writing
"There's no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you"
-Maya Angelou
Welcome to c/writing!
This is a space for all kinds of discussion referring to writing. This could include the structure and style found in different types of writing, authors worth talking about, different genres, trends, etc.
This is also a space for users who wish to share their own writing for feedback. This could look like independently posting excerpts of poems/prose/plays or it could be replying to one of the writing prompt threads. Brainstorming and worldbuilding ideas are welcome too!
Ideally, this will be a community where we work together to become better writers and appreciators of writing in all its forms.
All that said, please note that Code of Conduct still applies here. Please apply content warnings where applicable and spoiler material that might be inappropriate.
I've heard good things about Ren'Py as a visual novel maker. It's basically a simple programming language though so you'd need some computer skills.
Also, in visual design there's a concept they call a mood board, which is like a board with a whole bunch of different pictures that each inspire some sort of vibe or feeling you want to capture in a work, then you can look at it for inspiration when creating. Maybe something like that would help as a easy starting point to give you a concrete, visual point of reference?
Regarding visual novels, there are two standard types: ADV (Adventure) and NVL (novel). There are plenty of NVL type visual novels that contain tons and tons of text, while still having characters and backgrounds.
Also, what helps me write is pretending to switch "narrators" in my head. Like if I'm being descriptive about my world, I think of what a history documentary narrator would say about a subject. Or if a character is telling a casual flashback, I think of my friends telling stories of things that happened to them. It doesn't have to be the specific text that you write, of course. It's just a general tone and style guide that I found useful. You can get creative with it, like being a fashion contest judge assigning "points" for an outfit that you're describing.
Finally, if you have the means, you might want to invest in a second or even third monitor if you do your creative work online. Having multiple screens open for quick reference helps. It's not super critical or anything, especially with budget considerations.
The use of AI (i.e ChatGPT etc) can be a way to help with quickly creating an story outline from your basic idea.
Give it your basic story context, the characters (even if it's just a vague description) and the essential idea of the plot.
The AI will then create a storyboard you can use as prompts for your writing 👍