Any general suggestion for a first time VN writer?

[Jake]

Personally I hand write things out, including my scrpit. While doing it on a computer could be faster, I find writing it out gives me more time to think about what I'm actually writing.

Personally, I find that I tend to move plot points around so much that it's far more efficient to use a computer for much more than brief notes, 'cause otherwise I'd be going through an unbelievable amount of paper!

[cloudyssky]

Personally I hand write things out, including my scrpit. While doing it on a computer could be faster, I find writing it out gives me more time to think about what I'm actually writing.

Personally, I find that I tend to move plot points around so much that it's far more efficient to use a computer for much more than brief notes, 'cause otherwise I'd be going through an unbelievable amount of paper!

Eh, some 40 tress can die for my VN :]

[Chansel]

The only time I use paper is at night, when I'm trying to sleep XD
I have a notebook lying next to my bed to scribble down the ideas I get. Then I work them out on the pc the next day.

Which is immediately my advice:
Always, and I mean ALWAYS, have some sort of notebook with you to write down any ideas you might get. If you don't write them down, you're bound to forget some.
Plus, if you type them onto your computer later on, it forces you to look them over again. This is a great way to filter out some of the more stupid ideas and develop the better ones.

[Tsundere Lightning]

Your first project should be small.

Your first project should be small.

Your first project should be small.

It will get larger. Your first time out, keep it manageable and completable. Half-hour playthrough at best.

Make sure that you KNOW where you can get the art and music you need.

Figure out in advance what art you absolutely need and get it early.

In short - don't be me with my first project.

[lepapillonrouge]

Your first project should be big.

If you know what you're doing. XD

To be honest, I never like thinking about making a story for the sake of making a story. I like to make a story...because the idea just kinda flew in my mind one day and I said, "Hey, that sounds interesting, maybe other people will like it!" or "Hey, maybe this story can show something that I like (an opinion on why humanity acts a certain way, maybe?) to other people and show them why I feel that way."

It helps when you're a little negative about the world. Because then you start asking questions. Why do they always laugh at me? How come our government doesn't do much to help 'such and such'? Spacing out helps too. Then, you ask weirder questions about why your skin peels when you put lotion on it and why the heck do clarinets have so many buttons on them. Weird things like that.
Now you could just ask someone with knowledge and get your answers, but you know, in a story, you make your own answers. And as long as it makes sense (or...maybe not), you're gold.

Oh, and Murphy's Law. Always remember Murphy's Law.
And then overcome it.

[unknown5]

Your first project should be small.

Your first project should be small.

Your first project should be small.

i'm a newb, so this is what i did. it was just a quick kinetic novel to cut my teeth and learn the bare essentials.

also, i didn't want to waste my best ideas on my first VN. i'll save them for later when i'm better at this (i hope).

second VN is harder. already started and abandoned a few ideas before finally settling on one that i think i can pull off in semi-decent fashion (i hope).

[Enigma]

My first project was meant to be small, but the story got longer, and longer, and longer. I'm half way done, and in times new roman 12 point font in word, it is 60 pages long. Hahahaha, I tried to make it short, but failed...

[cloudyssky]

My first project was meant to be small, but the story got longer, and longer, and longer. I'm half way done, and in times new roman 12 point font in word, it is 60 pages long. Hahahaha, I tried to make it short, but failed...

That's actually not a bad thing. It's good to have the ability to continue something for a long time and complete it. I plan on making my first long VN after I finish my current peice.

[playswithtribbles]

Your first project should be small.

Your first project should be small.

Your first project should be small.
It will get larger. Your first time out, keep it manageable and completable. Half-hour playthrough at best.

Make sure that you KNOW where you can get the art and music you need.

Figure out in advance what art you absolutely need and get it early.

In short - don't be me with my first project.

I wanted to make a small one, I really did...

But when I start planning... Well... Let's just say if the game I was originally considering was comparatively the size of a butter knife, the one I'm making now is roughly equivalent to the size of Cloud's Buster sword.

Plus, (brilliant me) I decided to make my own Back Grounds.
...
I'm still beating myself over the head for that little gem of an idea.

However I am really enjoying the creation process. I can only hope that it turns out half-way decent in the end...

[Tsundere Lightning]

But when I start planning... Well... Let's just say if the game I was originally considering was comparatively the size of a butter knife, the one I'm making now is roughly equivalent to the size of Cloud's Buster sword.

This is why you plan a small game. It WILL become a large one.

Imagine how swamped you'd be with a large one becoming bigger...

[Enigma]

Seeing as its a mecha centric story... my story was a Gundam then it became Chou Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann! In case you don't know Super Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is roughly 1000 time the size of the Milkyway Galaxy.

[Aleema]

However I am really enjoying the creation process. I can only hope that it turns out half-way decent in the end...

And this is why I say "Big? Small? Who cares? Just make a game you love!"

[azureXtwilight]

However I am really enjoying the creation process. I can only hope that it turns out half-way decent in the end...

And this is why I say "Big? Small? Who cares? Just make a game you love!"

Agree! I tried to make a small one but ending making a bigger one, and bigger... And...

[ForgottenVision]

Well I aimed big for my first one XD It was helped a lot by the fact that the script was already written. Me and my friend have wrote almost 1 million words of role play over the last few years spanning over about 26 different plotlines with the same characters. So I picked up one of the better chapters and went from there. My first VN has come to about 25k words overall and takes about an hour and half to read through. So, I don't think that aiming big is hard if you're sure you can make it.

Thing is I'm now trying to do a different, small VN just for a bit of refreshment before diving into the next chapter and I'm now stranded on getting a plot together. I'm hoping that some of the advice in here is going to help

[Enigma]

Another thing I noticed is how the story changed as it got bigger. Orginally it was a school life story, then a martial arts school life story, then I added mecha, then I pretty much ditched the school altogehter, then I changed a majority of the plotlines and character names. Then I decided to change all of the mecha names/ abilities. Now I've gotten something completely different from when I started and about twelve times a long.