Search found 47 matches

by Ezmar
Fri May 31, 2019 10:07 am
Forum: Asset Creation: Writing
Topic: Backstories
Replies: 6
Views: 9764

Re: Backstories

I would not bring up or mention anything about a character that is not directly pertinent to the story being told. As the writer, YOU may know the character's history and what brought them to this point, and use it to inform your characterization, but the READER never needs to know those details. J...
by Ezmar
Tue May 28, 2019 7:04 pm
Forum: Asset Creation: Writing
Topic: Backstories
Replies: 6
Views: 9764

Re: Backstories

I agree with keeping backstory out of the limelight. If the knowledge isn't something the reader needs to know, it can usually wait. I've written stories where background information about a main character wasn't fully explored until after they had died. You don't need to know everything about a cha...
by Ezmar
Mon Apr 29, 2019 9:15 am
Forum: Asset Creation: Writing
Topic: On Pacing
Replies: 4
Views: 1240

Re: On Pacing

Think of what you want your reader to learn by the end of the scene you're writing, and find a way to get that information into the scene. As you're doing this, be introducing the characters, and develop them while they deliver the information. Show the reader about the characters and world while th...
by Ezmar
Mon Apr 22, 2019 8:15 am
Forum: Asset Creation: Writing
Topic: Eliminating redundant/insignificant characters
Replies: 4
Views: 1005

Re: Eliminating redundant/insignificant characters

All the above advice is solid; less is more. My story has only 5 major characters, less than 5 minor characters that only appear for a single scene or two, and I'm over 150k words and counting. The more characters you have, the less focused the narrative feels, and often the shallower the characters...
by Ezmar
Fri Feb 22, 2019 12:10 am
Forum: Asset Creation: Writing
Topic: What do you like in a VN protagonist?
Replies: 13
Views: 3403

Re: What do you like in a VN protagonist?

I generally like seeing things that the character knows that aren't immediately made clear to the reader. I find it's a great way to organically introduce character growth even through something that happened before the story takes place. It also helps to develop the protagonist the same as any othe...
by Ezmar
Mon Feb 18, 2019 1:12 pm
Forum: Works in Progress
Topic: 11th Hour [Modern-day][Kinetic Novel][Sci-fi]
Replies: 2
Views: 742

Re: 11th Hour [Modern-day][Kinetic Novel][Sci-fi]

Contrary to what many may have assumed, this is not a dead project. Chapter 9's script has been completed. Slow and steady, as they say.
by Ezmar
Thu Jan 17, 2019 12:17 am
Forum: Asset Creation: Writing
Topic: Training readers' anticipation
Replies: 4
Views: 1106

Re: Training readers' anticipation

I disagree. But I think a lot of writers try to build anticipation by *hiding* things from the reader, which rarely works. (There are some notable examples where it does, but often it just feels like the writer is trying to be cagey and makes things super confusing as reader-I try to figure out wha...
by Ezmar
Tue Nov 06, 2018 6:49 pm
Forum: Works in Progress
Topic: 11th Hour [Modern-day][Kinetic Novel][Sci-fi]
Replies: 2
Views: 742

11th Hour [Modern-day][Kinetic Novel][Sci-fi]

Hey there. This still feels a little bit premature, but I'm over a year and 130k words in, so I guess I could officially say this is in development. 11th Hour 11th Hour (name subject to change) is a pet project I've had floating around as a concept in one form or another for the past 5 years. In the...
by Ezmar
Mon Aug 06, 2018 11:40 pm
Forum: Asset Creation: Writing
Topic: Bringing Characters Back to Life
Replies: 12
Views: 1993

Re: Bringing Characters Back to Life

Basically it comes down to something I'm discovering applies to any aspect of story writing. And that is this: If you're unsure about something you're writing, try finding additional ways for it to be more relevant to the story as a whole. A death and resurrection feels cheap if the resurrection see...
by Ezmar
Fri Aug 03, 2018 6:06 pm
Forum: Asset Creation: Writing
Topic: Bringing Characters Back to Life
Replies: 12
Views: 1993

Re: Bringing Characters Back to Life

You should also have in mind a picture of what the larger arc looks like. The problems with bringing a character back to life arise when the death and the revival seem like two separate events each serving a particular narrative purpose, with the latter undermining the former. However, if the death ...
by Ezmar
Fri Jul 20, 2018 9:41 pm
Forum: Asset Creation: Writing
Topic: General Writing Help?
Replies: 3
Views: 1253

Re: General Writing Help?

The key to good writing, as with any skill, is practice and experience. For writing in particular, experience writing is important, but also important is experience in reading, understanding prose, structure, why things work, why others don't. Knowing how stories are put together and function is a s...
by Ezmar
Mon Jul 16, 2018 7:57 pm
Forum: Asset Creation: Writing
Topic: Using Flashbacks Effectively
Replies: 5
Views: 1089

Re: Using Flashbacks Effectively

I'm not a terribly seasoned writer, so my standard disclaimer of "said advice may have inaccuracies that I welcome more experienced authors to correct and/or refute" applies. Honestly, as far as the story's momentum goes, as long as the quality of the writing is up to par, you can basicall...
by Ezmar
Sun Jul 08, 2018 10:32 pm
Forum: Asset Creation: Writing
Topic: Some initial, broad feedback requested on early script draft
Replies: 2
Views: 1100

Re: Some initial, broad feedback requested on early script draft

Whoa, I wasn't expecting a reply at this point. Part of the idea I was going for when I started was that the true nature of the plot would be a bit less clear until it got rolling, but that may change if it proves to be too frustrating for readers. That said, I'm glad you enjoyed it! One thing to no...
by Ezmar
Thu Jul 05, 2018 6:12 pm
Forum: Asset Creation: Writing
Topic: How many words should I aim for?
Replies: 11
Views: 4484

Re: How many words should I aim for?

One note about "filling". Sometimes you feel you want to add scenes for pacing reasons. You may want a certain period of time to feel appropriately long to the reader, so you may want to pad the length. But it's of the utmost importance that whenever you do this, you make sure each scene s...
by Ezmar
Thu Jul 05, 2018 12:26 am
Forum: Asset Creation: Writing
Topic: How many words should I aim for?
Replies: 11
Views: 4484

Re: How many words should I aim for?

Some VNs can be read in a few hours. Others have over a million words. Both kinds can be highly regarded.

Write until the story's told. Then check your word count. If your story has the same number of words as your story, congrats, you did it.