GMC's writing topic

[Lukasmah]

Do you like to write and read? This is a topic for you. Here, you can showcase your writing, discuss writing or literature in general and basically do anything related.

Keep in mind, however, that this is primarily focused on creation, and if you just want to discuss a written piece of work, you may want to create a topic for it.

That doesn't mean you're not allowed to discuss literature here, but if you intend to completely ignore any writing techniques, plot devices etc. when you talk about it, it's probably not the right topic.

 

[Deleted member 467]

Well... I guess I'll start to add stuff here. In my current game (and others I plan in making later on) I kinda have a general plot line of things that go on and what you need to do with some more thrown in here and there. My problem is that I don't think it counts as a story. I have a lone plot twist (if it counts as one) but even then I don't know if that's enough for my game.

What are some ways you'd recommend to tell my story better through my game or ways I can add more of a story?

 

[Lukasmah]

Not every game needs a story, and some are just fine with a simple one that's just there to explain things.

But if you still want a story...

Environment design and gameplay are very useful here. It's pretty easy to follow the "Show, don't tell" rule, and a lot can be revealed about your world just from its appearance and the things you find there.

There are ways of storytelling that doen't interrupt gameplay, and you might want to use those. A common one is text that appears below or above the screen in relatively safe areas. It can be narrated by the character or a narrator that doesn't exist in the game world. The text can reveal more about the story, the current area or both.

Try to find inspiration somewhere. Games, artwork, music, stories, history...

Ideas can be found anywhere. Write them down, even if you can't immediately think of a way to incorporate them into the story.

When it comes to creating a story, there are several ways to do it. You could have a starting scenario and explore the possible consequences. You could also make a very basic plotline and add detail. You can create new methods. You can combine them. There's really a lot you can do.

I hope that helps.