Branching Story, Unlocked Dialogue Designing and Writing Visual Novels

This book covers the distinguishing characteristics and tropes of visual novels (VNs) as choice-based games and analyzes VNs like 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors; Hatoful Boyfriend; and Monster Prom, some of the best examples of the genre as illustrations. The author covers structuring branching narrative and plot, designing impactful and compelling choices, writing entertaining relationships and character interactions, understanding the importance of a VN’s prose, and planning a VN’s overall narrative design and story delivery. The book contains exercises at the end of chapters to practice the techniques discussed. By the end of the book, if the reader finishes all the exercises, they may have several portfolio pieces or a significant portion of their own VN project designed. Features: Discusses different aspects and genres of VNs, what makes them enjoyable, and successful techniques developers can incorporate into their own games Analyzes various VNs and choice-based games that use these successful techniques Shares tips from developers on portfolio pieces, hiring a team to work on VNs, and plotting and outlining VNs Branching Story, Unlocked Dialogue: Designing and Writing Visual Novels is a valuable resource for developers and narrative designers interested in working on VNs. The book will show them how they can design their own VN projects, design branching narratives, develop entertaining plots and relationships, design impactful and compelling choices, and write prose that’s a pleasure to read.

Acknowledgments. Glossary. Chapter 1 In Less Than 10 Years… Section I Visual Novels and the VN Audience. Chapter 2 Choice-Based Games and Visual Novels. Chapter 3 Visual Novel Genres and Platforms. Chapter 4 The Visual Novel Audience. Section II Designing and Writing Visual Novels. Chapter 5 The Story Delivery of Visual Novels. Chapter 6 The "Novel" Part of "Visual Novel": Perfecting Prose. Chapter 7 Designing Branching Narratives: Choices, Variables, and Relationships. Chapter 8 Choice and Consequence Design: Actions and Reactions. Chapter 9 Character Development and Routes: Writing MCs and NPCs. Chapter 10 Dialogue in Visual Novels and Choice-Based Games: Choose Your Words Carefully. Chapter 11 Writing for VN and Other Choice-Based Apps. Chapter 12 Developing Your Own Visual Novels and Choice-Based Games: A Quick Guide. Chapter 13 Resources, Planning, and Processes. INDEX.

Nashville native Toiya Kristen Finley is a writer, editor, game designer, and narrative designer/game writer. She holds a Ph.D. in literature and creative writing from Binghamton University. With nearly 70 published works, she has over 20 years of experience writing in a range of genres. In 2011, she co-founded the Game Writing Tutorial at GDC Online with Tobias Heussner and served as an instructor in 2011 and 2012. In videogames, she has worked as a game designer, narrative designer, game writer, and editor (or some combination of the four) on several unreleased and in-production indie, social, and mobile games for children and general audiences. Some of these projects shall stay locked away in dungeons for eternity (hey, that’s the game industry for ya). Some published games include Academagia: The Making of Mages (Black Chicken Studios), Fat Chicken (Relevant Games), Verdant Skies (Howling Moon Software), and Siren Song (Stardust Works). She co-authored The Game Narrative Toolbox (Focal Press, 2015) with Jennifer Brandes Hepler, Ann Lemay, and Tobias Heussner. Most recently, she edited and contributed to Narrative Tactics for Mobile and Social Games: Pocket-Sized Storytelling (CRC Press, 2018). Her current work includes writing and editing for various interactive fiction projects and narrative design and game design for Digital Myths Studio. Previous Publications: The Game Narrative Toolbox, Narrative Tactics for Mobile and Social Games: Pocket-Sized Storytelling