Count and display the number of words while writing a chapter. EDIT: This suggestion should only cover a word count while writing/editing a chapter (plain information for the writer/editor) without using the number as any kind of statistic
Is there a word processor or a site to help clean the work that doesn't include a word counter? The only reason I can think of needing something like this is if the CHYOA is planning on setting a minimal amount of words per chapter.
??? There is no need for a word counter at all. I just thought that it could be interesting for writers to know the actual word count. I also don't see a reason for minimum words per chapter. As it should show the number of words while writing a chapter, it would be done with js, running on the client browser. (sending the number to the browser would make no sense) It could calculate the new value if the writer doesn't press any key for e.g. 1 second.
While there is no site-wide standard, there are users who only accept threads if they meet a certain word or character count. Whether or not it's a good idea is debatable - and I can cite one former user whose efforts to meet these standards demonstrated a most miserable backfire of the practice - but if people want to enforce a word limit on their own stories, a word counter would simplify the process.
I never cared to much about the word count total but I am sure I am not the only one who has gotten people who have submitted threads that couldn't even fill a birthday card. Something like a word minimum wouldn't be to hard for writers. This small paragraph is fifty four words long.
Didn't mean to be so harsh earlier. I personally don't count the number of words in my own chapters. For me I'm more of getting all the words to make sense, dot my i's, and add commas when needed. When reading the comments here I thought of a great idea for CHYOA. It is to have our own version of Grammarly on the site to help authors make corrections to their own works. Large project I'm sure.
Using a word count to force a minimum number of words per chapter or as a basis for story stats would also be possible, though then it must be calculated on the server. Creating an own version of Grammarly would be a big task without (much) advantage compared to the 3rd party add-on solution. Additionally, there would be a drawback for non-English writers because that function would recognize everything as wrong (or a way to disable it)
I think if there was one then it should only appear when you are editing a chapter and not on the chapter itself. Personally I enjoy looking at the word count for my stories and chapters more as a curiosity than out of any feeling of there being a minimum. Hell I have a chapter that is 9 words. I also use google Docs to write but I understand it would be nice for people who use the onsite editor to write to be able to see that info as a curiosity. Could also have a count for the whole story and the current thread. I think if it was put on to stories and be public it would do more harm than good. It could put off both people who have some kind of arbitrary minimum that must be met and could also put off those who see "2345 words" and get scared off by perceived length.
I don't see anything wrong with having the word count publicly displayed... I would like *all kinds* of story statistics available, in an ideal world (not that I'm saying this should be a high priority for the development team to implement). If a user has a 'minimum length' that they'd like before jumping into a story, arbitrary or not... let them have that. That's for them to decide, even if you think they might be missing out on something - and I don't think that's really going to be the case very often. It's just more of a sense of how far along the story or thread really is, what they can expect without browsing through the chapter list first. Mostly, it's just interesting. Though useful, too. More information is better. I don't think there's much of a point in arbitrarily restricting information, if it's making it available isn't a hassle.
That was the initial idea. To have a counter while writing/editing a chapter without any further use. I think, "avg. words per chapter" could be a great stat. It would probably be better to treat "show word count while writing" and "use word count as stat" as separate suggestions. Both can be added independently and wouldn't have any intersection (except if used to check for a minimum chapter length)
Word count isn't perceived length, it is length. If someone sees 2345 words just above 3 or 4 chapters they will read it. If I see 20k words with 900+ chapters I will run away from it. I Hate seeing people ruining their stories with hundreds of ultra short customization chapters at the start before anything even happens, while knowing that only one or two branches will be written (if even that) knowing how much actual content there is to the 300 chapters (excluding : pick eye color, hair color, boob size, number of dicks and various combinations.) is something that will help readers make informed choices and then help writers react to this and write real chapters for their stories. I Don't care to have a character exactly tailored to my tastes if nothing happens to him because the author is busy adding his 569th celebrity or Nth variation. Knowing that people will see the word count will make authors adjust to it. And it will be a good way to find stories that have a lot of content but didn't get a lot of publicity (old, updated in huge chunks or very rarely) I'm for the word counter and having both word count and average per chapter as search criteria (like/chapter criteria would be helpful too in addition to the rating one we have now)
Highly customized characters can only work in game stories. In a normal story, 5 attributes each with 4 different choices result in 1365 chapters. Same happens if someone tries to create a story where every branch has the same answers. With only 2 answers per chapter, the story would have 1023 chapters if it is 10 chapters deep. I did a separate suggestion for this kind of word counter here.
