Some thoughts on being "good enough" and the magnus opus

[Sabotage]

As my father always says, "never be afraid to show your work to the world, because if you don't, someone with a work of inferior quality but more courage will take its place". After hearing that 1029385701 times I finally decided to work on my first VN -- I know it's bad, but hopefully people will play and tell me how to improve.

That's a good one. I think I'll use that for myself, if that's alright! Haha.

The article hit the nail right in the head. It has been years and my stories have gathered age and dust but no audience. I've been looking for a platform other than comics/GN's/webcomics cos I simply waited too long, and the possibility of doing a GN is getting pushed farther back in my schedule. Ah, growing up. Who invited you again?

But that's the reason why I'm here! In Lemmasoft! Using Ren'py! It's like a glimmer of hope in a desolate wasteland of unused plots, unfinished story arcs and dead characters. Here's to hoping I get something from that last decade of idling and doodling haha!

[DaFool]

I've been looking for a platform other than comics/GN's/webcomics cos I simply waited too long, and the possibility of doing a GN is getting pushed farther back in my schedule.

Yes the VN medium requires less art than comics and graphic novels, and reusing the same art is most encouraged.

I wanted to be an animation film maker and even though I work in a studio it's too much time and money to put drawings together to tell a story which is usually no better than most out there. I've really come to appreciate the ADV-style conversation cutscenes that is typical in JRPGs and that presentation is usually good enough for the stories I wanted to tell.,

[Voight-Kampff]

The article hit the nail right in the head. It has been years and my stories have gathered age and dust but no audience. I've been looking for a platform other than comics/GN's/webcomics cos I simply waited too long, and the possibility of doing a GN is getting pushed farther back in my schedule.

Having done animation and comics in the past, I can attest to the fact that Visual Novels do afford a creator the chance to get a lot more story told with a lot less effort than the other methods. Still not easy. But easier.

[Sabotage]

Still not easy. But easier.

Very true. And the process is quite inspiring because you can see results of your hard work faster. Nice website by the way! Errant Heart sounds like a winner!

I've really come to appreciate the ADV-style conversation cutscenes that is typical in JRPGs and that presentation is usually good enough for the stories I wanted to tell.

Me too! I find it almost god-sent. Well, now it seems that we have no excuses to get our projects done, do we? Brr..

[Omnificent]

No matter how much you might cringe at it looking back now, and no matter how derivative it feels, always think of your older work as being practice/a stepping stone for the stories and/or art you're doing now.

My first try at massive world-building was for what was pretty much a sprite comic ripoff of 8BT. Then I got involved in some Mega Man and Fire Emblem RPing, which honestly polished my writing ability more than any of the Creative Writing classes I took in college. Academics and snobs would probably sneer at me for that, but you know what? Without it, I wouldn't be the writer I am today and I wouldn't have met some awesome people in the respective communities. Being too much of a snob or too afraid to try X or Y or produce Z stifles personal creativity. Just put yourself out there, because it's too late and the government already knows what you're doing on the internet anyways.