Hi! Need help regarding the writing process!

[tzeyeung]

So I have things I want to write, the thing is, I'm doing the programming and the art as well.

Anyone got any tips on finishing a script first rather than doing everything together at one time? (That's what I'm doing right now)

[YonYonYon]

Write your story first, then. What gets in your way? If you know what it is, it'll be easier to eliminate it.

-------------------------

I'd advice to write a rough outline first to see what basic things you'll need to do - "what will happen in the story?", "what kind of art?", "how many?", "what kind of code?", "where and when?" And then as you'll proceed with your writing, you'll add more things to your To Do List.

Like, make a plan and try to stick to it.

Knowing what to do you'll be able to shift from drawing to writing without any big problem.

[tzeyeung]

I need a structure to write, one that allows me to put in choices and the dialogues that follows.

[trooper6]

I need a structure to write, one that allows me to put in choices and the dialogues that follows.

You make your own structure. It is called an outline.

Perhaps this article may be of help:
https://www.choiceofgames.com/2015/01/w ... six-steps/

[Kailoto]

If I'm reading this correctly, you're looking for ways to sort your story out so you can do the writing before you do the programming and art, right?

If so, there's a lot of ways to outline your script, so experiment and find which one best suits your workflow. You can try what trooper6 suggested, which is how I outline my stories; start by breaking it down into individual scenes that you can summarize easily, then arrange those scenes into a flowchart so you can see the overall arcmap and make adjustments before actually writing. I find that this is the most surefire way to outline branching narratives, but if it doesn't work for you, there's countless other methods of planning out there. Even writing without an outline is an option.

[Parataxis]

I basically use the structure above but with one extra step: I take my longer story and divide it into "episodes" or "chapters" which I arrange in a macro structure and then tackle the plotting of each one individually by dividing it into scenes etc. This keeps me from being overwhelmed since at any given time I don't have to be thinking about the structure/choice integrity of the whole work, just the given chapter.

[KuroOneHalf]

There is no reason you should not be able to write your script directly. In fact, it probably saves you time if you do that, and is easier to test how it looks in-game. Pick simple variable names for characters and start writing away.

Then, once the script is done and you're ready to do your first revision, you add in all the character commands (to show, hide, change expression, etc). Doing these commands on your first time around is probably not recommended because it will bog you down, and you ideally want your writing to flow as naturally as possible.

[Lesleigh63]

I worked my outline out in freeplane as it allows me to branch.
Think about the start of the story (generally where something happens to the main character to change their existing state of affairs) and the ending (the climax where your main character is facing a choice, an opponent etc).
Now think about what needs to happen to get your main character from the start to end (work backwards if it helps - or do a bit of both). These can become your scenes that you writ into the outline.

Once I have the outline worked out, I write directly into the game script. I work out the dimensions of the text-box I want to use (so I can see how the text displays on the screen and if I need to go back and break up some paragraphs because they run to long and don't fit the box). The other thing I use are makeshift backgrounds (just photos - some of them don't even necessarily match my backgrounds in the story but I'm just observing how changing the backgrounds impacts the script - i.e. am I making too many bg changes and is it making story flow seem choppy.

I don't worry about sprites at this stage.

[ladynamoru]

My way of writing is, write anything you want in a note pad or Ms word. Focus on the things you want to write.
but the hard part with this style is sewing the ideas together so its more of a trial and error.
(you will discover the things you need only after finishing the scripts)

If your interested, you could show me your work and help you with the writing process.

[BreakingMachines]

Hey this is just based on my personal experience, but-

What I generally like doing is:

• Brainstorming & Research- Self explanatory, the usual search for information, look for things within the genre, get an idea of what you want to write.
  Draft character profiles, setting profile, and general conflicts-
  Write a blurb/summary about the game
  Create the major events, and a summary/overview of what I want to happen in those events.
  Write the Scenes in that Event- Basically the smaller events that comprise your main event. I'd say with each scene or couple of scenes, you should start to write the potential options players have. You don't necessarily need to write the events that happen all at once.
  Romance subplots- Write a section for your specific romance scenes, unless your game is already a dating sim, then this should be integrated within the plot
  Endings- Write a section for the overall endings planned.

-Generally you should just write, write, write, because it'll spark your creative juices, and once you start you'll usually keep going.
-Remember you don't need to write everything at once, if you're stuck just write about another scene or option.
-Try to write everyday, or give yourself a schedule for the VN.

Stuck on a word processor?
Create a table of contents with above sections, divide pages into sections and just write.


Some programs to Consider

Hey if you're on PC, a program you might want to consider is YWriter, which is a program that lets you divide stories into chapters and scenes. What's cool about it is that you can put summaries of what you want to write about, in each chapter, and then proceed to write each scene. You'll be provided with a nice outline. You can even add settings, characters, and symbols in the program, so it keeps your writing organized.

Working on Twine for the outline is also another way to go, because it visually shows you decisions a player could potential make, since you get to use the boxes to lead to other choices.

Draftin- A pretty cool online document creator, aimed at writers, good to use for making backups and organizing stories.

Other Organization/Story branching software is good to use so you can visually see how much you've written, and how many choices you've created.

Hope this helps!