Fortnightly Fiction Jam is a  series of interactive fiction (IF) writing sprints over 2 weeks.   This is a just-for-fun fiction prompt that grew out of some friends lamenting that we weren't writing IF in our free time anymore. So I put this jam together to serve as a writing prompt to get us started and to invite you to come write with us! Everyone is welcome!

Have a fiction tool you've been wanting to try out? A half-done Twine piece sitting in your drawer? Never made or written anything and want to give it a whirl? A little intimidated by IF and want to give it a try without ranking or judging? This is the jam for you!

Optional Theme is: "An Unexpected Guest"

Optional Word Limit is:  1000 words

Join us on Discord:  https://discord.gg/2fAKj3u

Check out the previous jam: https://itch.io/jam/fortnightly-fiction-jam-17

Who can join?

Anyone! And especially people new to interactive fiction or who have never made a game before!

I missed the last one; can I jump in now?

Yes, please do!

Can I work in a team? 

Absolutely!  And we have a channel for finding teammates in our Discord.

What kinds of games are appropriate? 

Anything focused on story! We love text games, adventure games, interactive literature, visual novels, interactive movies, etc. Experimental works, weird stuff, and things-you've-never-tried-before are especially welcome. This is a place to experiment and fail.  

**Works may incorporate mature themes, but please provide content notes/warnings for any content that may require reader discretion.**  

Absolutely no games that are hateful in nature (racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic,  xenophobic, ablist, classist, harassing, etc). Any such games will be removed and the creator banned from this and future Fortnightly Fiction Jams. This is a chill, welcoming safe space; please help keep it that way.

What tools/engines can I use? 

Anything you'd like! Many of us are using this as an opportunity to step outside of our comfort zone and learn new skills/tools. Some common IF tools for beginners include Twine, Ink, Inform 7, Storyspace, Choicescript, RenPy, RPG Maker, etc.

Why 2 weeks? 

The goal here is to create a large enough window that folks can figure out their own best working schedule, but short enough that there's not an expectation of great polish or scope. That two week window builds in some time for you to procrastinate, pick up a new skill, decide you want to do something else, and still get something in on time. This is a great opportunity to learn a new tool, finish something you've had lying around, build up your writing/narrative design portfolio, or just  write with other friendly folks.

Will these be judged/ranked? 

No. This is not a competition. This is purely an opportunity for you to write, experiment, and have fun.

Can I edit my piece once it's submitted?

Sure! We're not judging or ranking these. If you want to submit an early draft for feedback and clean it up later, that's totally fine! And if you want to submit a WIP and finish it after the deadline, that's fine too. Our primary goal is empowering people to create things.

What if my piece isn't very good?

That's totally okay! These are quick-sprint works, and the optional word limit is designed to keep you contained so you don't fret too much about making your magnum opus. This is just for fun :) 

Do I have to adhere to the theme/word limit? 

No. The theme is an optional prompt to get you started. It's intentionally vague so that you can interpret it in the way that most calls to you, whether that's as a mechanic, as a narrative theme, as a formal constraint, or something else altogether! But if you don't love it, you're welcome to leave it aside or change it to your liking!

Please also vote for our next theme!

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This series follows a cadence of 2-weeks-on; 2-weeks-off, so if you miss this prompt, another one will be along soon!

This jam is hosted by Stacey Mason (@stcymsn). If you have any questions, feel free to ping me on Twitter :)