Sorry if this post might seem a bit short and shallow, but I spend about an hour writing a proper one and found out that I logged out of Lemmasoft while writing it only after hitting that 'submit' button. The one time I don't copy the post before submitting it and the exact thing I fear happens. Poof! Whole post gone...
@TheLongRoad I know how you feel. I just spend a year and a half on a passion project of mine with a near neurotic desire to make it perfect beyond what I can actually do. I managed to release it, but I can relate to the thought of never getting yourself to do so or rewriting it endlessly. While I never actually broke down crying and probably can't compare my hardships to yours, I can tell you this: It's not as bad as you think it will be. Lemmasoft is not a dark place filled with trolls and haters, the other comments can tell you as much. If you put your soul and effort into a project, people will appreciate it.
And trust me, getting bad reviews and people telling you they didn't like your work won't be as bad as you think it will be. Sure, you won't like it, but you'll be able to use it to better your future works. And any positive feedback you get will give you an idea where your strong points are and what doesn't need improving.
No, the worst thing that could happen is if you were to release your VN and no one, absolutely no one, would comment on it. At that point, you'll wish to get a rant about your work so you know someone actually gave it a chance. (Sorry if this sounds super sceptical and worrying, it was worded better in the original post) What I'm trying to say: Don't release your game in the 'Demo's and Beta section' without advertising it beforehand like I did.
@Taranee, are you my mental dopplergänger? The way you wrote your post isn't just eerily similar to how I write (at least from my perspective), but it's essentially exactly what I planned on writing. You even used the word 'synopsis', which is the exact word I've been using for my summaries of stories yet to be written.
Another important thing I've had to learn is blocking plot bunnies that try to distract you from your current project and get you to start writing a different story. When I come up with an intrusive idea for a new story, I write down a plot synopsis and a short description of the characters and choice mechanics, but I promise to myself I won't start actually writing the new story until the current project is done. This way I won't forget about the new ideas, but I also don't get so impatient that I have to abandon the old project.
Pretty much exactly this. I have the rule not to start with a new project before finishing the old one (a rule I only broke once), and a synopsis really helps to determine whether your story has some massive plot holes or writing blocks. They are much easier resolved in a synopsis too, when you don't actually have to write down something others will eventually have to read. And it will allow you to determine whether your enthousiasm for your new story won't seep away after a while, leaving you wondering why you even wanted to write such a crappy story to begin with.
When I think the visual novel is nearing completion, I usually get a new idea that changes a major part of the story. I've for example added half a dozen new characters and their subplots, added a new PoV character and written 10 chapters for her, decided that the old antagonist is just a decoy and added a new villain mastermind (twice), and changed the core motivations of half of the cast, including the protagonist. A lot of this is admittably the result of poor planning, but I can't plot out an entire visual novel beforehand and then write it exactly as planned.
I had the exact same problem. There are so many scenes and endings that I added to the original story and even my main character was rewritten to his core elements at least three times, before I managed to stop rewriting everything. The best tip I can give against this is to spend some time with a really tedious task you need to do. For me, this was coding the sprites&expressions for a scene. I used such a terribly archaic and inefficient system for this, a single scene would take me hours of mind-numbing labour. But after that, I never considered scrapping or completely rewriting that scene, because the thought of 'It's not good enough!' turned into 'Like hell I'm throwing away all that work! I spend three hours on those stupid expressions, I'm not doing that again with a completely new scene!'
The best advice I can give you is one already given by @ludeska:
Don't compare yourself to others. Compare yourself with yourself. When you finish your first project, you'll have the satisfaction to know that you CAN finish things.
And since it will be imperfect (because it will be! because it always is!) you will also have the challenge to outdo yourself. To make the next one even better.
Never reach for that perfect VN with >100.000 words, breathtaking art and stunning coding that you'll never make, start with a small project. If I could give myself two years in the past one tip, it's to make that campy short VN I thought off before starting anything big I'd put my soul into. Not only to get get some experience of the process, but also so people know you exist.
Oh, and don't play any good VN while making your own, you'll compare them to your own or think you'll have to match their level. I played 'Seduce me', saw that their mouths were open whenever they spoke and thought 'I can do that too!'. Two more months of work right there, doing my least favorite part of the job.