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5 Common Writing Pitfalls, Part 1
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Here are 5 very common writing pitfalls that I consistently see in the RPG Making community.
Bad Guy Notice
Please do not distribute, post, or profit from this material. This material is only allowed to be posted on my website, the forums with which I associate with, and on any webhoster/forum member's website/blog space whom has asked for my permission before posting or blogging it. Sale of this and any of my material, whether online or physically, is strictly prohibited.
Entertainment Notice
This material, and any material that I post, is strictly for entertainment and knowledge/learning purposes. It is not designed as a be-all, end-all tutorial. It is not designed to fix and/or alleviate your game or book of any negative criticism or hype, all of which should be expected when creating either a game or book. This material should solely be used as a guideline in addition to your current writing and creation style. Use at your own risk--I cannot guarantee or take responsibility for the use of this material.
Writing Style Notice
I am a very technical and theoretical writer. To me, it is just as important to know the background and theories of various subjects, supported by various examples...as opposed to, for example, listing five things that you could do to avoid cliches and character pitfalls. If you don't like how I write, move along.
Onwards.
Today's topic is going to be about story and character development. Most of us probably think that our storyline is perfect, and maybe some of us are reading this tutorial just to prove that our storyline and character development does not succumb to any of these pitfalls. Rest assured, 95% of already-created storylines and characters will reflect at least some of the pitfalls outlined below.
If you think about why role-playing games are vastly successful, you will find that:
a) It is not the button-mashing, frantic action that is usually associated with most video games.
b) It is not the real-life, simulated strategic-based play style that is associated with certain games (think Ace Combat, etc)
c) It is not the puzzle or brain-twisting aspect that is associated with puzzle and logic games (although it could be a factor)
If you think about why role-playing games are so successful, it is obviously because of the storyline and characters. We didn't play through Final Fantasy VII to see how many times we can press X in a single day, or because of its gripping action play style. We were truly interested to see what happened to Cloud Strife and his friends in the upcoming scenes; where his adventure would lead us, and what ultimately became of Sephiroth. Although in the back of our mind, we knew--we had a gut feeling-- that Cloud would come out victorious, and the world would be saved; who would pay for the adventure along the way? Would Cloud survive the stunning final battle that would determine the fate of the world, and of the life stream?
Pitfall #5: One-dimensional storyline
I am in the process of putting together a website to review as many RPG Maker 2000/2003/XP games, as my time allows. I guarantee that most of the games I play will have (at least, hopefully!) this basic outline:
a) Hero lives in a living world, with real problems.
b) Hero encounters a conflict, and aims to solve the conflict.
c) En route to solving the conflict, hero befriends various other characters.
d) Hero resolves the conflict, and saves the world/his family/his sanity/whatever.
What's wrong with this storyline? Essentially, there is nothing wrong with it. In theory, this is perfect--as a basic shell to a storyline--but it is not a complete storyline. Even if the character development is impressive, the problem lies in the first line:
a) (Ideally) Hero lives in a living world,with real problems.
That is the problem. Our hero lives in a living world. A living world must show signs of life; essentially, it must show signs of growth and change, both in our character and in his world.
Let's consider Breath of Fire III for the PSOne as an example. Throughout the first half of the story (where Ryu starred as a child), Ryu is trying to find his friends Rei and Teepo when they were separated in the fire. The developers could have easily stuck Rei and Teepo at the other end of the world, and made you travel aimlessly throughout the storyline as you find them.
While Ryu is looking for Rei and Teepo:
a) Mayor McNeil contracted two hit men, Balio and Sunder, to eliminate Ryu and his band of friends as revenge for stealing from him.
a1) Young Ryu is learning about his dragon abilities and potential.
b) Nina, his new friend and Princess of Wyndia, aids him in hiding from Balio and Sunder, and they successfully flee from the castle.
b1) Nina is tired of the castle life, and her childish curiosity longs to see the outside walls.
b2) Ryu sees more of his ability take shape, and learns more transformations.
c) They come across a large tower while being chased by Balio and Sunder at every corner, as well as other bounty hunters looking for a score.
d) Momo, the eccentric and absent-minded teenage genius, just finished her latest and greatest mobile rocket, which helps them escape from the hitmen.
d1) Momo's father’s colleague, Dr. Platt, can help Ryu locate his friends while hiding.
d1a) Dr. Platt is secretly in league with the hit men, and double-crosses Ryu and his friends.
d2) Ryu is still learning more about his dragon powers, which adds complexity and some confusion to his character.
