Are Single Path Stories cool or not?

[AlphaSpiritNY]

This is somewhat of the opposite of Almax's "Do Scattered Story Maps Turn You Away" thread https://forum.chyoa.com/threads/do-scattered-story-maps-turn-you-away.2798/

For me, this site and its authors are special because they provide alternatives in story telling. It's what makes CHYOA unique. Several of the best stories here have many different paths/branches, and use of game mode and other chapter conditions is, i would daresay, almost as important as plain old 'good writing' and storytelling.

That being said, and i wonder if you would agree, the most consistent, greatest drawback of CHYOA are stories that just end. Die. Stop. As a reader, i like to get to some kind of climax or conclusion, some kind of reflective point. Obviously, many will never be satisfied: that's human nature. However, speaking for myself, seeing a story conclude or hit a massive climax is a rare thing on this site. How many stories just go nowhere? How many branches just---?

To that end, my main question to you authors (and readers) is: "Are single path stories kosher for CHYOA Passover?" That is to say, do you like seeing stories here that are, essentially, chunked up pieces of a traditional erotic narrative (like what you get at Literotica and most sites)? Or do you want stories with maps that twist and turn and leave a lot of exploring to do?

Personally, I think there is room for both. Single path stories, although they don't meet the original intent of this site, can be added onto by readers, and, if well-written, can be just what the doctor ordered when someone clicks through to this place. On the other hand, it's the choice aspect that is the strong suit of this website. i just want authors to state the case at the start of their stories (or whenever it becomes apparent they're checking out / abandoning a branch).

Having a handful of traditional stories that i would like to adapt for this site (though the majority of them might be a little too extreme), i was wondering what you all thought about single-pathers. Thoughts? Thank you for your time.

 

[gene.sis]

On the other hand, it's the choice aspect that is the strong suit of this website.

CHYOA is also a great place for authors to develop.
On other sites, you might write and publish 100k words only to find out that readers close the page in the middle of the introduction.
Or you make it to 10k words before the motivation is gone or RL hits you. It might have been a great concept and good writing but no one will ever see it.

Having a handful of traditional stories that i would like to adapt for this site (though the majority of them might be a little too extreme)

CHYOA has rules that determine the limits.

 

[Haoro]

I think single-path stories can work perfectly fine on this site, as a kind of serial where the story is released in smaller parts, and some of my favorites here are in that form. I do think they should be adapted to make sure they work properly though, with gaps in the story which make sense so it doesn't just seem hacked apart just for the sake of making it fit into the format. I'd say definitely go for it if you want to try adapting a traditionally written story to this site I do know at least one other writer who's doing the same.

In terms of choice-based stories, I definitely prefer fewer, more impactful decisions over an ambitious web of options that will then struggle to fulfil its potential. This is just my personal opinion, but none of the huge, public stories with hundreds of branches which dominate the top 10 really appeal to me at all. I prefer a story with a tighter focus and preferably just one or a small group of authors so you don't get those jarring changes in quality or style of writing which tend to jolt me out of the story and make me stop reading.

 

[Gatsha]

For me, I see both as having advantages and would simply say having the option to do either is my preference. Now, since I'm not going to sit down and write out an entire story like a novel, even if I envision it like a single story where I have no idea for other branches, I'd try to make my chapter endings either choices or scene endings where I (or someone else) could theoretically add a branch if I wanted.

It may be slightly off topic, but I wanted to respond to Prince Cai's mention of "an ambitious web of options that will then struggle to fulfill its potential." This got me thinking of my contributions to Nuns vs. Knights, where I have a sprawling web of branches. None of these branches have actual endings; however, I will say that in writing them, I tried to bring each at least to an exciting climax scene before moving on to the next (Except one! I promise I'm still thinking about it! I just ended up at a difficult point! Sorry to my readers!). In doing it this way, I had a lot of fun exploring different aspects of the character's personality and thinking of each branch as a proper "what if" scenario with a different interesting outcome. In other words, I tried to avoid anything that would leave the reader thinking "well, what interesting could happen after this?" or thinking that it ended before it got to anything that could be considered "a good part."

