loss can be a good thing. Furthermore, you could make it so the little brother (your new character), can prevent that from happening (or at least try).

I just think it's better than trying to redo the first part. It'd make it so the first part is still "valid", while allowing it to add to this story.

Nah, I'm not re-writing the story from Alexius's POV since I already know the basic's of what's happening in parts 2 and 3. The re-write is really just to add more choices and more stats and things like that.

Won't that make the one currently published irrelevant then?

Yep, but I have to keep it since it's my entry into the Spring Thing.

Well, I'd be happy to be your writing buddy. I'm starting out on a fantasy storygame for the next spring thing. I'm not sure how long the story is, but I'm aiming for hundreds of pages...and I have written just a little of the character sheets. So someone to partner with for motivation would be nice.,

Sounds interesting! What's it called?

I'm going to name it later, but my earlier (crappy) version of it is called the Otherlings.

Thinking of a title for the game can be the hardest part. 

So, you want an accountability partner, basically ... sounds more or less like what I've been hoping for, myself. I use to have a writing mentor / rp buddy who I did the same stuff with all the time. I miss it a lot. Well, let's see about those qualifications:

1: I have plenty of my own ideas. I'm not going to try to take over any of yours or push your story in any direction. I'd love to help with brainstorming if you're stuck, sure, but you're a competent writer, I know you can write your own stories.
2: All my co-authoring experiences on here have been ... awkward. I'm not looking for another one right now.
3: Nothing I'm working on is short. =\ Not unless you count my quiz and, well, I don't. It's just a little time waster attached to a much bigger project. Scary as this sounds, GoLaD's length of hundreds upon hundreds of pages and links may just be par the course for my works here.
I'm also having trouble motivating myself and focusing on just one work. When I lose focus, I also tend to doubt myself... so, a writing buddy would be great, imho.

If you're interested, Briar, then I'm willing to give it a shot. The only thing is, I can't promise my schedule would make it easy. 

Yeah, that's it! Accountability partner. Perfect way of putting it. ^_^

You working on anything for the IF comp? ^_^

Not really, everything I'm working on right now leans more towards personal projects or self-inflicted challenges.

... come to think of it, which IF comp? xD

IF Comp is what the yearly one is called.

... Ah. Well, considering there's more than one interactive fiction competition, and more than one that occurs yearly as I recall, my question did have merit, but I suppose I should've remembered that. xD

http://www.ifcomp.org/

It is a yearly competition for interactive novels.

I would totally be open to this. I am writing a really long one (and have been since I started here years ago). I do plan on staying around for a while this time, and really hope to actually finish this story. Maybe having a writing buddy will help me finally finish it. Plus, all of my idea buddies which I used to bounce this stuff off of seem to be inactive at the moment.

Also, this goes out to anybody not just Briar_Rose. Wanna be my writing buddy? Shoot me a message. I love talking to people one-on-one here, especially about stories and all that.

I think I'm gonna end up writing-buddy cheating on everybody and just take the lot. I was kind of worried I'd just get a whole bunch of messages from people going, "im riting a rlly gud gam and is all abowt warrior catz!!!" Luckily I've got loads of serious offers from serious writers, so this'll be loads of fun. ^_^

I could use a writing buddy as well! I've got a story which I abandoned over a year ago that I want to pick up again and which I estimate is going to be long. However, I usually have more ideas than motivation so my stories never get finished...

I know what that feels like :(

Same here! Most people seem to have the opposite problem. Loads of motivation but no ideas to write about. I have loads of ideas, but I end up going over them in my head over and over but never actually writing them down. In the end I just get bored of them. 

Late in commenting, but oh my gawd, do I know how that feels. That's been me since I was ... 13? 12?

Lol!Yeah, I don't know how many stories I've come up with loads of ideas for, but never got around to writing them down and eventually gave up on them. 

*raises hand*

Same here, I must've had dozens of ideas, but never started the actual stories.

I know I'm a little late, but I still have a while to go, I'm not sure about the length, probably 100-120. I made 43 pages, my two coauthors aren't doing anything and I could use somebody who might work on the story for a change. That's if you want.

The Invasion story?

No, the other one, I have two stories as I mentioned, one is based on Invasion and another one that I have been working for a long while now.

Have you asked Delta and the other person why they haven't been writing?

How come your co-authors aren't helping?

They are lazy, very lazy!

Bad co-authors! Very bad! Anyways, I'm afraid I wouldn't actually be helping with the story. The basic idea of a "writing buddy" is to have somebody to motivate you to get your story finished. I mean I'd be happy to test the game and proof-read it and stuff at the end, but getting involved with the writing would just distract me from finishing the story that I'm writing... Which would kind of defeat the object of having a "writing buddy". 

I'm not asking you to write for me(anymore.) Just someone to encourage me too to write, beacuse I am discouraged when I see that even though I have 2 co-authors I'm the only one to work. And I'll do the same, if you agree of course.

Hey, I'll encourage you to write, too. xD GO WRITE. Gogogogogogo! You can do it! Woooo!

... On a serious note, I wouldn't mind, either. 

I'm up for that! As far as the co-authors not doing any work, I'd say you should either have discussions with them every so often to let them know what you're writing and ask them what they plan on writing, or, if they're not really interested in co-authoring anymore, you could always kick them out and get some new ones :p

IMO co-authors never work because it's never two people collaborating. Usually it's one person who has an idea, writes for a bit, then asks for help.

You can also get the opposite problem of having a couple of good authors but they can't agree on which way the story should go.

The only time it sort of works is when the story is more on the random side or open to the point and each author is allowed to take the story in a completely different direction.

Or when one author works on the story and the co-author works on the scripting. That could work. ^_^

Ehh, depends. You have to find someone who can agree on the direction and spirit of the story while being able to expand on it in a way that does not overstep your own creative rights and you also have to -be- that person.

Is it rare? Yes. Is it possible? Yes. I recommend doing it in RP form first, though, then writing the actual story after you've worked out all the bugs, kinks, plot-holes, and "what could have been"s.