"All you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be --Pink Floyd
Need help? Well, go FAQ yourself.
🎉 Celebrating 25 Years of GameDev.net! 🎉
Not many can claim 25 years on the Internet! Join us in celebrating this milestone. Learn more about our history, and thank you for being a part of our community!
Writing a story w/ a "message"
Author
Let''s assume for a moment you want to write an emotionally moving story of some sort be it for a game or other medium. Do writers often think about what they want the reader to feel ( in other words, the overall message the story sends), and then develop a story around that? Or do both things sort of develop around each other? Perhaps, it''s a totally different situation entirely.
Just a little curious
"All you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be --Pink Floyd
Need help? Well, go FAQ yourself.
"All you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be --Pink Floyd
Need help? Well, go FAQ yourself.
John Gardner (Sunlight Dialogues, Grendel) states that he often will start w. a theme in mind and deliberately choose characters who illustrate that theme. However he takes it as a point of honor that he allows the theme to develop itself through the characters, presenting it from each character''s individual point of view, never forcing the outcome by twisting the situation to "fit" a preordained point of view.
This makes good sense. When an author starts w. a "message" in mind, the work usually smacks of propaganda and suffers as a result. So I would suggest keeping your thumb off the scales and allow emotional intensity to develop from the raw honesty of the work.
To be fair though, a good many writers work in a totally opposed, almost allegorical manner, and do so succesfully; and of course, any of this only applies if your work centers around ideas. Works that are more heavily character- or plot-based work much differently.
If you see the Buddha on the road, Kill Him. -apocryphal
This makes good sense. When an author starts w. a "message" in mind, the work usually smacks of propaganda and suffers as a result. So I would suggest keeping your thumb off the scales and allow emotional intensity to develop from the raw honesty of the work.
To be fair though, a good many writers work in a totally opposed, almost allegorical manner, and do so succesfully; and of course, any of this only applies if your work centers around ideas. Works that are more heavily character- or plot-based work much differently.
If you see the Buddha on the road, Kill Him. -apocryphal
Author
quote: Original post by Anonymous Poster.
...and of course, any of this only applies if your work centers around ideas. Works that are more heavily character- or plot-based work much differently.
If you see the Buddha on the road, Kill Him. -apocryphal
That is a very interesting statement. That''s one thing I have noticed in storytelling. Stories seem to either be character-based, plot-based, or message-based. It''s incredibly rare to find all three at the same time. It''s even fairly rare to find 2 of these at the same time. I always wonder if it''s possible to have all 3.
"All you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be --Pink Floyd
Need help? Well, go FAQ yourself.
It would always be good to aim for an all 3 based story. I am not sure if Magician was plot or character, but I would go for both.
I wonder if you gave three writers the same kind of idea, told one to write a character, one to write the plot and another to distinguish a message and then compiled the ideas into one if you could get three. I somehow think not, though, because the message would definitely be tied to the plot, and the plot would be leading the character.
Interesting thought though.
-Chris Bennett of Dwarfsoft - Site:"The Philosophers'' Stone of Programming Alchemy" - IOL
The future of RPGs - Thanks to all the goblins over in our little Game Design Corner niche
I wonder if you gave three writers the same kind of idea, told one to write a character, one to write the plot and another to distinguish a message and then compiled the ideas into one if you could get three. I somehow think not, though, because the message would definitely be tied to the plot, and the plot would be leading the character.
Interesting thought though.
-Chris Bennett of Dwarfsoft - Site:"The Philosophers'' Stone of Programming Alchemy" - IOL
The future of RPGs - Thanks to all the goblins over in our little Game Design Corner niche
message, plot, character
I write dungeons and dragons missions, I make story lines for rpg''s, and I write stories daily. I must be missing something though, beucase I dont know what you guys are talking about.
Every story should have emotional moments, that really get to the readers mind, and pisses him off, makes him cry, and makes him laugh.
Never mind that, can you tell me the difference of all 3 and tell me when whitch should be used.
Pindergust Lightheart
Tribes/starcraft: MASTER
Clan Leader: ~Young Blood~
-=you only get 1 chance, make life count=-
I write dungeons and dragons missions, I make story lines for rpg''s, and I write stories daily. I must be missing something though, beucase I dont know what you guys are talking about.
