IT'S NOT OVER! IT'S NEVER OVER!
My reference to "First Blood" is a bit unnecessary, and out of place...
The specific thing that got my blogging again is this post from Samu-kun: http://samukun.wordpress.com/2011/07/08/looking-at-why-homeward-got-made It asks important questions. Namely, "how do you get from rough idea to finished product?" and "how can a person finish a creative project without giving up, and leaving the community with a demo at most?" These are important things to remember. No matter what genre or category, and no matter what tools are used to create freeware, there's always a lot of unfinished games, and people who feel frustrated or depressed because they couldn't get their creative work done.
So now I'm gonna use an idea from _No Plot? No Problem!_, a book written by the Nanowrimo founders. The idea is "my Magna Carta" -- things I want to include in my writing, and things I want to avoid.
DO WANT:
* Just a few characters will be involved. There may be a couple incidental / background characters, but they won't need to be on screen.
* Likewise, the story will happen in just a few locations. And it will take place during a relatively short span of time.
* Writing about things I care about, and subject matter that I enjoy. I seriously doubt there will be sex scenes, but the final project might be NSFW.
* It may be rather personal. So I'm not going to be agonizing over whether this visual novel appeals to many people.
* A visual novel that isn't concerned with innovation or complexity. I don't want to worry about whether my story is avant-garde or deconstructionist. Not gonna worry about tacking on gameplay either.
* Only so much planning. I'm giving myself a few days to think of characters, setting, premise, and *perhaps* an ending. Once I feel there's enough that I can start writing for real, then I'll get started.
* If there is a love triangle or a harem, I want it to make sense.
DO NOT WANT:
* Any content which would be illegal. If there are sex scenes, they will only involve consenting adults.
* I don't want the main character to be a Marty Stu who gets all the girls, all the power, or all the anything. Especially not without consequences.
* The characters shouldn't become puppets for my views. And I want to make sure they don't become vapid stereotypes.
* This should not get so serious that it becomes embarrassing or painful. And not so much comedy that it becomes trivial or stupid.
The specific thing that got my blogging again is this post from Samu-kun: http://samukun.wordpress.com/2011/07/08/looking-at-why-homeward-got-made It asks important questions. Namely, "how do you get from rough idea to finished product?" and "how can a person finish a creative project without giving up, and leaving the community with a demo at most?" These are important things to remember. No matter what genre or category, and no matter what tools are used to create freeware, there's always a lot of unfinished games, and people who feel frustrated or depressed because they couldn't get their creative work done.
So now I'm gonna use an idea from _No Plot? No Problem!_, a book written by the Nanowrimo founders. The idea is "my Magna Carta" -- things I want to include in my writing, and things I want to avoid.
DO WANT:
* Just a few characters will be involved. There may be a couple incidental / background characters, but they won't need to be on screen.
* Likewise, the story will happen in just a few locations. And it will take place during a relatively short span of time.
* Writing about things I care about, and subject matter that I enjoy. I seriously doubt there will be sex scenes, but the final project might be NSFW.
* It may be rather personal. So I'm not going to be agonizing over whether this visual novel appeals to many people.
* A visual novel that isn't concerned with innovation or complexity. I don't want to worry about whether my story is avant-garde or deconstructionist. Not gonna worry about tacking on gameplay either.
* Only so much planning. I'm giving myself a few days to think of characters, setting, premise, and *perhaps* an ending. Once I feel there's enough that I can start writing for real, then I'll get started.
* If there is a love triangle or a harem, I want it to make sense.
DO NOT WANT:
* Any content which would be illegal. If there are sex scenes, they will only involve consenting adults.
* I don't want the main character to be a Marty Stu who gets all the girls, all the power, or all the anything. Especially not without consequences.
* The characters shouldn't become puppets for my views. And I want to make sure they don't become vapid stereotypes.
* This should not get so serious that it becomes embarrassing or painful. And not so much comedy that it becomes trivial or stupid.