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Revelations on Writing
I haven't written any visual novels yet because I am always stuck on the story. I have found out a few things after trying to make a story pop out of my head for months. Please post anything that you think is important for an aspiring game creator like myself to know.

I have just discovered that a character that you will stick with will be a character that fascinates you.

You can't force a character to magically appear out of nowhere.

A story really gets going if it has a "muse" or inspiration behind it.

A character that is natural on paper will be a character that wasn't forced. I can make up traits all I want, but unless I can apply them to someone interesting and see the traits in action, the traits are just words and are meaningless.

Never throw an idea completely away. It might make for a fascinating angle later on.

Daydreaming about your character is good.

The character that you like to think about the most is probably the one that is the most interesting.

Don't set limitations on what your character should and should not do until you REALLY know who he or she is.

If you have writer's block, try to switch the angle of the story a little.

Critisizm is amazing if it is more than "Really nice, I loved it!" or "Go crawl in a hole and die! Your work stinks!". The person writing actually took time out of their day to help you become better. It takes about half an hour or more to intelligently respond to a post and provide a well-thought out answer.

That is all that I have, but if there is anything else that you think is noteworthy, please post it!

I think a little thinking outside of the box helps too. Go beyond your imagination limitations~

Don't be afraid to put yourself in you character's shoes. You'll be able to see the plot from the "actor" standpoint, not just from a "spectator" standpoint.

Try to imagine your cast acting out of character. This way, you can at least get a sense as to what their personality is really like.

Don't be afraid to try and copy a writing style that you like. Just like art, writing is usally a mix of diffrent styles.

Outlines and summaries make writing go round. Planning out the arc and summarizing each scene makes it crazy easy to write it properly later. Even if you haven't touched the idea in months.

Try to find an editor that isn't you, then your mental typo filter wont act up as badly.

My favorite creative writing tips from Kurt Vonnegut:

Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action.
Start as close to the end as possible.
Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them—in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.

But to also quote a famous captain...

is more what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules.

purple_pockets wrote: Don't set limitations on what your character should and should not do until you REALLY know who he or she is.

This, a thousand times this!
I find that even though I plan and plan to have a character with certain traits, they always have a life of their own when I start writing, and sometimes I have to change my plans

It's for this reason why I think freewriting (followed up by a lot of structure, mind you) is essential to developing characters and the story within which they operate. Freewriting is like brainstorming, except you're writing it down so you don't forget.

Nice topic ! Here's another:

What you find boring to write, will often appear boring to the reader as well.

I swear it's true, try writing out a scenery description/outfit description or history of the world/explanations in such a way that you find it entertaining as well. Don't make it bland.

Oh and: Everything you write must have a purpose and reason for being told and being told at that moment.