Now, was that fun for me as a writer? Like I said, I very much enjoyed it. Was it fun for my readers? That's a bit harder to say. I feel this strategy only works if the reader is interested in exploring multiple facets or scenarios for the character as I've mentioned earlier: then, the reader will enjoy diving through the story map and reading everything. However, I know there are plenty of readers who enjoy going through their choice of paths and treat that as "their story." If there are ten short stories, they will really only read it as one short story made by their choices. And, of course, there are some readers who aren't interested in reading a story without a planned end: in that respect, ten short stories that end with climaxes but not proper endings might be worthless to them.

Don't know if that's necessarily a problem worth worrying about or not, since I understand you can't please everybody all of the time. I'm sure it is worth considering if you're actually trying to make your story "do numbers" and/or ensure each chapter has significant readership.

 

[Almax]

I'm super duper cool with single-path stories, even if I might prefer ones with options a little bit. It's a bit like story vs gameplay in video games -- if something here has both of them (great writing and a ton of options), it's super duper good! But a thing only really needs one of those for a chance at being awesome. There are a ton of single-path stories that are just so well written that you don't even mind that there aren't many options, or that your character's pretty automated through the long chapters, and there are a ton of pretty well written stories with tons of choices and paths that are just as cool.

I think a lot more of the value is on how well written something is. Single-path stories can sometimes feel like binge watching a TV show, where the next chapter's the next episode. For some reason it just feels more manageable than if you were to have it all on a single page, y'know? A lot of my favourite stories are single-path, and it might be to do with the authors having more time to spend per chapter/not having to worry about dead ends, and the same can be said of a lot of super skilled authors that contribute single-paths to other stories (Control Freak is a really great example). It makes it a bit harder when your writing has to be good, your paths have to be complete, and you have to write a ton of paths that most readers won't even choose -- that's part of why I really like the system of "same destination, multiple routes" when it comes to stories.

So, yeah! I think single-path stories absolutely have a place here, just as much as big-web stories. It doesn't feel weird to me that it's done under CHYOA's format, because it just feels sort of episodic to me with the multiple linear chapters. I also think it's cool when you get choices that then loop back into the same linear path, whether that entails just a single different scene or different stats or a different outcome later, it's a good way to keep interactivity up without having to worry about dead ends and insane workloads. Some of my favourite writers here happen to choose single-path stuff, and I'm sure glad that they're here!

 

[insertnamehere]

First off, please forget the notion that public stories make up any meaningful majority of stories on CHYOA. I'd guess at maybe 10% or 20% of stories being hands-off, but that's enough for the argument that readers can contribute to single-path stories to be weak, because often they actually can't.

I made a thread on story types last year and came up with some terms to describe story structures. These were called 'noodles', and I still call them that, so I'm gonna keep using that word.

Now, one of my favourite authors on the site is JerkGently, and I myself am currently writing a noodle, so perhaps I am a little biased. That said, I realise this site isn't built for regular stories. When you get to the end, it doesn't say 'the end', it says 'no further options'. Most people come here looking for interactive fiction, and those well acquainted with the site won't be expecting any deliberate endings, either. Stories generally gain exposure by being updated, and if a story is ever 100% complete, the influx of attention and feedback ceases. On another site, this is called 'finished'; on CHYOA, this is called 'dead'.

However, that is not the same as there being no place for noodles on CHYOA. It is possible to fit a round peg in a square hole if its diameter is equal to the hole's side length. In other words, writing a noodle to CHYOA is reasonable, but it does require additional considerations to work with both the site and audience. Publishing your writing all at once means nobody is ever going to see it, period. On the other hand, this is why I think CHYOA is fantastic for serial stories. The interface is perfect for storing notes and navigation pages, and feedback can easily be accounted for in future chapters without messing up your plan.

As I've said before, CHYOA is unique among erotica sites for its intersection of three important considerations: it has a usable interface, a decent adult readership, and a moderation team that doesn't think holding hands outside of marriage is sinful. In that regard, the site is actually ideal for noodle stories, just by virtue of being free to all without being terrible to use. AO3 comes close - its older design is made up for by its tags system - but non-fanfic isn't so much a thing. And frankly, I think attempting to ban or purge a certain type of story that one, personally, doesn't like is the ultimate form of immaturity and entitlement. I hope nobody in this thread thinks that way, but I have certainly met users that do.