As you can see, this storyline has a main plot, various sub-plots, and sub-plots within the sub-plots. It's not one-dimensional in any way, and every great RPG shares this factor...For contrast purposes, think about PSOne RPGs such as The Granstream Saga, or Guardian's Crusade. Both these published and released games feature a very one-dimensional storyline, involving a hero whose goal is to save the world. Within the story, there are few twists and little plot/sub-plot structure.
Back to our example from above. We will add to our hero's quest, making sure to add plot and subplots to the storyline for a real-world, complete feeling. Try to keep up:
a) Hero lives in an alive world, with real problems.
a1) Hero's country is over-ridden with a disease that is being spread like wildfire. He seeks a remedy.
a1a) During the course of his journey, he must find ten ancient ingredients that may aid his country.
b) Hero encounters a conflict, and aims to solve the conflict.
b1) Hero hears about four evil warriors whom he must avoid at all costs lest he be eliminated.
b1a) One of the 'evil' warriors may join the Hero's party under certain conditions.
b2) Hero must befriend the neighboring castles and towns in hopes of alliance against this new conflict.
b2a) One of the neighboring kingdoms agrees to the alliance, but is secretly in league with the conflict.
b2b) Another neighboring kingdom hears about the first kingdoms plans and conspires to stop them on their own.
b2b1) Those two kingdoms end up going to war during the turmoil.
b2b1a) The war of these two major economic powerhouses results in large price spikes of particular commodities.
b3) A global calamity strikes and the world bows to a new, all-powerful wizard who was behind the original conflict.
c) En route to solving the conflict, hero befriends various other characters.
c1) Friend A is a "lunatic" who raves about foreseeing the coming destruction of the world as we know it.
c2) Friend B is the lunatic's guard keeper who was assigned to stay with the lunatic.
c2a) Friend A & B are constantly bickering and have vastly differing opinions about everything.
c2b) Friend B slowly realizes that some of Friend As predictions are coming true, such as the "flying sun" (comet).
d) Hero resolves the conflict, and saves the world/his family/his sanity/whatever.
d1) What happens to the hero's country?
d1a) Did our hero collect the ancient ingredients?
d2) What happened to the four evil warriors?
d3) What became of the lunatic after the calamity strikes?
d4) Etc, etc.
Whew! However, all of this serves a very useful purpose. As you can see, I took a very basic plotline and added many levels of complexity to it. It took me longer to type it out then it really did to think it up---although a good storyline will make sense and the deeper subplots would aim to partly solve a larger subplot. Also, note that the plotline isn't necessarily in chronological order--only in thought-flow order. It ultimately doesn't matter, as long as the writer knows what happens when.
Note: If you really want to see how three-dimensional storylines play out, watch a soap opera/TV show, or some anime. Almost every anime has plots and subplots, with levels of complexity. Watch Dragon Ball Z/GT, Naruto, Bleach (great example). As for TV, try Heroes, Lost, Fringe, Dexter...the list goes on and on.
Pitfall #4: Pre-written Character Synopses
This is a very common error that almost every novice storyline writer/game publisher makes. Sometimes, it can become a serious problem depending on how the synopses are used. Here is an example of an average character synopsis:
Name: Jack
Age: 17
Occupation: Rogue CIA Operative
Class: Rogue
Race: Human infused with Type-1 enhancer.
Health: Superb
Description: A renegade super-agent from the Central Intelligence Agency, Jack seeks revenge for the mysterious kidnapping and killing of his wife and children.
Again, there is nothing wrong with a synopsis like this. In fact, it is great to use as a shell for a character, sort of a basic outline. However, the problem arises when we attempt to define who the character is, or how the character grows using a synopsis like the one below:
Name: Jill
Age: 18
Occupation: Lumberjack
Class: Warrior
Race: Lizardman
Health: Poor
Description: Usually despondent and tiresome. Has very poor health. Has little respect for herself, therefore avoids conflicts and is generally antisocial. Later learns to respect herself and get along with people.
Usually, when you create a shell as I just did with Jill (and it even happens sometimes with an example like Jack's), we end up creating an emotional "box" for our character. As every great writer will tell you---and you may have heard something like this before---our character grows regardless of our influence on them. They usually grow and "learn" to make decisions on their own; they feel emotions that we didn't think they would ever have; and we watch them change and transform into different characters as the situation calls for it, all while maturing before our very eyes.
To clarify this, think about a paper-and-pen game, such as Dungeons and Dragons. Dungeons and Dragons consists of at least two real-life players. One of the players is the Dungeon Master/Game Master, who determines what happens in the game. The dungeon master has no control over what the other players, the characters in the world, do. Or, what they don't do, for that matter. How they react when some conflict arises in the story. If I'm the dungeon master, and I create a monster for my players to fight, what's going to keep my players from running away? How about attempting to befriend the monster?
