Writing Method: Linear vs Non-linear

[DrakeNavarone]

I've been thinking about this for a while, and so I've grown curious about how my fellow writers do their projects...

To clarify a bit (since I can see the title of this thread being a little misleading), this isn't another conversation about kinetic non-interactive novels versus multi-route interactive visual novels. I'm more curious about how you authors out there write your scripts, in which order do you write the scenes of your vn? Do you, like the reader, go from start to finish, from Scene One to Scene End? Do you write all the important scenes first, then fill in the gaps? Do you write the endings first, then build towards them? Do you write completely backwards, from end to start? Or do you have some other crazy scheme I haven't thought of here?

I've been wondering lately if I should change my approach, in hopes of being more productive and finishing more projects. I've written just about all my projects linearly, from beginning to end, the same order as the reader sees them... but I don't think it's been working out for me all too well. (The one project I did complete, I did a lot of hopping around in the script as I neared completion, so other approaches like that sound really appealing at the moment).

So, how do you guys do it? Have you tried more than one approach, and which do you like best? Which approaches do you think bring the most success or highest completion rate?

(And while I myself haven't dabbled much in multi-ended stories, I'm also very curious about how people approach those, especially if they tend to have more linear styles... do you finish a route all the way through, then pick up another? Do you finish the main trunk and then branch off to the routes? Do you write all the scenes that branch from a choice and then write the main trunk again after they merge again?)

[Alessio]

I'm a kind of jigsaw-puzzle-piece writer. A scene presents itself to me, I sit down and write it. In no chronological order whatsoever. So the more I write, the more complete the story gets, until I reach the point when I have to fill in the final pieces. It's a very weird way to write (especially since in real life I'm the rather systematic type) but for me it works perfectly. As a nice side effect, this also gives me plenty of hints what must happen before the scene I'm currently writing so that events turn out the way they do.

[Edit: Forgot to mention that it only works this way since I already know what to write, i.e. I already have a rough outline and plot of the story.]

I'm not a big multi-end fan, so I cannot comment much on that.

[Adorya]

The start and the end of the novel as concept are already done for my part, then I throw out ideas/plot/concept on a piece of paper/text file and let it grow in my mind.

Eventually some will fit to the current work and I will work a bit more on them.

Then I jump on start and work more to set up the branchings. This is the hardest part for me because I need to connect them to the ideas I worked on earlier.

I begin on the easiest branch, usually the normal/bad ending one. If I am stuck I switch to another for a bit, then switch back if I get inspired again. I often lose temper when I get stuck so I switch to others duties like graphics or coding or else I lose lot of productivity time.

When everything goes wrong I just work on the endings branches, my most satisfactory part when writing.

[papillon]

For FH - The actual writing was done in a fairly linear fashion. Start at the beginning of a chapter, write through to the end of the chapter. If the chapter has a fork-rejoin in the middle of it, write each fork up to the rejoin point, then continue from there.

When it got to the point where things were going to break off and never rejoin (end of chapter 2) then each path was done individually and completed before the next one started (Jeremy's ch3 and ch4, then Randy's ch3 and ch4, Lucy's ch3 and ch4, Tim's ch3 and ch4.)

I often made vague *plans* for scenes well beyond what I was currently writing (The first part of Lucy ch4 was planned out before ANYTHING was actually scripted, and I wouldn't want to start work on a branch without having figured out at least one ending for it) but things tend to change and develop in the writing process as little details fall into place, so I don't want to commit endings to paper that I know will probably have to be adjusted later.

[eezergoode]

Hmm.. Usually what I do is make a rough outline and flowchart it. Then I plug and fill in ideas into that flowchart, sometimes adding new branches/forks/etc, but I try to work with it in flowchart form (easier for me to keep track of) . Once I have the major stuff mapped out, I do another outline, usually more detailed. As well as another flowchart, this time putting each decision and branch/fork in. Then I finally go back and flesh it out. I did the same thing with RPG2k, and the same thing when I was doign the old text adventures back in the 80s (IE Zork, Wishbringer, Enchanter, etc). Outlines and flowcharts make it WAY easier for me to work, and help me keep everything straight.

Once I start actually WRITING, I do it from the start to the first branch, then it depends on what type of story I'm writing, and how many branches and forks it has.... Usually I'll do the primary line of one branch, th ngo back and fill it in with all the smaller choices and sub-branches... then I'll move on to the next major branch.