TL;DR: CHYOA isn't designed for single-path stories, but they're still easily doable, there's nothing wrong with them, and there are plenty of reasons to post them to CHYOA, specifically. Also, anything can 'belong' on CHYOA if it's harmless.

 

[Conan The Librarian]

For me, the decisive factor is not how many branches the story has, but how well developed they are: the best scenario is having lots of really long and fun branches but if I have to choose between a lot of short routes that go nowhere and a single well done one, I much prefer the latter. Also, transforming or writing a normal story into a CHYOA format is just amazing, because even if the main author doesn't add alternative paths, it leaves room for others to do. I think a wonderful example is the story bosom buddies. It's author copied his original very long story into a single route in CHYOA format and that's it, but other people have written their alternative routes around it, essentially creating their fanfiction within the story. For this very reason, most authors, myself included, always end their chapters in points that imply a decision or the introduction of something new or a change of relative significance, because even if you don't think of an alternative right now, someone else, including your future self, might.

 

[SeriousBrainDamage]

I think the intended (read: the one that makes the most out of the site's features) story format for Chyoa is a good, game mode, first person pov story, with well planned structure, like a flowchart , recursive writing, variables, etc..

That said, and adding also that I for one can't pull something like that off, I think the majority of stories published are just 'normal' stories were one(the author or some contributor) adds a fantasy that has come up in is mind reading the story up to that point.
There isn't much thought behind that, in my opinion.

'Noodle' stories are perfectly fine, most of the time their quality of writing is slightly above the average, but personally every time I begin reading one of those, I do thinking headstart that while reading, I will probably feel like branching it somewhere down along the path.
If the author doens't leave space for that, I think he's taking something away from the readers (perfecly entitled to do that, if he feels like), but also smothering the story potetial.

A happy compromise, i.e. the perfect chyoa story format in my book, would be one where you have a well planned structure, not necessarily game-like and first person, with some eventual recursive writing and a choice every 3-5 chapters.
And branch endings, which doesn't mean story endings.

 

[JerkGently]

Yeah, as a prolific writer of only single-thread stories on here, I might be a bit biased... (Though thank you for the above support Insertnamehere). I do sometimes encounter commenters who seem to take this as some sort of great offence against the site as a whole. Which personally I just find one of those very strange habits of internet culture, 'This doesn't conform immediately to my expectations, IT MUST BE TORN DOWN'. It doesn't particularly offend me, but I do find it quite baffling... as if any artform wherein one individual utilises as much of a medium as possible and another strives to condense and minimalise is in some way setting those two ideals to compete against one another. A haiku and a lyrical epic are both poems, to claim that one form is greater than the other is simply to miss the fact that they have entirely different aims.

I found this website from chasing an old memory of stumbling across a multiple-choice, erotic adventure half an age ago, when both I and the internet were young. I never did find the story that inspired me, but I found an awful lot more to love here. So it is not like I specifically arrived with a distaste for the more standard Chyoa template... it is just, when the time came for me to add my own writing: I found myself completely incapable of adopting that style. The way my mind works in story writing is entirely character-centric and built upon those characters developing and growing and changing over the course of a story. They dwell in the back of my mind as independent voices that slowly accumulate their own pasts, presents and futures. To go back and change what has happened to them simply doesn't work for me, because that would change who they are entirely, and thus would send me quite mad with trying to keep track of a thousand different permutations of themselves. Which is where I think a lot of the more traditional chyoa format stories do struggle in their later chapters: as even initially strong, interesting and well developed characters end up just becoming homogenised into very broad but shallow traits and shapes, because the endless enforced choices of direction end up either driving them to extremes or not affecting them at all. There is a certain subtly and depth that gets lost in single minded pursuit of one fetish or direction at the expense of all others.

Which is not to say there aren't issues with my style of writing either. I release slow, and lose interest in stories with a lot left to tell. My end of chapter non-choices are usually just poetic nonsense that does not invite others to participate. I would love for more people to take threads off of my stories and make a new version of my characters, but those few that have tried often seem to struggle to make any headway. At the end of the day, the answer is just to write what you want to and appreciate any support that draws, but not give two figs if someone comes along to tell you you're doing it wrong. This is art, not science. There is no perfect method.

