City of IF

[HalfEmptyHero]

I was just a little curious to see how people create the plot for their stories. Do you plan out every little detail before you write and then put it together into a story, or do you plan as little as possible and simply write. I'm gonna put up a pole with a scale value 1-5, 1 meaning you plan practically nothing, 5 meaning you plan everything.

[Reasoner]

Its always good to have the general idea where a story is going and whats going to happen in the end. You have to decide what the problem is, the crisis point, and climax before you write, then build up to it. If you write with no rhyme or reason, you rarely get far, but there are exceptions, though few. And remember, even after decision points you can always 'force' where the story is going as subtly as possible of course.

So there you have it, my opinion on how to write, though here at IF, you never know what's going to happen to a story if you don't control it properly.

[DeadManWalking]

my style of writing comes to me through rather vivid scenes or characters; my sgames usually come from some extension of that original inspiration. Thus my stories tend to be rather linear in that there are certain scenes i know are going to take place, or certain facts that will always be true even if the reader doesn't yet know them. However, the path the readers take to get to those scenes or to find out those facts are comparatively flexible.

[Alegria]

I get one thing in my head for a chapter. It can be a scene, a line, a character, anything. Then I just sit down and start to write, and it just flows out. No planning or anything. I know about how I want each chapter to end, but I really don't plan. I don't even edit, usually.

[Chinaren]

I didn't vote, 'cos it differs with different stories for me. When I wrote Tired of Death for example, I just started writing with no idea how it would turn out.

Yet others I have a basic plot sorted before I start.

So we need a 1 to 5 option on the poll. :?

[The Meaning Of Fear]

The first SG I tried (I am happy most people would not remember the horrible little thing) was pretty much completely off the top of my head, and that stopped reeeaaaallly quickly.

I ran a bit of planning on the next attempt, but it wasn't much, and that ended quickly too.

My latest attempt doesn't have planning on paper either, but I run through the general direction of it in my mind once in a while and make adjustments as necessary. Hopefully it goes on well this time. :P

[Crunchyfrog]

The only elements in my SG that are planned are the antagonists' goal, the protagonist's dream, and the laws of physics that govern the world they live in.

I have 3 major locations, and about 20 or so characters, each doing their own thing, but their actions are affected entirely by the DP suggestions and votes.

The players guide the main character, but everything he does affects events and characters in all the locations, although our main character only ever see a small part of this. Indeed, even after 34 chapters there are characters that our hero has not even met - and may never meet.

I have a loose idea of the end of the story, but the players control the fates of all the characters, and they determine how it will end.

It's not just the DPs and voting that have shaped my SG - it is also critiques and observations, the most notable one coming from a player very early on who suggested I give a supporting character the lead role.

I voted a 3.

[Reiso]

I only wrote like 1.5 Storygames, But I think depending on how motivated I felt during a particular chapter, or how much the characters were "speaking" to me, I wildly fluctuated between both extremes. So I think I'll vote a 3 smack dab in the middle.