HOW THE DUCK DO I WRITE A VISUAL NOVEL

Weird Duck

Creator of "Caught"
Game Developer
Feb 2, 2020
53
106
Hi everyone
I need to ask something , I had this VN idea that I wanted to make
I started learning daz3d and I finale got the hang of it and I am a programmer so ren'py also wasn't a problem
all is left is writing the script so i get my pen and paper and wrote the first line and that's it my mind goes blank
I suddenly forget how people talk to each other
can someone tell me what am I have to do to write a dialogue
 

Nicke

Well-Known Member
Game Developer
Jul 2, 2017
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Well, I can tell you how I write dialogue: Slowly and with a lot of agony.

If there's a secret to it, I haven't found it yet.
 
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Hagatagar

Well-Known Member
Oct 11, 2019
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First of all, get comfortable with the word FUCK, so that you don't need to write "I want to duck you dripping fussy!"

Joking aside. You are probably not a writer or some other kind of author. Yes, that is already the first problem.
And no, there's no easy solution there. Take a look at almost all the other VNs, their dialogues are not Shakespeare either.

You simply have to study and practice (if you want to write good dialogue).

Watch shows with straightforward dialogue, sitcoms and soap operas aren't too bad for that, remember, you're probably a beginner and you shouldn't try to deliver a Oscar-worthy discourse right away.
Write a bunch of test dialogues and have them read by text2speech. Often you can hear immediately if it sounds weird or passable and maybe even where you can improve it.
 
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EchoFoxtrot

"Wholesome Violence or Violently Wholesome"
Game Developer
Sep 5, 2018
622
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Write your main characters. Get to know them.
Make them in daz. Which smile looks better on who, does girl a always smile with her teeth, does girl b prefer to look slightly annoyed.

Write the back story. How do the characters tease each other.
In short get a feel for them.

Anyway that's how I work.
Best of luck to ya fella
 

Weird Duck

Creator of "Caught"
Game Developer
Feb 2, 2020
53
106
First of all, get comfortable with the word FUCK, so that you don't need to write "I want to duck you dripping fussy!"

Joking aside. You are probably not a writer or some other kind of author. Yes, that is already the first problem.
And no, there's no easy solution there. Take a look at almost all the other VNs, their dialogues are not Shakespeare either.

You simply have to study and practice (if you want to write good dialogue).

Watch shows with straightforward dialogue, sitcoms and soap operas aren't too bad for that, remember, you're probably a beginner and you shouldn't try to deliver a Oscar-worthy discourse right away.
Write a bunch of test dialogues and have them read by text2speech. Often you can hear immediately if it sounds weird or passable and maybe even where you can improve it.
First of all,I know how to say FUCK saying DUCK is just more funny and it confuse people when I'm angry.
second, Thank you all for repaying.
the big problem is English isn't my first language not even my second so imagning a senario in a language I can't speak very well is kinda hard
 

Ramagar

Well-Known Member
Nov 19, 2017
1,156
1,147
As others have said, develop your main characters background. So that they feel like real people. You might want to do that with the main NPC's also. The more personality you put into them, the easier it will be to write about them.

To many have an idea and then just make it up as they go. That is good up to a point, but the readers (or in this case the players) will quickly pick up on that.

I would storyboard or outline your entire game before doing any writing. This is the template for the game. It will help you stay on track when you get a block or players start wanting you to change your game to suit them. By doing this, you have the basics of the game. You just need to fill in the details. Which should be fairly easy if you outlined it well.

Always remember that it is your game. Yes you can listen to the players and make changes, as long as it does not really alter your game to much.

EDIT: It might also help to find someone who speaks both your native language and English (or whatever other languages you wish to use). They can help correct common errors.
 
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GNVE

Active Member
Jul 20, 2018
685
1,152
There are a few things that might help.
- lay out the story/scene first it might be easier to fill in the dialogue if you know what it needs to accomplish.
- Don't try to write a perfect dialogue first try. You can always tweak things later. It is better to write broken dialogue than nothing at all.
- Don't dismiss your first impulses they are often simple but good ones.
- Don't be embarrassed about your writing it holds you back.
- Before writing a large complex VN try to write a small simple one. It is easier to write kinetic novel that has one act versus a novel that eventually needs to encompass a dozen paths etc.
- A little less easy but leaning impro certainly can help.
 

