Posted May 24, 2022 by CSkin
Hey all. This is going to be more of a discussion post, and some talking about my own approach. No game updates for now, other than I am actively working on Chapter 5.
I wanted to take some time to talk about what I personally consider the most important part of VN development - the writing. For any VN, writing is often going to make or break the game. While many games can be successful even if they lack in other area, very few can find any sort of success with poor writing. Now, what constitutes good writing is sort of in the eye of the beholder - while we can point to what is "objectively" good or bad in more technical or classical aspects, ultimately how it's received by the individual determines whether it's good or not. Since it's difficult to define what makes good writing, or rather I should say what any person may enjoy, since it will vary by person, instead I'm going to talk about my approach.
When I first started this project, the first thing I did was write out the entire story in outline form. I nailed down all the major plot points, the characters, the endings and how they were received, and a general "flow" of how the story would go. Once I wrote everything, I went back over it a few times making iterations here and there. In the very first original draft, Mary who is now a major character, was nothing more than a side character with only a handful of appearances. As I continued to iterate on my initial drafts I found I liked the character more and more and eventually upgraded her to main character status.
Likewise other characters who were initially intended to have a more central role got downgraded or in one case outright removed because I either didn't find them interesting, or just wanted to go a different direction. Eventually after a number of iterations on my original draft, and having arrived at something I was happy with, I began writing the dialogue script for chapter 1. My focus since the beginning has always been on realistic dialogue - I've played a number of VNs where the dialogue was intentionally kept short and sweet. This had the advantage of moving the plot along briskly without lingering too long anywhere, but it had the side-effect (in my opinion) of sometimes making the dialogue feel unnatural or rushed. I wanted to focus on realistic dialogue and conversations that felt natural.
My approach to this was simple - write how I talk, or in this case write how the characters would talk. It was very important to me early on in the process to give each character a unique voice. I didn't just create the characters, I designed their backstories, and gave them personalities, each a bit different, and in many cases modeled off of people I had known through my life - or sometimes an amalgamation of multiple people. As I write dialogue I would imagine these people, these personalities, simply having a conversation - and then I'd write it.
I often go back over any dialogue I've written multiple times, in many cases acting it out myself. If I come across anything that feels unnatural or weird, I re-write it. In the end I arrive at what I feel is very natural sounding dialogue between very distinct people - and those I've spoken to have tended to agree.
Now, here's the rub. This process has two major disadvantages. First, it does make moving the plot along and bringing it to the front much more difficult. A large portion of this game thus far has been focused mostly on character work, with the "plot" mostly lingering in the background always threatening to rear it's head, but not quite getting there. The more you play the game the more you get the sense of who the characters are, and are able to understand them, but at times you can be left wondering "When are we going to get there?". The second major disadvantage is that there tends to be a lot more focus on the dialogue, and a lot less on the action - that is pretty much any and everything that isn't people talking to each other.
Both of those problems are ones I've begun taking steps to address while I develop chapter 5 - but without losing what I feel so far is the heart of the game - that is fairly strong characters who you can feel "exist". So far it's been a fun and interesting challenge - trying to balance moving everything along a bit more briskly, and quite frankly having more 'happen', without losing any sense of the strength of the characters I've built so far. This is aided by the fact that I did spend so much time building them up that even if I did let the character work take a slight backseat, the groundwork is there.
So, I guess that leaves the question - did I take the right approach? Or should I have strived for a stronger balance from the start? I think ultimately striving for more of a balance right off the bat is the right call. When people first play a game, you want to draw them in, and give them a reason to keep playing. A strong plot that grabs you right from the beginning and keeps you interested is integral to that. If I could go back, I would probably re-write the earlier chapters to move the story along a little bit faster at that point, and shift some of the more important character work towards the middle. I'd also move some things that are going to be in chapter 5 a bit earlier as well. I wouldn't go so far as to say I made a mistake, but I would say I've learned from the experience and now know how to do it better.
I think the take-away from this for any writer or aspiring dev is, don't lose sight of the plot. (Pun intended). There's always going to be something you're better at than all other aspects - for me it's the dialogue, the character work, the interactions - but it's important to not focus solely on those at the detriment of everything else. There's truth to the saying "In everything, balance." Ultimately it's that balance you want to strive for - and honestly? If you're doing it right, you probably won't have that balance, at least not completely. There's very likely to be some aspects that are stronger than others, and that's ok. In fact, sometimes that's what can make a work great. But without everything else to supplement it, you'll often have to settle instead for just good.
For my part, I'm excited about chapter 5. It's a little while out yet, development is still in the early stages, but the majority of the script is written, and I do believe it's the strongest chapter yet. I feel like I've worked hard on it, and found that balance - or at least as close as I'm going to come to it. I also re-assessed how I was structuring things, just to make things a little more interesting. For those who have enjoyed my game so far, I think you can look forward to a much more interesting and enjoyable chapter 5. And for those who haven't tried it out, I encourage it (If the genre is your thing.). If you think it has even some merit now, then check out chapter 5 when it comes out, I think you'll be pleased.
And for everyone, those making their own games, or writing their own stories, or living their own stores, remember - balance is key.