Hopefully I can upload some snapshots for use as free backgrounds (just photographs - my drawing skills require regular practice and as I haven't been able to have any time to draw since December I'm pretty rusty now) but since I really do want to contribute, I'll take up PyTom's suggestion to record some of the things I've learned so far when it comes to VN making - they may not apply to everyone, but for what it's worth here they are:It would also be nice if people would take this time to record some of the lessons learned from game-making... both what worked, and what didn't, so those who came after don't have to keep making the same mistakes.
Games Set in Modern Times are Easier (art-wise): The first project I tried to do was a space-opera sci-fi VN, and while it's still a concept I find appealing, I realized quite quickly that while I could do futuristic character art, I utterly fail at doing futuristic backgrounds that don't look like rip offs. Theoretically I could, but it would just take too much time - and I wouldn't be able to use photos as my back up plan. This is why for the Elect, I shifted to the current day more or less... I know some people have issues with photo backdrops but such are at least passable alternatives (as opposed to my inglorious attempts at doing space ship interiors.)
Euthanasia (of a plot/idea/concept) is a Good Thing: Things have been quiet on the Elect front for a long time now, not because I wasn't working on it, but because I simply couldn't get it to work. As Drake would know, there were some aspects of the story which were quite... twisty, and as I progressed with the story, these concepts/plot lines became more and more unwieldy and cumbersome, and I realized that the one of the reasons the story was going on for so long without really, in my mind, 'making progress' was that I kept trying to keep those concepts alive, to make sure they 'made sense' - even when they were internally flawed. It was like a building with a structural defect which I kept trying to shore up with more construction because I was unwilling to undo my earlier work to get at that hole. (This was likely because I'd already reached over 100,000 words for the story and it broke my heart when I'd think of that all going to waste.)
In the end though I had to face facts - certain aspects of the original tale just weren't working. So I bit the bullet and decided to redo the story - thankfully I think I can still use many of the original portions/concepts, but this is going to be a substantial rewrite. And I could have started on this a lot sooner if I'd just admitted the problem earlier.
A Picture Says A Thousand (Affirming) Words: It pays to draw, or if not artistically inclined, have someone draw, a nice 'concept art' pic of your main characters. Whenever I feel down or uninspired, I take a look at the pictures of the characters I've made... and somehow, someway, it never fails to squeeze a few more ideas out of me. (And if it does fail... maybe that's a sign the characters need more work). Looking at MADs/Intros of other VNs/Games/Animes tend to help as well.
Importance of the Protagonist: One problem I ran into writing strong women (and I can't really put in any other kind as potential romantic interests) is that they have a tendency to take over the story - i.e. make the protagonist seem to be a surplus. I've realized it helps to start making a character by asking the question of why and how the protagonist would ever become important to her - what does he bring to the table? Once I know that, doing the ensuing relationship gets easier.
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Those are the highlights so far. Will get back to work on that rewrite now ^_^
