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The Art of Sims Storytelling

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  • RipuAncestorRipuAncestor Posts: 2,332 Member
    edited January 2023
    Ooh, these are fun questions, and I love how varied the answers are! Shows how diverse our writing styles are!
    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.)
    Genre: usually low fantasy or urban fantasy.

    Common themes: identity, death and grief and growing through that, non-human creatures discovering and inspecting humanity and the world, some meandering thoughts about the universe or something.

    Other stuff: I find it easier to write characters than plot, so the stories have a big focus on characters and their development. I'm a very wordy writer. I like to play with words and descriptions. I usually don't write romance as a focus, but instead focus more on platonic and familial relationships. Also there will be lots of tea and fawning over pretty landscapes and nature imagery.

    Character archetypes: non-human humanoids, like spirits, anthropomorphic personifications, fairies etc.; lovable rogues; shy characters; snarky characters; smart characters who get into situations they aren't prepared for.

    _sims_Yimi wrote: »
    Oh, hey. That is a question. What is the most fun, well-made or memorable character you've ever written?
    It has to be Thanatos Dustpine a.k.a Tad, but I am very pleased with how the main four of The Chrysanthemum Tango (Amelia Sprigg, Tad, Vanja Leifsdóttir and Novak Sanguine) work in general. I'm very fond of them all.

    @rednenemon Sagebear is the best :heart:

    Post edited by RipuAncestor on
    doublebannerpic.jpg?w=676
    My Sims stories:
    The Fey of Life - fairytales in life are few and far between (Forum thread HERE)
    The Chrysanthemum Tango - a story about life, death, magic, and how to be a good landlady (Forum thread HERE)
    Forget-Me-Not - some things just refuse to stay buried; an Ambrosia Challenge story (Forum thread HERE)
  • MonaSolstraaleMonaSolstraale Posts: 1,372 Member
    @GlacierSnow Ha, ha :D Trix seems to be everyone's favorite. I really need to give him some more screen time.
    Although I didn't make Trix myself, I would claim that I gave him his voice and made him who he is.

    To be honest, as much as I still like the characters and the storylines, I just cannot look back easily at my old pre-CC stories. It hurts to look at the screenshots. Hilariously enough I just can't stand that horrible blue tint that covers a vanilla game
    @SnowBnuuy As written before, I don't use a filter for my photos, so I assume the blue tint doesn't bother me so much that it overshadows what I'm trying to express.
    What particularly bothers me when I look back at pictures from my old stories is the plumbob and the disused walls. It only proves that writing simlit is a progressive process. There is so much to learn while writing, so I really want to embrace where I came from.
    The most important thing is to start somewhere.
  • GlacierSnowGlacierSnow Posts: 2,301 Member
    @MonaSolstraale I'm with you on that plumbob problem. The very first simlit I worked on writing (which I don't think I will ever share online) I had no idea that it was possible to hide the plumbob. I did all kinds of things to crop it out of the image, keep another sim in a different room selected so it wasn't visible, and edit it manually out of images when I couldn't hid it (usually with minimal success). Imagine my jaw dropping surprise when after a couple years of that I realized "wait... there's a cheat for that!?!?"
    Forum-Banner-01.jpg
    Seventeen & Maldusk Forum thread link
    My name on AHQ (and the upcoming sims forum) is "GlacierSnowGhost".
  • SnowBnuuySnowBnuuy Posts: 1,767 Member
    @MonaSolstraale There's one picture I would have liked from The Sun and her Fire...except that it would have looked really good IF ONLY I had taken the walls down on the Magic Realm behind her X_X Still annoyed by that image : P I thankfully found out about Headline Effects fairly early on in my SimLit, but only because I was sick of trying to position shots depending on the plumbob so I could easily paint them out of the image and I got so annoyed I googled 'get rid of plumbob' and thank goodness you could do it on console as well XD
    they/them or she/her
  • plumsiebobplumsiebob Posts: 37 Member
    I do wonder, do you write several SimLit stories at the same time, or do you just focus on one before moving on to the next? If you write several stories at the same time, how do you manage your time between them?

    River. Any pronouns are fine, but I mainly go by they/them. Neurodivergent, cat parent, tea addict. Occult and berry sim SimLit.

    aTuIcL0.png
  • GlacierSnowGlacierSnow Posts: 2,301 Member
    I do wonder, do you write several SimLit stories at the same time, or do you just focus on one before moving on to the next? If you write several stories at the same time, how do you manage your time between them?

