Stories Forum Specific Guidelines:
Using lots of images or hitting us with an absolute novel? Please be courteous and use a
spoiler tag for your post. Thanks!
The Gallery will be under maintenance beginning May 30th at 6am PT & will be unavailable. All creations, comments, likes & downloads will be saved & restored once the Gallery is back up.
The Art of Sims Storytelling
Return to top
Comments
@Kellogg_J_Kellogg I think it's cool. Maybe I should start sharing a piece of OST at the end of the chapter now and again maybe, something that's inspired the chapter somehow or that I've written the chapter to. I can't write unless I'm listening to something.
I don't have much to say about the "graphical aspect" of simlit, as I tend to like the graphics of the game as such already (lately I've tried a few mods with a few default replacements for skins and game lights, but they are not fundamental to me). This could also be because I jumped straight from doing simlit with TS2 (I did it up to 2019 I think...) to TS4, so in comparison with what I was used to the newer game is already much better :P
The same way I can't comment much about the writing tricks, English is not my first language and if I started to set a target like: "never use very nor said" I would never post anything. Actually, I've never really done any real creative writing class even in my native language, I've always focused on studying other things and, eventually, I decided to write simlit for fun as an adult.
What I can try to do instead is answering to this question:
What do you think defines your personal storytelling style? What aspects of your work do you consider your personal 'trademarks' as a storyteller? (Can be in terms of writing style, characters, screenshots / style of screenshots, common tropes or themes that appear and whatever else comes to mind.)
Anyway, the points I'm the most aware of are:
- I often tend to be quite synthetic in my writing, in the sense that I often compress a lot of information in a small paragraph. In simlit, this mostly reflect in the very short descriptions of the scenery, sims appearance etc... I introduce in the story. Still, when I write things for work, my supervisor always finds words to cut here and there, meaning that I could be even more concise, if I put in some more effort. For example, she would probably have delegated this last sentence.
- My dialogues are also extremely compressed, as I tend to write them down more like a screenplay than a novel. Dialogues in my stories also tend to have a lot of back and forth among the characters before I'm back to the descriptive sections. I don't know why, but this way of writing dialogues was the norm in simlit in the forums in Italian where I started posting, but for a possible next story I'm evaluating trying a more novel-like approach instead. In my mother tongue I also often try to give different voices to the characters and make them speak with different registers, but in English it's hard to keep up also on this detail.
- As for the descriptive part of my chapters, it usually tends to focus on what the sims are feeling or their thoughts on what is happening. This is super evident in the stories where I write with a first-person POV, but it's also quite true when I prefer using a third-person one instead.
- I also tend to repropose similar characters over and over, even if I do a serious effort in trying to avoid it. Anyway, after introducing 10 or so characters, it's usually quite easy to start noticing similarities with other characters of that same story or from a previous one.
- All my stories up to now (even the ones that I started planning and then put aside) were either fantasy of sci-fi in theme.
- I'm always quite in conflict when it comes to write relationships. On the one hand I love writing about characters getting emotionally closer to each other, but when the relationship turns officially romantic I struggle a lot to represent them. For the same reason most of the couples in my stories behave quite similarly, I just don't know how to write them.
- My stories often comprehend very long-term friendships (less evident in my legacy than in previous works I would say), and in most cases families are very cohesive and supportive of the main characters.
And... well, for now that's all I can think of :P
To be fair there's nothing wrong with recycling archetypes now and again, I do it all the time : P
My tendency to use puns or just play on words for titles.
Dunno why I do it, but basically, simlit or otherwise, a lot of chapters or stories have either punny titles, or titles from other sources (usually songs of course).
Sometimes I worry I put more creativity in the titles than I do in the chapter/story itself...
Part One(Complete 9/24/16) /Part Two(on hold)/Short Stories(on hold)/Twinbrook 1996(on hold)/Ten Crystal Hearts (on hold)
I own the TS3 Store as of 12/11/16 (sort of. It's complicated)
Under The Tartosan Sun
Schemes and Dreams
I will try to answer what perhaps characterizes my personal writing style.
It is rare that I post-process an image, but it has happened if I want to emphasize a special atmosphere.
As a starting point, I get my inspiration from the pictures, but over time I have become a little more controlling in relation to my photographic subjects.
I still let randomness in the game decide where the story goes and who gets a role in the story.
I draw a rough script in advance, but there is room for changes if I get a new inspiration.
My stories move in the field between the realistic, self-experienced and the playfully imaginative. It is both a comment on things I have experienced and things I wish had happened.
A common theme is the development of individuals. Human development is one of the themes that concern me the most and how to deal with personal disappointments and crises.
I also want my stories to contain a lot of humor and hope.
I used to have a reputation for being a romantic and when I look at all the love entanglements that have arisen in my stories, I can't deny it.
I often try to put an ambiguous meaning in my texts as a humorous comment on a picture. I don't know if it worked. Maybe my language is an obstacle.
I use Google Translate as a helpful tool. I think it's obvious to English speaking readers, but I don't know.
I spend a really long time rewriting a text before I am satisfied. Several days.
Sometimes I emphasize a character with a piece of music if a chapter puts me in a certain mood.
Oh, one thing I forgot. I always try to describe the personality of my characters with several facets. No one is purely good or evil.
NB: Thanks to @Velvet_Lilies for your illustration. It is very helpful
I was going to say more, but I'm completely drawing a blank regarding my own writing style... It seems like anything I can think of isn't necessarily consistent from story to story... And it's dinner time.
Read Sim 66 here:https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/978195/sim-66/p1
https://kelloggjkellogg.blogspot.com/2020/10/sim-66-prologue.html
Besides making me happy, it is instructive for me to understand how it works.
