Happy Valentine’s Day to all you out there in cyberspace.
Cupid’s bypassed me yet again so you know what that means… no tasty distractions from my writing today! I’ve been working on my new project for the month and I think I have a semi-permanent squiggly face of doom when I’m writing. Who knew it was going to be this involved?! I suspected it was going to keep me busy and writing like a fiend but I honestly expected it to be THIS intricate.
I think the great thing about the CYOA genre is that the complication and story line off-shoots are completely up to you. Do you want a book that each story will take 5 minutes to read or one that’s going to take 20? This is my first one so I suspect the stories are going to be shorter than future books if I write more. Also, there’s nothing to say that each story has to be the same length. Some paths may end up taking you on a 5 or 6 option chase and others you could die after the 3rd fork in the road. Pure genius!
Obviously this genre has to be handwritten because so far the only way I’v been able to keep track of things is by using loose-leaf paper. I can shuffle them around and the great thing is that I’ve found filler paper that has different coloured strips. That’s already coming in super handy; it’s the perfect way to colour-code each of the 4 original branches at the beginning of the story. Plus, I get to indulge in my Sharpie pen obsession and my love of handwriting.
I’m finding it tricky to not branch off every time my character needs to make a choice but this is a “pick your battle” situation. If EVERY decision had a branch I’d never get anywhere and the manuscript would be over 1,000 pages (albeit some pages only containing a sentence or 2). There are really only so many options I can give my readers but perhaps once I finish I can go back and fatten things up. Just to add a twist to things, it’d be great to weave some of the stories together if I can. Perhaps I’m getting too ambitious and too creative at the moment but I’ve managed one doubling-up so far so it could be possible. The added bonus to that I’ll cut down on the actual writing and my readers will get to backtrack a bit. Delicious!
I’ve forgotten how exhilarating it is to finish a story but it feels even better to finish one, start another and actually be able to indulge in the “what ifs” and “I should’ve done that insteads.” I think this could become quite addicting- it’s the chance to see what would’ve happened if you made the other decision. Sadly this can’t happen in real life but when the story’s written in 2nd person, it’s the closest you can get. This is the closest I’ll ever get to being omnipotent; I’m hooked.
12 Novels in 12 Months 
Sounds like loads of fun, Sandra! Indulging in “shoulda woulda couldas” is something I rarely allow myself to do, but in this context it would be quite liberating. Glad you’re enjoying this genre so much. And still trucking through your 12 month mission with great “stick-to-it-iveness”. Not easy, I know! Keep it up. 🙂
Cat
Thanks, Cat! I’ve been really having fun with the S/C/W’s and stepping outside the pretty rigid box I’ve plunked myself down in this year. I may not have it fully completed by the end of the month but I’ll have it DONE. That feels amazing to have started and finished a story. As with the other 2, there will be stuff left to fill in but the end will written. I can’t do this with the novels because I need to have all the components in the plot in order to reach the end.
It’s different with the CYOA because they’re essentially short stories. I love the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when I write “The End.” I’m crossing my fingers that I’ll be finished sketching out the stories in time to fill them in more completely.