    I have five I am writing, but only one I am currently sharing online. The one I'm sharing takes priority, and most of my time, but the others are there for when I either get inspired about them or need a break from my main one. So they make progress only when I feel like it.
    Forum-Banner-01.jpg
    Seventeen & Maldusk Forum thread link
    My name on AHQ (and the upcoming sims forum) is "GlacierSnowGhost".
  • plumsiebobplumsiebob Posts: 37 Member
    edited January 2023
    @GlacierSnow Oh wow, five, that's so many! Are they very different as well, spanning different genres?
    I'm debating whether I should just focus on my one story, or if I want to have a second one as well. I'd be sharing both, though, so that'd be twice the effort. But I also don't want to get bored with it, haha.
    Do you write the story you're sharing on a schedule or just post when you feel like it?

    River. Any pronouns are fine, but I mainly go by they/them. Neurodivergent, cat parent, tea addict. Occult and berry sim SimLit.

    aTuIcL0.png
  • HermioneSimsHermioneSims Posts: 774 Member
    I do wonder, do you write several SimLit stories at the same time, or do you just focus on one before moving on to the next? If you write several stories at the same time, how do you manage your time between them?

    I'm quite the opposite of @GlacierSnow instead: I tend to focus on a single story/legacy at a time, which is the one I'm posting or that I'm planning to post in the next future. Sometimes I use some other saves where I'm collecting ideas for a possible next story, but it's definitively not enough to call it "writing more than one story at a time".
    2if86miljyb3.png
    You can follow the Legacy Miller from my blog and the forum thread, *Chapter 8.12 posted on the 25th of March 2024*
  • SnowBnuuySnowBnuuy Posts: 1,767 Member
    edited January 2023
    I do wonder, do you write several SimLit stories at the same time, or do you just focus on one before moving on to the next? If you write several stories at the same time, how do you manage your time between them?

    I fear the strength of people who can work on more than one story at once :D I can barely focus on one. I've only ever written 2 stories at once, once, and that was enough. I always just work on the one, though if I get ideas for another in the meantime I might jot down ideas on a document. As for time management I am also really bad at that, and I tend to make it my hobby goal to write and release the chapter as soon as I can each week. Not a wise idea in reality, don't be afraid to take your time!
    they/them or she/her
  • plumsiebobplumsiebob Posts: 37 Member
    I do wonder, do you write several SimLit stories at the same time, or do you just focus on one before moving on to the next? If you write several stories at the same time, how do you manage your time between them?

    I'm quite the opposite of @GlacierSnow instead: I tend to focus on a single story/legacy at a time, which is the one I'm posting or that I'm planning to post in the next future. Sometimes I use some other saves where I'm collecting ideas for a possible next story, but it's definitively not enough to call it "writing more than one story at a time".

    Do you ever get bored with writing one story? What do you do then, if so?
    SnowBnuuy wrote: »
    I do wonder, do you write several SimLit stories at the same time, or do you just focus on one before moving on to the next? If you write several stories at the same time, how do you manage your time between them?

    I fear the strength of people who can work on more than one story at once :D I can barely focus on one. I've only ever written 2 stories at once, once, and that was enough. I always just work on the one, though if I get ideas for another in the meantime I might jot down ideas on a document. As for time management I am also really bad at that, and I tend to make it my hobby goal to write and release the chapter as soon as I can each week. Not a wise idea in reality, don't be afraid to take your time!

    Haha, I get that, not sure if I'd be able to pull cope with it either! So I take it you don't really have a schedule either? I myself feel very constricted by that. I'd rather just post whenever I feel like it, but as I've understood it, readers prefer consistency.

    River. Any pronouns are fine, but I mainly go by they/them. Neurodivergent, cat parent, tea addict. Occult and berry sim SimLit.

    aTuIcL0.png
  • SnowBnuuySnowBnuuy Posts: 1,767 Member
    @plumsiebob I aim for weekly, but sometimes it ends up bi-weekly if I need to plan a chapter out or I get sidetracked by something else during the week : P BUT I would say posting whenever you feel like it is fine. If I like a story enough I don't really care for consistency, I'd happily wait 6 minutes or 6 months until a next chapter.
    they/them or she/her
  • GlacierSnowGlacierSnow Posts: 2,301 Member
    @plumsiebob Don't be too impressed. :lol: The main story gets 90% of the attention. The others sit around gathering dust until I feel burned out on the main one, and then I turn to one of them to work on for a while to clear my head. Also, two of the side projects are much more gameplay based with way fewer screenshots (and only one POV character) which is a lot less work for me than the "plot based" comic book style, multiple POV story I'm actually posting.

