Starting a Story Hour

[Crothian]

If you can do it, great. But that sounds like a lot of effort.

 

[haiiro]

As the author of my once and future "Faded Glory" (an awesome campaign setting, unrepentantly stolen from Old One), I have a few tips that I intend to use when we resume the campaign in a month or so:

Wow. All of those tips were excellent.

I read this htread with great interest, as I'll be starting up a story hour for my upcoming game -- and this is exactly the kind of hints I was looking for.

Thanks.

 

[Rel]

Wow. All of those tips were excellent.

I read this htread with great interest, as I'll be starting up a story hour for my upcoming game -- and this is exactly the kind of hints I was looking for.

Thanks.

Thanks for the thanks from you, Crothian and Paka. I'll note by way of irony that the post above has gotten more responses than most of my Story Hour posts have. Maybe I should forego the fiction and stick with technical writing. (Nah, what fun would that be. And besides, like I said above, I'm not in it for the glory. Much.)

In answer to Crothian's question about going back to change post's you've already made, I'd just say that's largely a matter of personal choice. The only times I did it was if I found out that I made a significant factual error that I might be able to correct before everyone read it who was likely to read it. The case that I recall most vividly was when I described a character using a weapon that he never actually had (it was a replacement character and he slightly altered the concept shortly before we started playing such that the character used a warhammer instead of a pick as I'd originally described).

I think it is enough in most cases to mention the change in GM notes and move forward. Same thing for alterations to your writing style. If someone suggests changes and you want to implement them, I'd just do so going forward instead of revising what had been posted before.

And on that note, one other thing to remember is that you aren't getting paid for this and, if you've followed my advice above, you are not primarily doing it to please others, only yourself. As a result, consider whether any changes others suggest are going to be something you think will sit well with you and your writing style. Most of the time, I try to inject some humor into my SH posts because we spend a lot of our sessions laughing and also because that's just the way I write. If somebody said, "Hey, Rel, I like your Story Hour, but you should be a bit more serious in tone so that your story has a more dramatic feel." then I'd have to say, "I'm glad you like it, but I'm going to need to leave the humor how it is. It's just the way I write."

Along similar lines, there is the issue of burnout. I developed a small, but loyal group of readers for my SH and when I started to feel burned out on writing the story, I felt guilty for letting them down when I didn't post. But ultimately I just had to walk away from it for a while until, early this summer, I got the spark again and finished it in a flurry of writing.

If burnout happens to you, my advice is to try, if you can, to get the story to a semi-decent stopping point and then take a break. That will make it easier on the readers and easier on you if you want to pick it back up again later. BUT, if you have to, don't be afraid to just let everyone know that you need a break from writing it and walk away for a while. The people who like your story will be happy to wait to read the conclusion. If you want proof, check Old One's Faded Glory Story Hour. He had a child early this year and it has taken up a lot of his time and prevented him from playing or posting much. But some of his faithful readers have kept bumping it every week or so for the better part of a year, just to let him know that they will be there when he get's a chance to write more story.

Anyway, those are just a few more random thoughts. Take them with a grain of salt because I've never had the best Story Hour on the boards and I'm a LONG way from having one that is heavily read. But I'm happy with what I've done and that's what really matters to me.

 

[spyscribe]

Thanks for the thanks from you, Crothian and Paka. I'll note by way of irony that the post above has gotten more responses than most of my Story Hour posts have....

It's funny you should mention that because I've noticed in our story hour that story posts don't, as a rule, generate chat. If I'm lucky someone will chime in with a "that's cool!" or "Uh oh..." but really, what's there to say?

Game asides about the world or the pantheon tend to generate more discussion, which is always fun because while it might be true that one has to write for one's own satisfaction, it is still a thrill to check the thread and find that someone you don't even know has read and liked your game.

But maybe I just lead a generally thrill-free life.

 

[Joshua Randall]

I heartily second Rel's advice that you postpone the start of your Story Hour until you have half-a-dozen sessions to write about. Not that you've necessarily played six sessions - but have six or so writeups ready to go. That can really help your momentum early on.

As for note-taking, I actually don't do any. What?! Are you insane? Maybe I am, and maybe I just have a good memory for D&D. (I can't remember my mom's birthday but I can remember round-by-round combat results; go figure.) Anyway, it's a story first and foremost: if you have to fudge the dialogue or the combat, no-one other than you and your players is going to know.

Don't feel the need to trascribe everything that happens. Some parts of D&D are frankly boring. Just gloss over the boring parts and focus your efforts on what's interesting. E.g., if the players spend an hour haggling with a merchant over horses, you can cover that in your story in a single line: The party negotiates with the tight-fisted merchant and eventually reaches an agreement on a fair price for several riding horses. They set off for wherever....

Finally, have fun, and do your own thing. Again, it's a story hour, not a professionally crafted novel. Don't purposefully suck, but don't worry if your story isn't up to Tolstoyan standards.

 

[mythago]

There are many ways - In Medias Res, Expository "Star Wars" Style, or plain prose -

And of course, the famous third-person voiceover....



I was sitting in my office, finishing off a glass of Elebrim's cheapest ale, when she walked in. A blonde girl, tall and cool as a
potion of fire resistance, wrapped in slinky chainmail and carrying a smart little handbag of holding. Her stylish hat radiated magic, but I didn't have the time to read its dweomer before she dropped a pouch on my desk. Whatever was inside rang like platinum. I may not have Alertness but I know the sound of money.

"Are you Mjarlogh?" she asked.

"That's my name on the door, doll. You don't read High Elven?" From the look she gave me, I got that she'd been reading High Elven since before she had curves.

She glanced disdainfully around my office, taking in the crumpled piles of scrolls scattered over my desk, the faded and patched cloak of elvenkind on the hatstand, the sideboard with a plate of half-eaten iron rations. "Are you sure you're a detective? I've seen orc lairs kept up better than this."

....

 

[Piratecat]

Rel offers superb advice. Listen to him; he's clever!

I find that game comments on things that you found fun (particular mechanics, OOC jokes, etc.) are a fun thing to add outside of the main storyhour update. In fact, it's these things which typically draw in the comments from people who are reading.

If i was going to guess at the most effective way to capture and keep an audience, I'd say it would be to start in media res. People judge a story hour by the first two posts they read, usually, so make them fun!

And as someone said, for God's sake, use a lot of paragraph breaks.

 

[Rel]

Rel offers superb advice. Listen to him; he's clever!

Yeah? Well if I'm so damn clever, how come I don't have a view count on my story hour that requires exponents to express numerically?

(not that I'm bitter or anything)

I'm kidding of course. But just keeping track of the comments people make in PC's story hour must be a full time job. How does he do it? I'll tell you how: He's a "sleep specialist". He's figured out how to stop sleeping and he isn't telling anyone else.*

You're secret's out, PC. You're goin' down!

*Either that or they've created a clone of him from the missing paw.

 

[Piratecat]

Not to worry, Rel; when I'm in NC next month, I'll give you a copy of my BumpBot Refresh-O-Macro (tm). Guaranteed!

 

[Crothian]

Okay, so what do you do wit information only one player has? For instance it could be someting from teir backstory that they haven't revealed but is important, or it could be something only they know or notice and decide not to share with the others quite yet.