GNVE

Active Member
Jul 20, 2018
685
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First of all,I know how to say FUCK saying DUCK is just more funny and it confuse people when I'm angry.
second, Thank you all for repaying.
the big problem is English isn't my first language not even my second so imagning a senario in a language I can't speak very well is kinda hard
Well write in your native language first :) translation is probably easier.
 

anne O'nymous

I'm not grumpy, I'm just coded that way.
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Well write in your native language first :) translation is probably easier.
I thought it at first, but after some practice I don't recommend it.

There's only one thing worse than being stuck by the lack of inspiration, and it's to be stuck because what you wrote in your native language is too hard to translate with your actual English skills. You have some marvelous piece of dialog that feel perfectly natural, flow like water on an oilcloth then, due to the compromise your level of English force you to make, once translated it looks like shit.

Working directly in English is better, even when you've a low level of English ; just keep opened to do some rough translation. It doesn't matter much as first, because before effectively writing your story, you need to write a draft, to write some lines regarding your characters past and personalities, regarding the different locations, and all. And all this is for your eyes only, so who care if there's a fault each two words and the English is broken as fuck ?
In the same time, by doing this you'll practice English, and therefore learn it. What will be easier since you're practicing it while doing something that you want to do and that please you.



This being said, OP, here's two posts that should probably help you. The first address story writing, the second dialogs.

As I hinted above, at first you need a draft of your story, it will help you to order your ideas, know if it works, and also see if the story flow correctly. Take all the time you need to write it, but without slacking off, and don't hesitate to change the scenes order, their content, the personality or past of a character... In fact, don't hesitate to change anything you feel that need to be changed. It's a draft, and since you aren't a professional writer, you'll need it to effectively write your story. Just remember to keep copies of your previous drafts, sometimes you finally want to go back to a previous writing.
It will need times, but if you do this with constancy, you'll have your story in mind, whatever how small is the plot at first. And if you have your story in mind, consciously and unconsciously you'll think about it ; it will slowly grow in your mind, while the characters will starts to become old friends. And when characters feel like old friends, it's easier to predict their reactions, to know what they would answer to this or that, said otherwise, it's easier to write them.

Also, even if it's a bit late since you're "ready to write", read, read and read. A good writer is, before anything else, an hungry reader. The more you read, the more comparisons are stored deep in your memory. And by then, the more easily you'll write. Not by copying what others wrote, but by unconsciously using the sum of all the good, and also bad, examples you've read in the past. It become instinctive, you don't know why, but you know that it's how you should write it.

Finally, when you'll effectively write your story, don't believe that it's "I write and it's done".
You write a scene or a dialog, once it's done, you read it and tweak it a bit. Then you come back to it the day after, and you read it again, because it surely need some more tweaking. Repeat this few times, even when it's your job and you are good at it, there's always something to change here and there.
But draw a limit, and never forget what you thought the last time you read it. If you felt satisfied, whatever you can feel now, it mean that it's not as bad as that. It's not perfect, but changing a word or two is probably enough to make it feel better.
 

Hagatagar

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Oct 11, 2019
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the big problem is English isn't my first language not even my second so imagning a senario in a language I can't speak very well is kinda hard
Apart from what others already wrote and if nothing else helps, there is still the option to write in your native language and have someone else translate it. But that's probably not a real solution. :unsure:

Well write in your native language first :) translation is probably easier.
This does work for everyday stuff. But at some point one might spend too much time in DeepL trying to tweak every little sentence to make it sound right and good, without really learning to write proficiently by oneself, and also a constant need to put everything through an automated translation, because one thinks it will be not good enough otherwise.

You have some marvelous piece of dialog that feel perfectly natural, flow like water on an oilcloth then, due to the compromise your level of English force you to make, once translated it looks like shit.
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GNVE

Active Member
Jul 20, 2018
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I thought it at first, but after some practice I don't recommend it.
Yeah didn't think it through enough. Still if you really struggle with writing it might still help to write a few scenes in your native tongue throw them out and only then take on the more difficult task of writing in English.
 

anne O'nymous

I'm not grumpy, I'm just coded that way.
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Yeah didn't think it through enough. Still if you really struggle with writing it might still help to write a few scenes in your native tongue throw them out and only then take on the more difficult task of writing in English.
I would say: At first, think about the scene in your native language then, once you have it in mind, write the draft in English.