    I long ago found that I have to have multiple projects going at a time. Because if I don't have a different creative project to work on when I crash and burn on the one single project I do have, I quit and never come back. Having other projects to work on when I get burned out on the first one, keeps me feeling creative while still giving me a break from the one I'm tired of. So once I'm refreshed, I return.

    They are all pretty different from each other in terms of subject matter, characters, and tone, which is part of why this works as a way of refreshing my brain. But, I always write fantasy genre.

    For the story I'm posting, I am working way ahead of the chapters I share (as in, I've got partial chapters and completed chapters all the way out to about chapter forty-something, but I've only posted fifteen). I post on a regular schedule with breaks to stay ahead. Will definitely have to have breaks from posting, because there is no way I can produce the chapters at a one per week rate. But I like to have a regular schedule while I am posting. Helps keep me motivated.
    Forum-Banner-01.jpg
    Seventeen & Maldusk Forum thread link
    My name on AHQ (and the upcoming sims forum) is "GlacierSnowGhost".
  • plumsiebobplumsiebob Posts: 37 Member
    @SnowBnuuy Once a week sounds manageable, I think I'll aim for that but not post a schedule like I see many do, so I still have the freedom to post – or not post – whenever I feel like it.

    @GlacierSnow That sounds great, it's good to know yourself as a writer and what your needs and habits are. I'm just now getting back into writing more seriously, so I'm still finding my style and habits as a writer. It's very enlightening to read how it works for others. :)

    River. Any pronouns are fine, but I mainly go by they/them. Neurodivergent, cat parent, tea addict. Occult and berry sim SimLit.

    aTuIcL0.png
  • Kellogg_J_KelloggKellogg_J_Kellogg Posts: 1,548 Member
    edited January 2023
    @SnowBnuuy Yes, it's Edna Sneedley who wants everything banned. She's fun to write as well; I've got a definite character voice for her. I guess she doesn't make the top tier because it's not as much fun designing her look compared with the others.
  • MonaSolstraaleMonaSolstraale Posts: 1,372 Member
    edited January 2023
    @plumsiebob wrote: I do wonder, do you write several SimLit stories at the same time, or do you just focus on one before moving on to the next? If you write several stories at the same time, how do you manage your time between them?
    I would say that I can only concentrate on one story at a time because the characters work in me - even when I'm not writing.

    It was my plan to release a new episode once a week. Preferably a regular day of the week, but that plan has been scrapped a long time ago. I can't keep to the plan because I often work for a long time with the setup and the text of a chapter. Maybe I want to add some pictures or rearrange a section.
    I'd rather send a chapter into the air with a satisfied feeling than rush the process to meet a set schedule.

    As a reader, I would say that a regular schedule is not a need I have. There are always stories to pick up. It is during the periods when my regular writers have taken a break that I get the time and desire to expand the circle of stories. It has more than once resulted in a positive experience.
    I don't think you need to fear losing your readers because of a short or longer break. If a story has caught my interest, I will always return.
    My only gripe is the writers who suddenly leave their simlit forever without finishing their stories. They always leave an unfilled void.
    Do you ever get bored with writing one story? What do you do then, if so?
    Once in a while I need to break the cycle and then I write a spinoff. A short Christmas or summer story.
  • DaniRose2143DaniRose2143 Posts: 8,659 Member
    edited January 2023
    plumsiebob wrote: »
    I do wonder, do you write several SimLit stories at the same time, or do you just focus on one before moving on to the next? If you write several stories at the same time, how do you manage your time between them?

    I write two which I alternate, Under The Tartosan Sun and Schemes and Dreams. This week is UtTS which I have been dealing with a writers block on. I know the ending of this chapter of UtTS, but I'm still working on the events leading up to that ending. When I finish this I'll swap and start writing the next chapter of Schemes and Dreams.
    Post edited by DaniRose2143 on
  • SnowBnuuySnowBnuuy Posts: 1,767 Member
    For those of you who got introduced to or use GShade, I have uploaded all of my main storytelling GShade presets if anyone needs them. < 3
    they/them or she/her
  • SnuffyBucketSnuffyBucket Posts: 569 Member
    @plumsiebob wrote: I do wonder, do you write several SimLit stories at the same time, or do you just focus on one before moving on to the next? If you write several stories at the same time, how do you manage your time between them?

