@Julyvee94 this is a wonderful resource, thank you for putting it together. It's only right it got a Sticky, every beginner really should read it. I know it helped me a lot.
Also, @CitizenErased14 Oh My Holy Plum! I found your viedo here. It was very informative ( I'm silly and I had no idea what to do about the plumming plumbob.) Thanks! It was so fun to hear Luc's and Ev's voices. Yours too, and the comments were hillarious.
I glad it was helpful, @chocis ! I've actually been meaning to make an updated guide since my shots have gotten even better since I made this video (and I learned the miraculous cheat "Headlineeffects off", which gets rid of the plumbob )
I can't believe how far into my story it was before I learned about Sims 3's testingcheatsenabled > hideheadlineeffects on cheat. Makes me feel so bad in retrospect! The only thing I don't like is that it hides the thought bubbles as well, which I like to incorporate sometimes.
@Julyvee94 This is great! Thanks for posting this!
I'm not very good at promoting my stories, myself. I tend to post on the forums, and I have a banner, but I don't really promote it anywhere else. I have been reading other people's stories too, but since I am a Sim Adult (ha!) I have a fulltime job and can't read that many at once. I guess I need to be even more of a presence on the forums!
@Julyvee94 This is great! Thanks for posting this!
I'm not very good at promoting my stories, myself. I tend to post on the forums, and I have a banner, but I don't really promote it anywhere else. I have been reading other people's stories too, but since I am a Sim Adult (ha!) I have a fulltime job and can't read that many at once. I guess I need to be even more of a presence on the forums!
[*] Stay in control:
It’s ok to ask your readers for their opinion on the story, but the final say should come from you. The moment you begin writing what you think everyone would want to read is the moment you’ve lost control of your story.
Whenever I try to publish anything I wrote, people are always saying, "You know what you should do now?" It really gets on my nerves! I never do what they say, because it's my story; and they can always write their own.
I've got a good and potentially useful question to ask. Where you get your inspiration or ideas for your stories?
@LillyDoves that's a good question! However, I haven't added it to the guide because it's more of a creative writing question than it is a question for the technialities of SimLit which is what this guide is about If I put this question into the guide, it opens the door to questions like "How do I create interesting characters?" or "How do I make a scene believable?". Those are questions that have a similar answer for any kind of creative writing. I want to limit this guide to "How to simlit", the creative writing you must supply yourself or use other guides for. Otherwise this will quickly get out of hand and overwhelming for newbies. Hope you understand
I agree. Sometimes a wedding or funeral or making love sometimes need no words. Especially if the pictures are powerful enough. Or if the author wants to leave you with a cliffhanger!
I agree. Sometimes a wedding or funeral or making love sometimes need no words. Especially if the pictures are powerful enough. Or if the author wants to leave you with a cliffhanger!
i use pics with ayden and christine a lot. they talk more now but at the beging ayden wasn't that intrested in talking.
@LillyDoves I totally meant to come back and share my thoughts, but forgot to!
Basically these are my thoughts:
Wordless stuff: I am a huge lover of wordless chapters/wordless chunks of chapters. For me, I think they are a powerful way to tell the story when you feel no words are necessary (kind of like what @AudreyFld said about highly emotional things, like weddings or funerals). I honestly feel like they are appropriate any time they feel 'right'. I know that's a lame answer, but... haha
Time Skips: I actually think Wordlessness works awesome for Time Jumps, if you can manage it. But if not, my recommendation is starting with some kind of 'event'... like, after most of my time jumps, there is some kind of important event happening (a birthday, a wedding, etc) that's an excuse for the characters to reflect back on the past and fill in some gaps the readers might have missed. Maybe a cheap tactic, but I think it works!
Another one on time skips: When I feel like it's just going to be something mundane, like just getting ready for another day or another day at work, then that's a good point to time skip. For me, if there's nothing going on or no use for the scene story progression wise, then it might be a good idea to skip it. Then, how to implement a time skip would be a noticeable break -- some kind of symbol in the middle of the page, or a horizontal like through the page would be a good way to break it up. Or, simply, ending the chapter there and starting another whole chapter for the time skip is another way. Just to break it up.
Is this the proper thread for new simlit writers to share their new stories. If so, thenI would like to let everyone know that I have started my own simlit blog over on wordpress. You can check out the first official chapter of my first story here: https://soulfulsims.wordpress.com/2017/05/13/endearing-fire-1-life-is-short/ (you will have to copy and paste the link as this is my very first post here on the forums).
I have found this thread to be the most helpful when it comes to the whole subject of simlit, so this is the only thread that I am most familiar with, involving this side of the simming community.
Welcome to the community @ArtisticCE it's totally fine to share your story here. I also recommend going to the writer's Lounge (there's a link in the list of helpful threads) and introducing yourself there. Everyone is super friendly and welcoming, it's the best place for new writer's to Hang out also I'm so happy you found this thread helpful! Happy writing
First and foremost, thank you @julyvee94 for creating this thread! I'm sure it took a lot of time and effort to create. I've read everything in anticipation of starting my first ever blog to post my first ever SimLit short story for the monthly challenge. The story will be a sort've introduction and/or prologue if you will, to a bigger story with lots of chapters I'm hoping to write soon. I have a ton of images for it so far, but nothing written. Except the short story of course.
I've decided to try Wordpress. It seems quite involved and overwhelming for a somewhat html noob such as myself, but I'm sure once I get into it, with the help of this thread I'll figure things out.
Anyway, I have one big question that I couldn't find an answer for in this thead or on the Wordpress website. Perhaps I just overlooked it, but it eludes me. When I create my blog and start building it, will it be immediately visible? Or can I set it up right from the beginning invisible until I'm ready to publish? I'm hoping it will allow me to fumble around and figure stuff out without anyone seeing what I'm doing. Thank you!
