Choose+Your+Own+Adventure+Stories

Some advice for writing the story for a choose your own adventure game. Remember, in this sort of game, the story is the most important part. It's what makes people //want// to read the story.


 * Have an interesting setting, characters, or goal.
 * These stories are usually written in second person. (As in, "You do this", or "You do that", instead of "they do this" or "I'll do that".) This is to make it feel like the player/reader is the one having the adventure, so that they are more interested in making choices.
 * Your character should have a goal. It could be getting out of the haunted house alive, finding the treasure, rescuing the princess, or saving the world. Whether or not you accomplish this goal determines whether or not each particular ending is a good one or a bad one.
 * These stories usually have a lot of endings, which is why they are fun. There are five basic endings: You get killed, you get captured, you get lost, you get the treasure (accomplish your goal), or you don't get anything at all and go back home. It's a good idea to have these endings be very different. It's also a good idea not to have too many endings where you get killed--it's frustrating for the reader/player.
 * Not every choice is life and death. Some choices just lead to different adventures.
 * Describe what's going on. You might want to spend some time describing what things look like, sound like, or feel like--or, maybe not. Since this is a computer game, you can add sounds and pictures to tell people that stuff. But you do need to make sure that the player knows what's happening. If your character knows something, your player should know it too. So if you're carrying an object, the player should know that the object is there. If you're talking to someone, and the character knows who that is, then the player should know too. If your player knows what your character knows, it's easier to make good decisions.
 * Remember: These are supposed to be FUN. So it's good to have exciting things happen, to have funny jokes, and to have happy endings. Or you can make it scary, if that's what's fun for you. The most important thing is to try to make this something people will enjoy reading, and hopefully something you enjoy writing too.

Checklist for your story:



Some example choose-your-own-adventure books: The First Journey, by K.A. Applegate (Animorphs Alternamorphs 1) The Next Passage, by K.A. Applegate (Animorphs Alternamorphs 2) Island of Time, by R.A. Montgomery (Choose Your Own Adventure 28) The Lost Jewels of Nabooti, by R.A. Montgomery (Choose Your Own Adventure 4) Night of the Werewolf, by Edward Packard (Choose Your Own Nightmare) Into the Hollow Earth, by Anson Montgomery (The Golden Path Volume One) The Forbidden Towers, by Carol Gaskin (The Forgotten Forest, Book 1)