[DaFool]

I never completed anything by writing first from beginning to end, chapter by chapter. I would usually run out of steam by chapter 3, or when making the resources, I discover that the story must be changed to reflect the new graphics.

I usually divide work into scenes then test the game mechanics before filling in the details. This also ensures that all the endings can be reached and no tracebacks occur before having to skip through lots of text.

[Kura]

First, let me say that I have never finished an entire story. I've made plenty of attempts, including my current first attempt at a VN, but never completed any.

I write pretty much the same way Alessio said: When I'm randomly inspired to write a certain scene, I'll go write it. I'm not very good with 'conjuring' ideas; rather, I casually ponder the story and wait for a scene or chunk of dialog to come to me. And that could be anywhere along the timeline. So, theoretically, this would continue until enough scenes started to fit together that I could fill in all the blanks and make a complete story. I also generally don't have the entire story outlined or anything before I start writing, which is possibly why things don't get finished.

Trying to write my first VN now, this is (as far as I can recall) my first time working with a branching story. The way I'm handling that is concentrating on one 'main' branch before I worry about the others, but of course I'm filling in random bits of other branches as I think of them.

I'm also trying to write a novel, and I'm approaching that in a mostly linear way. I still inevitably get random ideas of things farther off, though, and just jot them down in a 'for later' section, ranging from vague notes to fully written scenes.

[chronoluminaire]

For all my writing - my NaNoWriMo novels and my two ren'ai games - I plan out the overall story first, first in just one or two paragraphs, then as a list of scenes/plot points. I'll gradually flesh all of them out a bit. Then finally I'll start writing the actual story text. For that, I'll normally start right at the start and work through, but only once I know what I'm working towards.

In NaNoWriMo, the relentless pace forces me to be doing these two concurrently: so at any one time I might know the vague outline of what's happening all through the book, be making outline plans for chapters 6-8, detailed plans for chapter 3, and writing chapter 2.

Branching stories are more interesting, but follow the same basic idea. The overall outline will be forked, indicating the basic differences between the branches/endings. Then I'll flesh out the details, including making sure that those outcomes are plausible results of the choices the player makes.

When writing the actual story text of a branching story, I might not do it all quite in chronological order, but more or less so. I might write 1, 2, 3, 4a, 5a, 6a, 4b, 5b, 6b, or perhaps it might be more likely to be 1, 2, 3, 4a, 4b, 5a, 6a, 5b, 6b.

[Vatina]

First when I get an idea, I tend to write down notes on it first. Then I think about it for a couple of days, adding more notes, ideas for scenes, and dialog that pops into my mind. And when I am finally in the right 'mood', I start writing the story from the very start in a linear way. Most of the scene/dialog tidbits ends up being changed when I reach them, so they fit better, and others end up not getting in there at all. (I still have a few scenes for my AO game lying around that never got into the final script.)

I have only written one VN so far, but in it I decided on one characters route and then wrote that from start to finish. I make notes where in the text I would like decision points and branching to happen. And when that is done, I decide to the next route and write that one.

I was often tempted to stop in the middle of one route, and then write a little on another, but that wouldn't have worked. I need to concentrate fully on one story to make it work. Often I was close to confusing what the character was supposed to know or have seen in some branches <_<;;

[papillon]

I was often tempted to stop in the middle of one route, and then write a little on another, but that wouldn't have worked. I need to concentrate fully on one story to make it work. Often I was close to confusing what the character was supposed to know or have seen in some branches <_<;;

yes, this sort of thing is part of why I don't want to do *detailed* work out of sequence. vague plans for another path, yes. actually writing out the scene, no, because I need to build up to it in correct time-sequence to be sure I've got it straight exactly what has and hasn't happened on that path.

[Kaihaku]

I tend to build around certain scenes. I flesh them out and get a good idea of what I want to happen. Then, when it comes to actually starting the project, I kind of play connect the dots. I start at the beginning and fill in the blank space story-wise as I go. I think it comes from too much Game Mastering and no writing/story classes, but it seems to work well enough for me.

[Andrew]

I imagine, I think, I play the would-be-scenes in my mind. I jot down the inspirations I have, then I edit the story. Usually I'd write the story scene by scene (in correct order, from Scene 1 to Scene 2) just like how a player goes. The story I created is in my mind, so I tend to simply write what I think.