Best way to approach the writing process as a programmer?

[Deleted member 6145813]

I have a general outline of my game mechanics and what I'm capable of creating, but I have no clue where to start in terms of story.

For those getting started with your game, how do you approach the writing process?

 

[Cosy Creator]

I have a file full of ideas for scenes and major plot points just in note form (loosely sorted) - long enough to be a short novel by itself in word count.

When I come to writing an update I then take these ideas and turn them into a rough scene layout in chronological order, covering the day from the moment the MC wakes up to the moment he goes to sleep, and specifically noting any important points that I have to cover when writing the scene. This is where I try to keep the story internally consistent, and add references/callbacks to previous scenes or ongoing story points.

Using the above roadmap, the actual writing just feels like painting by numbers. I don't have to think about the story or plot at this point because I've already written that essentially, now I'm just converting it into something readable and focusing entirely on the composition of the writing.

 

[Winterfire]

Similar to Cosy Creator , however I always begin a project with a start and an end. Having a start and an end means you have an actual goal to reach, and then it's all about what's inbetween it.

It highly depends on the genre, and template you are following (if any), but you can break out the writing further by putting more goals.
For example, if on day 1 the goal is meeting character A, then analyze the character and see what they enjoy... If they love coffee, maybe you'll meet them in a coffee shop... Then you'd need to find a reason for the MC to head there, maybe he works there? Maybe he's meeting somebody else there?
Answer those questions with character sheets/notes you should have beforehand, and then you'll have a rough outline of a scene with the goal you want to reach, then it's all about writing the actual scene following their personalities.