Anyone ever done an "advice for writing your first CHYOA story" thread before?

DeviantChalice

DeviantChalice

Really Experienced
Just stuff I learned after starting writing my first story here. Stuff like:

  • Don't publish until you've got a few chapters. If your story is just an intro, people aren't likely to stick around or give useful feedback.
  • Consider having a cover photo to convey the tone of your story. People are more like to click on a "book" that actually has a cover.
  • No one but you can actually see which chapters have which tags, so you may as well just put all the tags in the Introduction chapter. (ok someone said this wasn't strictly true)
 
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  • Before publishing a new story, think about what makes it unique. If it is yet another mind control or "father fucks daughter" or ENF or any other popular theme, ask yourself if what you offer is distinct enough. If no, consider adding to other stories with the same theme. If you are wary of adding to big stories find another person who started something small. Chances are that they will be happy to have a co-author. 1 story with 20 chapters is way better than 2 stories with 10.
  • Do not have an illusion that people will randomly add to your barebone story\branch after the first few chapters. This almost never happens. The idea of "I have a fantasy I want to be written and I'll start it so others will do it" doesn't work
  • Don't leave writer's guidelines empty. If you want people to add to your story tell them what you want. If you don't - make a private story
 
oh, this is fun

-Come up with a release schedule and stick to it. This conveys to your readers that you are serious about this and won't just abandon the project a few chapters in. Make sure that schedule is doable for you. It's better to be conservative here.
-Don't get discouraged from low likes/comments. That's easier said then done, I know, but it can take a long time for a story to gain traction. Don't give up midway trough
 
For a lot of folks, if it's their first story, they might be intimidated or not sure how to get started. For folks starting a new story, some basic ideas:

- Write a synopsis first! A synopsis is a very high-level overview of the story. It gives the overall concept, main character(s), and what will happen. You don't have to plot an ending, but having an idea of where the story is headed can help focus the writing.

- Write an outline! An outline is a more detailed breakdown of the story; you break down each step that gets the main character(s) from the beginning to the ending. Each step can then be further fleshed out, and may eventually become a chapter or chapters.

- Don't sweat the choices. While one of the hallmarks of CHYOA is having multiple paths, in practice not everybody is going to write multiple choices for every chapter...and some stories work better when they have fewer decision points than others; you'll need to work out what works best for you.

- Don't be afraid to experiment!

Tips for Writing Sex Scenes

Do's:

- DO ask for feedback and writing advice on the forums! (Remember to include a link to the story in the feedback thread!)
- DO engage with readers who ask questions or leave positive feedback in the comments!

Don't:

- DON'T get discouraged if no one adds to your story!
- DON'T take it personally if people leave negative feedback! (Fuck the haters.) Don't engage with them.
 
Gambio said:
-Come up with a release schedule and stick to it. This conveys to your readers that you are serious about this and won't just abandon the project a few chapters in. Make sure that schedule is doable for you. It's better to be conservative here.
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Treating something you do for fun as a job project may not be the best idea. Don't we have enough stressful deadlines in our daily life? Why pressure ourselves?
 
Hvast said:
Treating something you do for fun as a job project may not be the best idea. Don't we have enough stressful deadlines in our daily life? Why pressure ourselves?
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Fair point. I currently have multiple stories decently well along which I'm hesistant to release because I'm not convinced I have the drive to see them trough. I probably could be a bit more relaxed about it.

I really like deathlines tough...

Also, it took me this long to realize that your avatar is actually a boob.
 
Hvast said:
Treating something you do for fun as a job project may not be the best idea. Don't we have enough stressful deadlines in our daily life? Why pressure ourselves?
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I agree, but in all seriousness, I've sometimes written at my own pace and then held off on publishing so that my pace doesn't appear completely random, so I think there's merit in regulating your output, not so much treating it like a job though.
 
As a matter of writing practice, the more writing you do, the more likely you are to reach a comfortable level of expertise. For people that are serious about their writing, setting aside a time to write and keeping to that schedule can be important.

For readership - which you probably shouldn't be worried about starting out - regular updates is key.
 
With regards to the notion of scheduled releases, they're certainly not necessary, but in the context of trying to write a better story, they are preferable. It is usually more effective to release chapters at a regular pace, both in keeping readers satisfied and in keeping a consistent writing rhythm for yourself, provided you're willing to hold yourself to that standard. I perhaps wouldn't stress the point for someone's first story, however.

I will say that, referring specifically to your first story, that you will almost definitely not finish it. The overwhelming majority of stories on CHYOA go unfinished, partly due to the site's nature, but additionally, a first-timer will lack the knowledge and sense of 'doability' of ideas that comes with experience. I am normally a strong advocate of planning ahead, but, for the same reason, I would not be too concerned about it for one's first attempt. It's difficult to predict and prepare for a writing process you've never gone through before. Again, planning will help immensely if you do it well, but you probably won't. There's only one way to gain experience.
 
There are many good pieces of advice here but lets look at stats - (Replies: 14 Views:117)

Having this on the forum does little good because only a very tiny portion of chyoa users use forums.

How about turning this thread into a guide and posting it on the main site?
 
Hvast said:
There are many good pieces of advice here but lets look at stats - (Replies: 14 Views:117)

Having this on the forum does little good because only a very tiny portion of chyoa users use forums.

How about turning this thread into a guide and posting it on the main site?
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Are you saing the forum is useless then?

On topic:

  • If you come up with a new idea for a story, write it down then let it sit for a while. See if it grows on you or not, naturally without pushing. Start posting only when it has taken its shape.
  • Question your story. If there's any controversial situation, any internal logic issue, any weak plot point, start working on a solution right away, or you could find yourself irremediably stuck midway through.
 
I think posting such a guide on the main site would certainly reach far more new writers, not least because authors rarely visit the forum before actually publishing anything, but also because the title of this thread doesn't actually imply that we're giving advice.

It's also not unusual for a guide to draw attention on the main site - see Encyclopedia Erotica.
 
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