Writing a visual novel script can be a daunting process. As with any large project, organization is key. You might well be utilizing several different documents to keep track of all of the characters and routes and game-world details, etc. Or, perhaps you are keeping tracking of it all in a single, game design document-esque format. There is nothing overtly wrong with either of these methods, but I do feel that they at least lack easy navigability. To combat this, I have been using a small desktop wiki called Zim. Zim is essentially an outlining program -- that is, it allows for the creation of pages with sub-pages, and sub-pages with sub-pages, etc. --, but with the added benefit of being able to link to any page (or website!) within each page's text. This is extremely useful for keeping track of every aspect of a game's plot, as you are able to organize each aspect by category and link to both internal and external references. Zim has has a built-in search functionality and allows images to be posted directly onto individual pages. It even autosaves when closed or when switching to another page, and reopens to your most recent page when launched! I have used Zim for all of my projects (and project ideas) since discovering it some months back, and it has been invaluable!
For Branch Testing
Choose Your Story, as the name implies, is an online Choose Your Own Adventure Game creator. As someone who writes their script in a word processor before porting it over to Ren'py, I have personally utilized it to test that my routes were plotted correctly. In my opinion, it is also a useful practice tool for the writing of branching narratives, or for getting your story out there if visuals are not your forte. It has some useful features over other similar websites I've come across. Particularly that it allows you to set your story as being viewable only to yourself, has a built in spellchecker, and allows for the inclusion of variables and an inventory system. Plus, you can separate your story into sections by chapter, and easily navigate to any page within a given chapter (as the first few lines of each page are displayed in the index). There are a bunch of other useful tips and tricks documented on the website as well!
If you've come across any writing tools that you've found to be an invaluable asset to the writing process, please post them here!