Without hopefully sounding crazy, my writing style is probably partly due to the fact that the characters almost take on a life of their own. I can almost see them next to me.....It actually sounds crazy when I think about it
@MonaSolstraale - I agree, I think human development is the defining characteristic of Tusnelda and Trix. It's a very realistic outlook on regular people making regular mistakes and doing what they can to fix them...plus cute cats!
I thought of a few things that I think have consistently been a part of my storytelling style, regardless of what medium I'm working with, or what type of story I'm writing.
- Fantasy elements. This is so ubiquitous in my storytelling that I almost forget there is any other option. I don't think I have ever in my whole life written, or even started to write, a story that did not have fantasy elements in it. Sometimes the fantasy stuff is more overt and sometimes it's more subtle, but it's always there. Even my attempts to write sci-fi ultimately were "fantasy, but in SPACE" rather than proper science fiction.
-Heavy focus on character development, dialogue, relationships, emotions, and communication failures. I'm especially drawn to characters with inner turmoil and internal conflict caused by their own values being put in opposition to each other, and characters who end up in trouble mainly because they themselves made a series of bad choices. I always seem to end up with at least one character like this.
- External conflicts that are pretty much straight-up personality clashes, as opposed to bigger things like competing goals or conflicts of ideology. Those can get into the mix too, but the thing that really makes the conflicts escalate is two individuals who simply get on each other's nerves to the point where they can't communicate and solve the problem.
- Showing both sides of the conflict. When characters really start to clash, I tend to go back and forth between their points of view (in most cases almost equally) and whoever is the POV character of that scene or chapter, I get completely inside their head, and think the way they think. Ultimately, I want it to be hard for readers to decide who to side with, though whether or not I actually manage to pull that off is a different matter.
- A sense of humor that hinges on presenting absurd things as normal, and normal things as kind of absurd.
I think there is always at least one pet, cat or dog, in my stories.
I get that...I'm almost in love with two of my characters. Almost; I'm not that mad.
Read Sim 66 here:https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/978195/sim-66/p1
https://kelloggjkellogg.blogspot.com/2020/10/sim-66-prologue.html
Under The Tartosan Sun
Schemes and Dreams
I know what you mean, though. It's very easy to get attached to the characters in your stories, especially if you've poured a lot of yourself into them. They do come alive. Even if it's only to you. Writing characters is personal, whether that is in novels or simlit. 🙂
Oh, hey. That is a question. What is the most fun, well-made or memorable character you've ever written?
Probably Jolene Jones, a character I haven't written about for 5 years now, but I started her story way back in 2014 and I still get messages from people who remember her, and think about her whenever they hear the name . I miss her too sometimes but I don't think about her that much anymore which means that her story is over for me.
She was the main character in my most successful Sims 3 story - Dustland Fairytale, she was a 21 year old who lived in a trailer with her mother, who sets off on a long journey to try and find her little brother who was given up for adoption many years previously. I was obsessed with this story for a long time, and with her. She was so real to me and so fulfilling to write about, but in the end I ran out of steam and I outgrew the story. I look back on it now and cringe a bit because I made some mistakes with it and wrote about certain things without the compassion and empathy I would have now that I'm older. I also wrote about things I didn't know about or have any experience with and I think that it shows. You live and learn of course, and I don't regret the story at all - when I was writing that story I had a blast and improved my skill so much. I'll pop a picture of her under the cut!
For that it’s back to the two sims in my profile picture. Most memorable is Danielle. Most well made is her wife Londyn. I really struck lucky when I made her. Both of them together are the most fun, but I have so many others that qualify. My drag queen character Mimi in Schemes And Dreams is going to be in the running for all three by the time that story ends. They’re already so much fun to write.
Under The Tartosan Sun
Schemes and Dreams
Okay here we go. Since some of you are reading Divided I am not going to talk about this in much detail...
I'd like to know if there's anyone others might considerable memorable, if you've read anything of mine : P
At first I thought it was a difficult question. That you can't ask me to choose.
On second thought, there are almost no characters in Tusnelda's world that I made myself. Tusnelda is not made by me and the other main characters are townies.
Therefore my choice has to be Finn. He is one of the Sims I became most invested in. I really felt a great tenderness for him.
Finn at the start of A turtle's journey - I won't spoil how he ends up, but he changes quite a bit.
In addition, I can mention Keoni (My good vampire) who I have only briefly presented in a Christmas story. I wrote a longer story about him in a Danish forum.
Keoni tries to make an impression on Cassandra
Victor and José who were my main characters for over two years in a Danish story. José became the father of two daughters who are absolutely also among my favorits.
Victor and José the first Sims I played Jungle Adventure with. Victor was a kleptomaniac and José serial romantics. It brought them both so much trouble. They were really funny.
@MonaSolstraale
Oh, this one's easy:
Because something about a dog who is also a zombie and possesses some kind of special power, and has a hand in saving the world was definitely an absolute joy to write for.
Part One(Complete 9/24/16) /Part Two(on hold)/Short Stories(on hold)/Twinbrook 1996(on hold)/Ten Crystal Hearts (on hold)
I own the TS3 Store as of 12/11/16 (sort of. It's complicated)
Under The Tartosan Sun
Schemes and Dreams
This question makes me uncomfortable. If I answer based on my legacy, I think my answer should be Elmire. She's only a child now and children characters don't typically garner a lot of interest, but I think she has potential. Or maybe I just don't want to give the obvious answer.
@_sims_Yimi I'm curious about your answers too.
@SnowBnuuy
@DaniRose2143
@hellohannah2
@MonaSolstraale