On to part 2...
Please do not distribute, post, or profit from this material. This material is only allowed to be posted on my website, the forums with which I associate with, and on any webhoster/forum member's website/blog space whom has asked for my permission before posting or blogging it. Sale of this and any of my material, whether online or physically, is strictly prohibited.
Entertainment Notice
This material, and any material that I post, is strictly for entertainment and knowledge/learning purposes. It is not designed as a be-all, end-all tutorial. It is not designed to fix and/or alleviate your game or book of any negative criticism or hype, all of which should be expected when creating either a game or book. This material should solely be used as a guideline in addition to your current writing and creation style. Use at your own risk--I cannot guarantee or take responsibility for the use of this material.
Writing Style Notice
I am a very technical and theoretical writer. To me, it is just as important to know the background and theories of various subjects, supported by various examples...as opposed to, for example, listing five things that you could do to avoid cliches and character pitfalls. If you don't like how I write, move along.
Onwards.
Today's topic is going to be about story and character development. Most of us probably think that our storyline is perfect, and maybe some of us are reading this tutorial just to prove that our storyline and character development does not succumb to any of these pitfalls. Rest assured, 95% of already-created storylines and characters will reflect at least some of the pitfalls outlined below.
If you think about why role-playing games are vastly successful, you will find that:
a) It is not the button-mashing, frantic action that is usually associated with most video games.
b) It is not the real-life, simulated strategic-based play style that is associated with certain games (think Ace Combat, etc)
c) It is not the puzzle or brain-twisting aspect that is associated with puzzle and logic games (although it could be a factor)
If you think about why role-playing games are so successful, it is obviously because of the storyline and characters. We didn't play through Final Fantasy VII to see how many times we can press X in a single day, or because of its gripping action play style. We were truly interested to see what happened to Cloud Strife and his friends in the upcoming scenes; where his adventure would lead us, and what ultimately became of Sephiroth. Although in the back of our mind, we knew--we had a gut feeling-- that Cloud would come out victorious, and the world would be saved; who would pay for the adventure along the way? Would Cloud survive the stunning final battle that would determine the fate of the world, and of the life stream?
Pitfall #5: One-dimensional storyline
I am in the process of putting together a website to review as many RPG Maker 2000/2003/XP games, as my time allows. I guarantee that most of the games I play will have (at least, hopefully!) this basic outline:
a) Hero lives in a living world, with real problems.
b) Hero encounters a conflict, and aims to solve the conflict.
c) En route to solving the conflict, hero befriends various other characters.
d) Hero resolves the conflict, and saves the world/his family/his sanity/whatever.
What's wrong with this storyline? Essentially, there is nothing wrong with it. In theory, this is perfect--as a basic shell to a storyline--but it is not a complete storyline. Even if the character development is impressive, the problem lies in the first line:
a) (Ideally) Hero lives in a living world,with real problems.
That is the problem. Our hero lives in a living world. A living world must show signs of life; essentially, it must show signs of growth and change, both in our character and in his world.
Let's consider Breath of Fire III for the PSOne as an example. Throughout the first half of the story (where Ryu starred as a child), Ryu is trying to find his friends Rei and Teepo when they were separated in the fire. The developers could have easily stuck Rei and Teepo at the other end of the world, and made you travel aimlessly throughout the storyline as you find them.
While Ryu is looking for Rei and Teepo:
a) Mayor McNeil contracted two hit men, Balio and Sunder, to eliminate Ryu and his band of friends as revenge for stealing from him.
a1) Young Ryu is learning about his dragon abilities and potential.
b) Nina, his new friend and Princess of Wyndia, aids him in hiding from Balio and Sunder, and they successfully flee from the castle.
b1) Nina is tired of the castle life, and her childish curiosity longs to see the outside walls.
b2) Ryu sees more of his ability take shape, and learns more transformations.
c) They come across a large tower while being chased by Balio and Sunder at every corner, as well as other bounty hunters looking for a score.
d) Momo, the eccentric and absent-minded teenage genius, just finished her latest and greatest mobile rocket, which helps them escape from the hitmen.
d1) Momo's father’s colleague, Dr. Platt, can help Ryu locate his friends while hiding.
d1a) Dr. Platt is secretly in league with the hit men, and double-crosses Ryu and his friends.
d2) Ryu is still learning more about his dragon powers, which adds complexity and some confusion to his character.
As you can see, this storyline has a main plot, various sub-plots, and sub-plots within the sub-plots. It's not one-dimensional in any way, and every great RPG shares this factor...For contrast purposes, think about PSOne RPGs such as The Granstream Saga, or Guardian's Crusade. Both these published and released games feature a very one-dimensional storyline, involving a hero whose goal is to save the world. Within the story, there are few twists and little plot/sub-plot structure.
