format/style for Story Hours

[GlassJaw]

I'm going to be starting a new campaign (Grim Tales - woo hoo!) after the holidays and I'm planning on writing a Story Hour for it. I've checked out a few but unfortunately I haven't really followed any from the start.

I've seen some that are written in actual "story" form (with quoted dialogue, etc). But in a previous campaign I was in, we would write session logs that just recapped what happened.

So what I'm wondering is 1) what "style" do people prefer? and 2) what is the
most common style?

Also, is there a FAQ for this board or a list of do's and don't or helpful hints?

(I originally posted this in the main forum)

 

[Hairy Minotaur]

The best piece of advice I ever received was: write for yourself, not for readership.

There are many different story hour styles, write the one that fits you best. If you don't like writting it, it'll show through in your updates. In the end it all comes down to characterizations and setting. If you can tackle these then it won't matter what style you're using. The readers will relate to the characters and/or the setting.

Good luck! I look forward to reading your story.

 

[el-remmen]

Two words: Paragraph breaks.

 

[barsoomcore]

I like reading game session logs but I like writing stories. Sort of. Well, not really. Um.

That was helpful, wasn't it?

 

[GlassJaw]

I like writing stories

[Homer Simpson voice]I like stories.[/Homer Simpson voice]

That was helpful, wasn't it?

Yeah, um, not so much.

Actually, I think I get the idea. I won't try to plan too much. I'll just stick to what I feel fits best (and what I can do in a reasonable amount of time).

 

[Herremann the Wise]

Hi Glassjaw,

I second the advice Hairy Minotaur received: "Write for yourself"!
The readers tastes are so wide and varied on these boards that you're bound to find people who really dig what you do, no matter how conventional or strange. You'll get a much better result and you'll be far more motivated if you write what you enjoy.

Personally, I like to copy and paste stories into word, print them out and read them at home [I enworld at work you see]. As such, I prefer full-on prose rather than stop-start logs of this happened and then this happened and then that happened. Particularly when your campaign is Grim Tales, you can channel so much flavour through descriptive prose that would otherwise be lost in a conventional "dry" log. You can blend the two for the best of both worlds which is what most people try to do.

As for my own Story Hour, I like the idea of a central character "Lucifus Cray" but I also like shifting the perspective here and there. In this way, you can blend different versions of the same event which is enlightening when you want to really explore different characters and perspectives. Giving hints and clues to what's really going on becomes a bit of a game as people try to join up all the threads. Descriptive prose is the best way to do this and thus, that is what I use for my own story hour. You demand a lot more from your readers but the rewards all round are so much larger when you drop that earth shattering revelation, kill that character or do something that is totally unexpected. In the end, it becomes so much fun.

For yourself however and in the end, do what you want, not what you think other people want.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

PS: My story hour is relatively new and so would not require too long to catch up on if you want a fun read. Apologies for pimping it.

 

[pogre]

Paragraph breaks are key for me. I'll take a chance on any SH that uses short paragraphs. I agree with the rest of the advice given here, but just wanted to emphasize nemmerle's!

 

[Piratecat]

Great advice here. I prefer stories to game logs, but write what feels the easiest for you. Important factors for getting an audience:

- good spelling and grammar
- predictable or regular updates
- paragraph breaks
- shorter entries ending on cliffhangers seem to be more fun for me to read than really long entries.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Great advice here. I prefer stories to game logs, but write what feels the easiest for you. Important factors for getting an audience:

- good spelling and grammar
- predictable or regular updates
- paragraph breaks
- shorter entries ending on cliffhangers seem to be more fun for me to read than really long entries.

That says it all for me, really.

The paragraph breaks are obviously a thing to echo.

I just can't get into story hours that are more game logs. I'm not sure as much why, its just that the story feel to them is more interesting for me. In the end, though, you should write it how you feel good writing it.

 

[GlassJaw]

On a somewhat related note, how info do you "gather" during the actual session before you write a story hour entry? Do you do it off the top of your head?

I noticed a lot of stories use dialogue. Do you just remember what is said? Do you write it down during the session or is it just paraphrased?