 

[insertnamehere]

Which personally I just find one of those very strange habits of internet culture, 'This doesn't conform immediately to my expectations, IT MUST BE TORN DOWN'.

A great deal of users (though a minority) evidently think this way. I've met those on CHYOA who believe private stories should be banned, because apparently it's authoritarian to protect a writer from vandalism. There are those who think Game Mode should be removed, because sometimes there are issues with if-statements when accessing pages from the story map. It is difficult to distinguish between things you personally dislike and things that are actively bad, and many people severely fail.

 

[JerkGently]

Ah, the ever-vocal minority. I tend to find that those with a proclivity for destructive behaviour are often just frustrated by their own inability to create. They want to shape your thing because they do not believe in their ability to produce such from scratch.

One must always pity the bitter. 1: because it must be a miserable, unfulfilling shape to be... and 2: because nothing annoys them more XP

 

[Sune's Kiss]

Honestly, branches are daunting and increase your workload exponentially.

Hell, I've got a work in progress that just has some character customisation and just the eye colour means about six different threads (and I know that they can be merged back to a main story line after the game mode variables have been set but it's a lot of work).

I think the best practice would be to make your new chapter names as specific as possible when you naturally come to potential junctures in the story. Having a chapter at the conclusion of a date that says "Ben takes Kaley back to her home and kisses her goodnight" means that another author can add "Ben shows Kaley his sex dungeon and favourite pair of nipple clamps" or "Kaley admits that public nudity turns her on".

Not that you truly have to take other author's potential paths into account, but any situation where someone can apply the old improv technique of "Yes, and..." would make a natural new chapter point.

Still, bottom line is it's your story. People who like it can leave a thumbs up. Those who don't like it can ask for what they want.

 

[JerkGently]

Hehe, just received a message whining about this very thing... Ah, how I enjoy the squealing entitlement of people receiving free entertainment on the internet. Is there any sweeter song around? XP

 

[SummerDawn]

I have to say that I'm perfectly fine with stories that are linear, and stories that branch a lot, both have their merits and as long as it's well written I'll come back time and time again. I especially like stories that use branching to show different character Points of View.

For myself, I'm writing a mostly linear story, but there's two concurrent branches to the story which will eventually merge, but for now they're seperate and that works well. I also use branches near the root for things like "What If?" where I'm either not there in the main story, or don't want to branch off the main story as it's a major deviation. I also find branching to allow showing multiple scenes in parallels work really nicely. The "who shall we follow?" sort of question where the stories branch off, and will eventually come back. Also, in my story, the main thread is 3rd person and you can see the bigger picture but using a branch to step into the character as either a 1st Person POV, or very narrow 3rd Person can add some insight into scenes.

 

[JWtts]

This thread is definitely encouraging. When I first stumbled upon this site I thought, "Cool. This could be fun!" and then I started plotting out my first story in hopes of having multiple paths, options, and eventual different endings. I tried (and am still trying) to make sense of Game mode, then tried to circumnavigate Game mode with creative decision mapping/threads without forcing the reader down a path, and eventually I got overwhelmed. My current (and only) story (so far) was birthed from being an addition to a no longer existing story as I had decided to go looking for others' sandboxes to play in.

Long story short, taking my linear story and doing sort of a serial format has helped with my confidence as a writer (both for erotic and non-erotic stories). Instead of spending days, weeks, months, and maybe years writing a story (erotic or non) and hoping it's good enough (or gets bought/published) is a bit of a gamble, especially as a new-ish writer, so having some instant feedback has helped motivate me to write on. Not only can I test my chops and get some instant feedback (Likes, Favorites, Comments, or even just Views), the serial format helps in breaking down a bigger story into smaller manageable chunks for this newbie (even if I'm not the best at publishing new chapters consistently).

While I did do my research as far as what's popular and what formats (POV, categories, chapter length, etc.) is favored on CHYOA, before I started writing and plotting, I'm also trying to marry that with the stories I want to write instead of just blinding chasing readers or trends. As my confidence builds I might bite off more with multi-thread stories or at least throw in some options along the way, and maybe eventually create a story world to manage and write with collaborating authors. For now, linear/single-path is the name of the game for me.