Comments
Also, @CitizenErased14 Oh My Holy Plum! I found your viedo here. It was very informative ( I'm silly and I had no idea what to do about the plumming plumbob.) Thanks! It was so fun to hear Luc's and Ev's voices. Yours too, and the comments were hillarious.
Have a Sim story site? Please submit your link to the Stories and Legacies Index!
Check out my Simlit at Sim Stories: Hijinks from the World of Sims 3!
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Origin ID: Julyvee94
I'm not very good at promoting my stories, myself. I tend to post on the forums, and I have a banner, but I don't really promote it anywhere else. I have been reading other people's stories too, but since I am a Sim Adult (ha!) I have a fulltime job and can't read that many at once. I guess I need to be even more of a presence on the forums!
i'm not great at promoting mine either
Whenever I try to publish anything I wrote, people are always saying, "You know what you should do now?" It really gets on my nerves! I never do what they say, because it's my story; and they can always write their own.
I've got a good and potentially useful question to ask.
Where you get your inspiration or ideas for your stories?
Of Myth and Magic
That depends on the story for me. Either from creating a sim while testing out CC, or from scrolling through sims challenges, or from a dream I had.
Yes, I'm still working on my stories. But I am restarting them (again). Links will come when they're up.
Come Join The Mafia! | Monthly Simlit Story Challenges
mostly challenges
LisabeeSims
New readers can visit here first: In-a-NUTSHELL
#EAgamechanger
It depends. I get my story inspiration and ideas from challenges, movies, and books.
@LillyDoves that's a good question! However, I haven't added it to the guide because it's more of a creative writing question than it is a question for the technialities of SimLit which is what this guide is about
Until It Breaks (Complete!) | Tribe Arayeo | Discovery (Complete!) | Vee is for Vortex
Julyvee Twitter | Julyvee Youtube | A Quick Guide to SimLit | PARTY IN THE USA
Origin ID: Julyvee94
And I don't mind at all ^^
Of Myth and Magic
How do you know when it's appropriate to use a long stream of pictures in a chapter with no words in between?
I think another good one:
How do you properly use time skips in SimLit?
Of Myth and Magic
Maybe @CitizenErased14 can help us out here? I know she frequently does things like this, sometimes even chapters with no words at all!
Until It Breaks (Complete!) | Tribe Arayeo | Discovery (Complete!) | Vee is for Vortex
Julyvee Twitter | Julyvee Youtube | A Quick Guide to SimLit | PARTY IN THE USA
Origin ID: Julyvee94
Chain Reaction Legacy|After the End|Alicekai'd
i use pics with ayden and christine a lot. they talk more now but at the beging ayden wasn't that intrested in talking.
Basically these are my thoughts:
Wordless stuff: I am a huge lover of wordless chapters/wordless chunks of chapters. For me, I think they are a powerful way to tell the story when you feel no words are necessary (kind of like what @AudreyFld said about highly emotional things, like weddings or funerals). I honestly feel like they are appropriate any time they feel 'right'. I know that's a lame answer, but... haha
Time Skips: I actually think Wordlessness works awesome for Time Jumps, if you can manage it. But if not, my recommendation is starting with some kind of 'event'... like, after most of my time jumps, there is some kind of important event happening (a birthday, a wedding, etc) that's an excuse for the characters to reflect back on the past and fill in some gaps the readers might have missed. Maybe a cheap tactic, but I think it works!
Of Myth and Magic
Yes, I'm still working on my stories. But I am restarting them (again). Links will come when they're up.
Come Join The Mafia! | Monthly Simlit Story Challenges
@LillyDoves: Gameplay I swear that's helpful especially when you're not secured or you can't play your own ideas.
on wordpress: thesimsophonique.wp.com / on dreamwidth: simsophonique.dreamwidth.org
Follow me on tumblr (sims only)
simsophonique.tumblr.com (please no triggers I am autistic asperger)
Is this the proper thread for new simlit writers to share their new stories. If so, thenI would like to let everyone know that I have started my own simlit blog over on wordpress. You can check out the first official chapter of my first story here: https://soulfulsims.wordpress.com/2017/05/13/endearing-fire-1-life-is-short/ (you will have to copy and paste the link as this is my very first post here on the forums).
I have found this thread to be the most helpful when it comes to the whole subject of simlit, so this is the only thread that I am most familiar with, involving this side of the simming community.
Until It Breaks (Complete!) | Tribe Arayeo | Discovery (Complete!) | Vee is for Vortex
Julyvee Twitter | Julyvee Youtube | A Quick Guide to SimLit | PARTY IN THE USA
Origin ID: Julyvee94
First and foremost, thank you @julyvee94 for creating this thread! I'm sure it took a lot of time and effort to create. I've read everything in anticipation of starting my first ever blog to post my first ever SimLit short story for the monthly challenge. The story will be a sort've introduction and/or prologue if you will, to a bigger story with lots of chapters I'm hoping to write soon. I have a ton of images for it so far, but nothing written. Except the short story of course.
I've decided to try Wordpress. It seems quite involved and overwhelming for a somewhat html noob such as myself, but I'm sure once I get into it, with the help of this thread I'll figure things out.
Anyway, I have one big question that I couldn't find an answer for in this thead or on the Wordpress website. Perhaps I just overlooked it, but it eludes me. When I create my blog and start building it, will it be immediately visible? Or can I set it up right from the beginning invisible until I'm ready to publish? I'm hoping it will allow me to fumble around and figure stuff out without anyone seeing what I'm doing.