Every story should have emotional moments, that really get to the readers mind, and pisses him off, makes him cry, and makes him laugh.
Never mind that, can you tell me the difference of all 3 and tell me when whitch should be used.
Pindergust Lightheart
Tribes/starcraft: MASTER
Clan Leader: ~Young Blood~
-=you only get 1 chance, make life count=-
Author
basically IMO, some stories seem to revolve around how the characters change over time while other stories seem to revolve around how the happenings around the characters change and the characters themselves remain rather static. You rarely see both things simultaneously.
Yeah I agree ye guys have a point here... I''m writing a story myself... maybe I should at least try to include all 3 ?
- A.J. Oja. -
Lead Programmer/Project Leader
DiMTEX Software
- A.J. Oja. -
Lead Programmer/Project Leader
DiMTEX Software
The story I am writing for both a novel and game (yeah... ambitious me) is definately driven by all three. I actually think that if you dig deep enough in any story there is at least an attempt to obtain all three. Not all pull it off though.
When I formulated the storyline, I decided I wanted characters that represented very different points of view. In fact, you could say that points of view are heavily stressed in my story. (the whole idea that good and evil are relative) But anyway... I formed one character that would illustrate over the course of the story one "message" I wanted to convey and picked her actions/reactions to a very unbiased sequence of events. I formed other characters in the same manner.
So basically the development of the characters and plot was wicked deliberate. I wanted each character to have their own "message" and the entire cast to form a collective "message."
It''s told from a "good" point of view, a "neutral" point of view, and an "evil" point of view. But the "message" is none of the are good or evil: there is no such thing. To prove this "thesis" I set up a very deliberate plotline. When one character makes a decision, you see all the others'' reaction.
It''s by far the most complex piece I have ever written. I was worried for a bit it would be too confusing or would seem like I am trying too hard. But so far all my critics seem to disagree. Their only complaint is its long. :D
I''m still working on it too!
When I formulated the storyline, I decided I wanted characters that represented very different points of view. In fact, you could say that points of view are heavily stressed in my story. (the whole idea that good and evil are relative) But anyway... I formed one character that would illustrate over the course of the story one "message" I wanted to convey and picked her actions/reactions to a very unbiased sequence of events. I formed other characters in the same manner.
So basically the development of the characters and plot was wicked deliberate. I wanted each character to have their own "message" and the entire cast to form a collective "message."
It''s told from a "good" point of view, a "neutral" point of view, and an "evil" point of view. But the "message" is none of the are good or evil: there is no such thing. To prove this "thesis" I set up a very deliberate plotline. When one character makes a decision, you see all the others'' reaction.
It''s by far the most complex piece I have ever written. I was worried for a bit it would be too confusing or would seem like I am trying too hard. But so far all my critics seem to disagree. Their only complaint is its long. :D
I''m still working on it too!
Hey all,
I''ve been trying to decide whether you are referring to an RPG text game or an actual writing to be implemented within a novel or video game. I started something close to the latter when I was in 9th grade (um, about six years ago). I had just discovered Final Fantasy 7 and well...you know how it goes.
Well, the story is finished (it has been since the 9th grade). I currently have it posted on FanFiction.net. It is entitled "The Seraphim Dynasty" under my author name, GNRLover. Check it out if you want.
Also, see my site at http://members.tripod.com/gnrlover1st/ for more fictions I''ve written since then, including Forsaken.Small summaries are included.
Thanks a bunch,
Jenni Lee
I''ve been trying to decide whether you are referring to an RPG text game or an actual writing to be implemented within a novel or video game. I started something close to the latter when I was in 9th grade (um, about six years ago). I had just discovered Final Fantasy 7 and well...you know how it goes.
Well, the story is finished (it has been since the 9th grade). I currently have it posted on FanFiction.net. It is entitled "The Seraphim Dynasty" under my author name, GNRLover. Check it out if you want.
Also, see my site at http://members.tripod.com/gnrlover1st/ for more fictions I''ve written since then, including Forsaken.Small summaries are included.
Thanks a bunch,
Jenni Lee
This topic is closed to new replies.
Advertisement
Popular Topics
Advertisement