Back to our example from above. We will add to our hero's quest, making sure to add plot and subplots to the storyline for a real-world, complete feeling. Try to keep up:
a) Hero lives in an alive world, with real problems.
a1) Hero's country is over-ridden with a disease that is being spread like wildfire. He seeks a remedy.
a1a) During the course of his journey, he must find ten ancient ingredients that may aid his country.
b) Hero encounters a conflict, and aims to solve the conflict.
b1) Hero hears about four evil warriors whom he must avoid at all costs lest he be eliminated.
b1a) One of the 'evil' warriors may join the Hero's party under certain conditions.
b2) Hero must befriend the neighboring castles and towns in hopes of alliance against this new conflict.
b2a) One of the neighboring kingdoms agrees to the alliance, but is secretly in league with the conflict.
b2b) Another neighboring kingdom hears about the first kingdoms plans and conspires to stop them on their own.
b2b1) Those two kingdoms end up going to war during the turmoil.
b2b1a) The war of these two major economic powerhouses results in large price spikes of particular commodities.
b3) A global calamity strikes and the world bows to a new, all-powerful wizard who was behind the original conflict.
c) En route to solving the conflict, hero befriends various other characters.
c1) Friend A is a "lunatic" who raves about foreseeing the coming destruction of the world as we know it.
c2) Friend B is the lunatic's guard keeper who was assigned to stay with the lunatic.
c2a) Friend A & B are constantly bickering and have vastly differing opinions about everything.
c2b) Friend B slowly realizes that some of Friend As predictions are coming true, such as the "flying sun" (comet).
d) Hero resolves the conflict, and saves the world/his family/his sanity/whatever.
d1) What happens to the hero's country?
d1a) Did our hero collect the ancient ingredients?
d2) What happened to the four evil warriors?
d3) What became of the lunatic after the calamity strikes?
d4) Etc, etc.
Whew! However, all of this serves a very useful purpose. As you can see, I took a very basic plotline and added many levels of complexity to it. It took me longer to type it out then it really did to think it up---although a good storyline will make sense and the deeper subplots would aim to partly solve a larger subplot. Also, note that the plotline isn't necessarily in chronological order--only in thought-flow order. It ultimately doesn't matter, as long as the writer knows what happens when.
Note: If you really want to see how three-dimensional storylines play out, watch a soap opera/TV show, or some anime. Almost every anime has plots and subplots, with levels of complexity. Watch Dragon Ball Z/GT, Naruto, Bleach (great example). As for TV, try Heroes, Lost, Fringe, Dexter...the list goes on and on.
Pitfall #4: Pre-written Character Synopses
This is a very common error that almost every novice storyline writer/game publisher makes. Sometimes, it can become a serious problem depending on how the synopses are used. Here is an example of an average character synopsis:
Name: Jack
Age: 17
Occupation: Rogue CIA Operative
Class: Rogue
Race: Human infused with Type-1 enhancer.
Health: Superb
Description: A renegade super-agent from the Central Intelligence Agency, Jack seeks revenge for the mysterious kidnapping and killing of his wife and children.
Again, there is nothing wrong with a synopsis like this. In fact, it is great to use as a shell for a character, sort of a basic outline. However, the problem arises when we attempt to define who the character is, or how the character grows using a synopsis like the one below:
Name: Jill
Age: 18
Occupation: Lumberjack
Class: Warrior
Race: Lizardman
Health: Poor
Description: Usually despondent and tiresome. Has very poor health. Has little respect for herself, therefore avoids conflicts and is generally antisocial. Later learns to respect herself and get along with people.
Usually, when you create a shell as I just did with Jill (and it even happens sometimes with an example like Jack's), we end up creating an emotional "box" for our character. As every great writer will tell you---and you may have heard something like this before---our character grows regardless of our influence on them. They usually grow and "learn" to make decisions on their own; they feel emotions that we didn't think they would ever have; and we watch them change and transform into different characters as the situation calls for it, all while maturing before our very eyes.
To clarify this, think about a paper-and-pen game, such as Dungeons and Dragons. Dungeons and Dragons consists of at least two real-life players. One of the players is the Dungeon Master/Game Master, who determines what happens in the game. The dungeon master has no control over what the other players, the characters in the world, do. Or, what they don't do, for that matter. How they react when some conflict arises in the story. If I'm the dungeon master, and I create a monster for my players to fight, what's going to keep my players from running away? How about attempting to befriend the monster?
On to part 2...
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