    Like @GlacierSnow, I too have five stories. I write a lot and have folders full of half-done chapters for them all. I simply dip into whichever one I'm feeling inspired to write at any given time.
    Of the stories I post online, AE gets priority. Partly because like @MonaSolstraale said, that is the one where the characters are most likely to follow me around, 'talking' to me so I find myself inspired with it most often. And partly because if I leave too long between AE updates, a few of my most, uh, invested readers will hunt me down to, um, remind me. The only thing more motivating than being mentally stalked by a group of fictional vampires, is being emailed in all caps by someone I've left hanging over a story cliff for a month. 😆
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    Almost Eternal
  • HermioneSimsHermioneSims Posts: 774 Member
    plumsiebob wrote: »

    Do you ever get bored with writing one story? What do you do then, if so?

    Usually not, but it's also because I generally have less time to play and write than I would like, and so I have a lot of time to elaborate an interesting follow-up before continuing. With plot-driven stories then I also tend to make a draft of a whole story arc and refine it in random order, so I can also decide the scene I want to work with at every play/write session.
    2if86miljyb3.png
    You can follow the Legacy Miller from my blog and the forum thread, *Chapter 8.12 posted on the 25th of March 2024*
  • Kellogg_J_KelloggKellogg_J_Kellogg Posts: 1,548 Member
    I toy with writing other stories but I just don't have the time to do so. I have two other ideas for stories but, like Sim 66, they would take place in specific settings. That's how I like to do Sim Lit; first work on the setting and then deciding who lives in that world and what are they like. In both cases they'll need a particular set of extra cc but the biggest impediment is time constraint. But Sim 66 keeps me more than entertained as a writer and I think the best decision I made about that was not having a single protagonist but structure it like a soap opera. That way I can switch tone and story between the characters.
  • plumsiebobplumsiebob Posts: 37 Member
    @plumsiebob wrote: I do wonder, do you write several SimLit stories at the same time, or do you just focus on one before moving on to the next? If you write several stories at the same time, how do you manage your time between them?
    I would say that I can only concentrate on one story at a time because the characters work in me - even when I'm not writing.

    It was my plan to release a new episode once a week. Preferably a regular day of the week, but that plan has been scrapped a long time ago. I can't keep to the plan because I often work for a long time with the setup and the text of a chapter. Maybe I want to add some pictures or rearrange a section.
    I'd rather send a chapter into the air with a satisfied feeling than rush the process to meet a set schedule.

    As a reader, I would say that a regular schedule is not a need I have. There are always stories to pick up. It is during the periods when my regular writers have taken a break that I get the time and desire to expand the circle of stories. It has more than once resulted in a positive experience.
    I don't think you need to fear losing your readers because of a short or longer break. If a story has caught my interest, I will always return.
    My only gripe is the writers who suddenly leave their simlit forever without finishing their stories. They always leave an unfilled void.
    Do you ever get bored with writing one story? What do you do then, if so?
    Once in a while I need to break the cycle and then I write a spinoff. A short Christmas or summer story.

    I totally get that, I wouldn't want to send something into the void either unless I was satisfied with it, and sometimes the muse doesn't work on a schedule. I'm glad to hear that it seems like many don't mind irregular updates. Oh yeah, it's understandable that people decide to move on from SimLit, but it's sad when a story is left unfinished. Interesting, with the spinoff idea, sounds like the perfect way to reignite inspiration for a story as well.
    plumsiebob wrote: »
    I do wonder, do you write several SimLit stories at the same time, or do you just focus on one before moving on to the next? If you write several stories at the same time, how do you manage your time between them?

    I write two which I alternate, Under The Tartosan Sun and Schemes and Dreams. This week is UtTS which I have been dealing with a writers block on. I know the ending of this chapter of UtTS, but I'm still working on the events leading up to that ending. When I finish this I'll swap and start writing the next chapter of Schemes and Dreams.

    Aw, sorry about the writer's block, that really sucks. Sounds like having several stories is a great way to stay in the habit of writing without having to burn yourself out trying to write a story that isn't working for you right then.
    @plumsiebob wrote: I do wonder, do you write several SimLit stories at the same time, or do you just focus on one before moving on to the next? If you write several stories at the same time, how do you manage your time between them?

