How do YOU write out your scripts?

[Blane Doyle]

I am curious, as I know many people have different methods, how does everyone where write their scripts?

I know that they must vary drastically from ADV to NVL style, and that some people use certain programs and some write it out as a full script with actions, while others just do dialog.

What personally works for you? I am still trying to figure out what might work for me so I would enjoy a little insight from people far more experienced than myself. I am hoping that with that insight I will find a method that works for me, or that it could help me develop my own. The only thing I know for certain right now is I shouldn't type it up in Ren'Py as I go along. It might work for some, but for me that ended in a proverbial train wreck.

[Camille]

Personally? Scrivener is what I use to organize all my projects and to write all of the scripts before I convert them to code. I used to script/code as I wrote (in TextMate), but it became much too tedious to then convert that code to a script readable by editors, so now I do this and it's much easier to convert the end result to Ren'Py code afterwards.

I like Scrivener because it's pretty easy to use and at my fingertips I can have all the character profiles, all my outlines, and all my actual writing/scripts. It also has a pretty nifty full-screen mode so I'm not distracted by other apps/etc, but can easily hop back and forth between related scripts when I need to. I have two MCs in my current project, so I have to make sure certain details match up. Because Scrivener works with projects rather than individual documents, it means I can easily jump around or view a visual map of how my documents are related and that's indispensable for me.

Kind of an old screencap, but this is what my Scrivener workspace looks like.

[yummy]

I only write on the fly. I mean, firing tons of programs just to write text makes it harder to concentrate.
So I only write using Scite and that's all.
I rely on small written models that I scatter on my desk to flesh out my characters, or with small models that populate the surroundings of my monitor.
I also have a tendency to imagine how the scene goes, and check if my characters are still consistent, if they are credible.

The further I progress, the more my characters differ from the original plan, but at the same time, they grow less monolithic.
Even the way they talk begins to change, the dialogues influence how they speak to each other.
But I try not to make them too different.

For example, I made a main female character talk to the main character, turned out the more she talked, the more she showed she had a psychotic side (kinda yandere).
It kinda amused me and I decided to keep this trait.

But before writing, I decide to be clear about the setting stage, just like how you check the props before a performance:
if I can't describe their surroundings (the universe where they are), how it influences them, then I know there is something lacking.

[Desu_Cake]

My method is to concentrate first and foremost on getting everything important written down in the first draft. I rush through the important conversations, skip the unimportant ones, and never rewrite a single sentance until I'm completely finished. This leaves me with one of the crappiest stories in the universe, but it is a complete story. Then I work on the second draft where I focus on making sure the characters develop fully, fixing the most awkwardly written bits, and making sure that I didn't leave anything out. Subsequent drafts then refine the story to get it to the point that it is acceptable.
Where it gets written depends mostly on where I am. At home, I mostly stick to good old paper and pen, while at college I'll usually use notepad or word. I drag it into renpy somewhere around the second or third draft.

[Lumen_Astrum]

I write first some sort of pseudocode (or some draft of sorts), then I write the script directly into Ren'Py. It saves time and it's like hitting two birds with one stone!

But if the story for me is a bit too complicated, yes, I write out the entire script on paper and redo it on the script editor. I have more time facing a sheet of paper than a keyboard, being in school.

[Blane Doyle]

Personally? Scrivener is what I use to organize all my projects and to write all of the scripts before I convert them to code. I used to script/code as I wrote (in TextMate), but it became much too tedious to then convert that code to a script readable by editors, so now I do this and it's much easier to convert the end result to Ren'Py code afterwards.

I like Scrivener because it's pretty easy to use and at my fingertips I can have all the character profiles, all my outlines, and all my actual writing/scripts. It also has a pretty nifty full-screen mode so I'm not distracted by other apps/etc, but can easily hop back and forth between related scripts when I need to. I have two MCs in my current project, so I have to make sure certain details match up. Because Scrivener works with projects rather than individual documents, it means I can easily jump around or view a visual map of how my documents are related and that's indispensable for me.

Kind of an old screencap, but this is what my Scrivener workspace looks like.

WHOA... I didn't even think of that! I don't have the money to get Scrivener myself right now, but I do have yWriter5, which is... well, essentially the poor man's (or woman's in the case) Scrivener. I think I might just give that a shot and see how it works for me, it sounds like it will help me a great deal.

And it is great to hear how everyone else gets their script written as well!

[Camille]

Well if you're using Windows, the Windows beta version of Scrivener (it's generally a Mac-only program) is free during Beta.

Since I started really getting into using Scrivener, I've pretty much been rendered unable to use any other sort of writing/note organization software. It's pretty much indispensable to me now, though I think the learning curve might be a little higher than some programs since there's so many features. XD I can't recommend this program enough.

[OokamiKasumi]

I am curious, as I know many people have different methods, how does everyone write their scripts? ... What personally works for you?

When I'm writing a Visual Novel, I use a handy little freeware Mind-mapping program to outline all the major turning points and menu branches. FreePlane: http://freeplane.sourceforge.net/wiki/i ... /Main_Page

All the bubbles are collapsible and it allows Jumps to other bubbles (the green arrows). This allows you to test-drive menu choices (and results) simply by clicking a bubble open, or clicking a green arrow to another bubble. If you've missed or forgotten something it's quickly obvious.

This program also has a spell-check, (you have to turn it on,) so you can copy-paste the dialogue and story text directly into Renpy if you want to.