This does work for everyday stuff. But at some point one might spend too much time in DeepL trying to tweak every little sentence to make it sound right and good, without really learning to write proficiently by oneself, and also a constant need to put everything through an automated translation, because one thinks it will be not good enough otherwise.
Normally and, like above, "at first", the use of DeepL should be limited to single words, in order to extend your vocabulary. Everything else you translate should be full sentences, but English ones that you validate as effectively meaning something.
The rest will slowly come with time, through practice and reading English texts ; this forum by example. You'll see sentences and be "wait, it's how it should be wrote ?", once again slowly learning.


Off-topic... but kinda fitting...
The worse, and in a way more humiliating, is when you fallback to your native language, but your brain don't follow you. It happened to me, really few time by chance. You spoke English (or whatever) for a long time, and then you caught yourself not finding a word in your native language...
"Oh yeah, look how smart I am, speaking English (with a broken accent) for so long. Wait, how do we say '[whatever word]' in that other language, you know, the one I hear and spoke everyday since decades ?"
 
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SPkiller31

Member
Game Developer
Dec 20, 2020
130
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Can't really confirm whether or not it's a great idea yet but for me, these are things that help me with brain lag:
PS: Most of them were already mentioned to some extend.

1. I prefer to create scenes first while my brain is somewhat in a functioning state. Like: Next event/story fragment will happen there, with these characters etc. Filling rough idea of a scene with script for me is much easier than writing first.

2. Obviously playing other games, specially games that follow similar setting. I'm all against stealing ideas, characters and such but seeing how "fill character type/scheme" talks will help you get an overall idea.

3. I sometimes scrap ideas but most of the time, I try to turn even dumbest ideas or even memes into story fragments that may be shown sooner or later in story, so overall I try to avoid falling into infinite "scrap that idea until it's perfect" loop.
 

GNVE

Active Member
Jul 20, 2018
685
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The worse, and in a way more humiliating, is when you fallback to your native language, but your brain don't follow you. It happened to me, really few time by chance. You spoke English (or whatever) for a long time, and then you caught yourself not finding a word in your native language...
Oh that happens to me too often. Worst ever was when I was wondering why the movie was subtitled and that it took an uncomfortably long time before I realized it was in English.
 
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osanaiko

Engaged Member
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Jul 4, 2017
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A good writer is, before anything else, an hungry reader. The more you read, the more comparisons are stored deep in your memory. And by then, the more easily you'll write. Not by copying what others wrote, but by unconsciously using the sum of all the good, and also bad, examples you've read in the past. It become instinctive, you don't know why, but you know that it's how you should write it.
So become a chatGPT? :ROFLMAO:
 

lobotomist

Active Member
Sep 4, 2017
827
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I dont know how good is your english but if you can understand videos look up the youtube channels "abbie emmons" and "top develpment" both are writting youtubers.
If not, my best advice would be: Research dan harmon's story circle.
 
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Deleted member 1121028

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Dec 28, 2018
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After like, many many prototypes and about the same amount of failures, to get shit done I try to sequence my story in a simple flowchart (made in superior software MS paint). Plot isn't important, sequences is imho. Try to build your story brick by brick and not "I will render sequence7 while sequence3 isn't wrote because it's fun to do so" :ROFLMAO:. But that's me lol
 
Feb 11, 2021
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one of my biggest inspirations for horny writing is "taming of the shrew" because it's a shakespeare play it comes with good examples of stage directions and common themes useful in any type of production ie tragic heroes and revenge etc

plan out a plot with themes and characters who stay in character, decide what your protagonist starts as and what his/her destination will be ie become a cuck, fuck a harem, bad ending etc and once you have a plot you can plan scenes to get to each major plot point and sex scene
 

_retorik_

Newbie
Game Developer
Aug 21, 2018
86
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Visual novels aren't exactly my cup of tea but I like to plan my game in milestones or chapters. And then I go down a level and start placing milestones between those initial milestones and go down another level .... repeat until it is complete :)
 

noping123

Well-Known Member
Game Developer
Jun 24, 2021
1,498
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How to write good dialogue:

Step 1: a TON of cocaine.

Step 2: Sober up a few days later and be happy - you now have dialogue! How did it get there? Who cares!