    Like @GlacierSnow, I too have five stories. I write a lot and have folders full of half-done chapters for them all. I simply dip into whichever one I'm feeling inspired to write at any given time.
    Of the stories I post online, AE gets priority. Partly because like @MonaSolstraale said, that is the one where the characters are most likely to follow me around, 'talking' to me so I find myself inspired with it most often. And partly because if I leave too long between AE updates, a few of my most, uh, invested readers will hunt me down to, um, remind me. The only thing more motivating than being mentally stalked by a group of fictional vampires, is being emailed in all caps by someone I've left hanging over a story cliff for a month. 😆

    Haha, it sounds like you have a dedicated readership, sounds like a great motivator! I get the following around bit, I even dreamt about one of my stories last night, it's funny that inspiration can strike you even in your sleep.
    plumsiebob wrote: »

    Do you ever get bored with writing one story? What do you do then, if so?

    Usually not, but it's also because I generally have less time to play and write than I would like, and so I have a lot of time to elaborate an interesting follow-up before continuing. With plot-driven stories then I also tend to make a draft of a whole story arc and refine it in random order, so I can also decide the scene I want to work with at every play/write session.

    I like the draft idea. I myself throw my random strikes of inspiration into a document note style and then edit/delete/revise as I go.

    River. Any pronouns are fine, but I mainly go by they/them. Neurodivergent, cat parent, tea addict. Occult and berry sim SimLit.

    aTuIcL0.png
  • GlacierSnowGlacierSnow Posts: 2,301 Member
    Same as @SnuffyBucket and @MonaSolstraale my main story is the one that possesses me. The characters are pretty much constantly in my head. When I'm at home, when I'm at work, when I'm eating, when I'm watching anime with my spouse, when I'm trying to fall asleep... telling me stuff, talking to each other, arguing with each other, getting in... uh... "relationships" with each other, giving me material that I don't even have the faintest idea how to incorporate into the story as it currently goes. So that's why I finally decided to go ahead and start posting that story, because I am unlikely to fully lose interest.

    Originally, one of the other stories was the one I thought was going to be the main project, but from the instant that Ion and Reuben walked into my life, they just grabbed my attention and held it, so that first story faded into the background and seems content to just come to me when I need those all important head clearing breaks, or in occasional bursts of sideshow inspiration. I'm not sure why the characters of Seventeen & Maldusk speak to me so loudly, they just do.
    Forum-Banner-01.jpg
    Seventeen & Maldusk Forum thread link
    My name on AHQ (and the upcoming sims forum) is "GlacierSnowGhost".
  • Lucy_HenleyLucy_Henley Posts: 2,943 Member
    I’ve got two blogs for my stories, Magical Mastersons and the Parker Saga (for want of a better title).
    I haven’t touched the Parker Saga for ages, mainly because I’ve been getting stuck into the Mastersons again (I originally started them in May 2020, but then the stupid HSY update messed up everyone’s ages. I’m genuinely worried the same thing might happen when infants drop, I wish we knew when they’re going to arrive so I can prepare and not have to start over again).
    But I have got vague story ideas for the Parker Saga, and want to get back to it at some point, partly because it would involve the birth of my first Ancient Bloodline Sim!! I’m not sure when I should go back to it though. I’m only on gen 2 of the Mastersons (I count Peter and Caroline, who I created in CAS, as gen 1) and the Parkers are on gen 3 and nearly onto gen 4. I’ll probably at least wait until infants are released.


    The thing with the Mastersons is that it is a “reboot”, and I’m doing a lot of the same things as I did with the original save, although some things will change. So I’m already pretty familiar with the characters.

    Like I said previously, I do have another story idea in my head which would be more plot-driven. In some ways I would like to start it, and put my ideas into reality. And I’d like to see how I do with a more plot-driven story. I originally intended the “Parker Saga” to be more plot-driven, but I didn’t do much actual plotting, at least in the sense that most others do.
  • DaniRose2143DaniRose2143 Posts: 8,659 Member
    @plumsiebob Having two stories is fun. They're totally different which keeps things fun and keeps my interest up. I've fought with writers block before and it's completely normal, but I think my recent decision to stick to a set schedule is making it more frequent. I feel this completely self imposed pressure to have new content each Friday. I'm feeling like I need to rethink that and just go back to posting when the muse moves me to write. If that's everyday, or once a week, once a month, I need to just let it happen when it happens.
  • SnowBnuuySnowBnuuy Posts: 1,767 Member
    Oh yeah, it's understandable that people decide to move on from SimLit, but it's sad when a story is left unfinished.

    @plumsiebob You're telling me ;-; So many of my old faves are on permanent hiatus. It's completely understandable that sometimes SimLit loses its ...whatever the word is, and IRL Gets in the way, way too often, but I really do miss a lot of writers who've come and gone esp because most of them were the supernatural writers as well and I'm annoying and can never get into a realistic story these days XD
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