Story Hour Authors! A few questions...

[Jeremy]

1. How many sessions deep are you into your story? (meaning- how many single game sessions have you written up for your SH so far?)

Don't know but a math major could tell ya. Almost 2 years playing every other week with 5 sessions missed. How many is that?

2. Everyone seems to agree that a successful story hour can only come about as a result of passion on the writer's part for the story, not the glory. Still, how much do you value reader feedback?

I meant to do the the SH originally for myself, my players, and to better my game. But it ended up that I couldn't find the energy to do it if I didn't get feedback and it died.

3. What percentage of your own players read the story, would you say?

Let's see N,S,B,J/N,S,B,J,D = 80%. I actually think this became a bad thing. I can't explain why, but the only posts I got in the thread were from them, and I see them all the time. I wanted to hear someone else's opinions, or enjoyment, or ideas on the subject, and I feel that posts from them not only egged me on to work harder but supressed any outside feedback. I could be totally off base, and I'm definately not bitter about it. Like I said, I don't really understand it, that's just the way I feel.

4. Do you value the page views column on the main page? If so, do you feel like jumping from a bridge when you see Piratecat's views?

Yes. Highly. The page view count gives me encouragement to keep at it. PirateCat's view count doesn't discourage me at all. It validates the value of the artform for me and gives me something to point at and say, "Hey. It's worth reading. Trust me. X number of people reading, there's got to be something going on."

5. What's the worst in-game moment you've had to write up? Examples could include a total party kill or heavily hyped bad guy going down in the first round, etc... Things that just don't really happen in epic fantasy fiction.

An apology for missing a section. That killed me to write. But that wasn't technically in game. I would have had one difficult part, but I dodged it as it would have been frowned upon by E.G. (not to be confused with E.G.G.), so that decision was happily made for me.

6. What three things (single sentences each) would you say are most important in a good SH?

Persistence. A story hour must be updated at least 1/month to remain engrossing.

Imagery. I don't want to see players around a table in my mind's eye, I don't want to think about "He rolled a 36 on his percentiles", and I don't want to read "he got a good hit". I want to see a jump just barely made by the finger tips and the sweat dropping off the hero's brow as he claws his way out of the precipice. [I can't follow rules. ]

Personality. Either the characters or the author must be engaging and entertaining in either a humorous, exciting, or mysterious fashion.

7. What three things (single sentences each) would you say are most important in a good SH writing style?

Grammar and Punctuation. I can't help but be jarred by misused words, lack of paragraphs, or rampant spelling errors.

The ability to encorporate dialogue is also something that makes my read much more enjoyable.

I can't think of a third one.

8. How many sessions behind are you in your writing, compared to where the campaign actually is, in-game?

I'm currently up to date on our private boards but with the last two posts being just clipped notes with no narrative. As a result of falling 4-5 games behind repeatedly (and due to some other things) my story hour died.

9. Have you ever tried to turn events (discouraging a certain course of action, cheesing a rule, etc.) in-game for the benefit of the story hour? If so, have your players called you on it?

Not that I remember, so no to the second question.

10. If your story hour were published in novel form, paste here what you would want as the first-page teaser: several paragraphs from the story to hook the attention of a browsing bookstore patron.

As Collin walked the lines of the dead he came to rest at Praelesian's body. Her face was poignant and beautiful, a measure of peace on her face that made it seem as if she merely slept. The left side of her body was incased in ice and her left arm below the elbow was missing. Collin had no words or emotion to show, on the inside a countdown had started this morning and it was ticking down swiftly. His heart boiled and raged but he didn't feel any of it, his mind was in total control. Logic and mathematics.

Part of her arm is missing. Search and find it.

He scoured the ice encased trees theorizing that if the left side of her body was frozen she was on the edge of one of the blasts that must have come from the silver dragon.

How many times had they crossed swords with the strange ogres and organized goblins? How long had it been since the silver---it had to be the same silver that had helped them so long ago---had heeded the horn trumpets of the ogres and landed in their midst? How long? Probably even longer since Taviel's urgent message. Action/Reaction. Action. Reaction.

Reaction.

Too short. Male arm. Right hand. Left forearm. Left hand. Match.

Collin moved stiff and mechanical and came back with three pieces, one complete and one in two pieces that might be the correct appendage. Frederick tried to offer words, Collin walked right past him to Two Moons, "You. I need your help."

Two Moons, who had seen so much death so close to him, Dawn Mist, Rudderly, countless townspeople, Frederick, Khuuld, some quiet, some savage and final, but so much of it... Two Moons looked with sad eyes on Collin, "I can't. She is beyond my reach."

"Not mine damn you. Just say you'll help me." His voice lacked the vehemence of his words and it came across cold and unconcerned but Two Moons nodded none the less. "Zerin. I need you as well."

The black dragonkin nodded his massive head wordlessly. Collin pulled matter from the ether and constructed it into a harness for himself and Praelesian and Two Moons.

"Collin? What are you going to do? Collin? Collin!" Frederick looked at Collin and saw dead eyes and concentration and it scared him terribly.

Zerin shrugged into the harness and spread his wings as Collin finished securing Praelesian and motioned for Two Moons to do the same. "I'll be back," Collin said curtly as he fastened himself in and nodded to Zerin. Frederick backed up the Wind Key launched Zerin's massive frame into the air and sent them hurtling off to the west.

Collin directed Zerin south to the Sara Ardon and walked briskly downstairs. Seating himself once more at the helm he grabbed hold of the Water Key and the ocean spiraled away from the ship in a torrent. By moonlight he set off to the east, rounded the southern cape and came up just southeast of Crescent Lake.

Faced with the tumultuous jungles surrounding the tiny lake town, Zerin was forced to ferry Collin and Two Moons over. They touched down on the grassy half-meadow on its stilted supports. Two Moons had heard of the Circle of Oaks before, both in legend and from Collin as he related the tale in the past.

Zerin had been silent for the entire journey and was troubled both by their location and by Collin’s apparent plan. But he held his peace and stood vigil.

Collin paced for a moment, gazed at the stars and the position of the moon, and sat down to wait out the rest of the night. Meanwhile Two Moons set to gently thawing Praelesian as best he could. When he finished, he used needle and thread to mend her body at least on the outside so that she could rest whole and complete. It took him most of the night but it kept his mind occupied. Collin had no such distractions and drilled himself mercilessly to keep himself awake, eventually exhaustion, both physical and emotional from suppressing so many intense emotions, overcame him and he slipped into unconsciousness.

The night passed to the sounds of the jungle’s endless uproar.

Zerin woke Two Moons from where he had slumped over as the sky began to lighten then went back to where he had stood vigil through the night. As the mists rose he carried Collin’s sleeping form off the platform.

The mists from the lake swept over Two Moons and Praelesian and swallowed them from sight. As the sun rose the mists burned away but Praelesian and Two Moons did not return. This troubled Zerin even more and he woke Collin remarkably gently.

Collin looked around, blinked in the sunlight and took in his surroundings. Pieces fell together and Collin’s expression became harder and colder. The walls around his emotions were doubled and redoubled as he headed swiftly to Argus’s little chapel with long purpose-filled strides.

Argus was setting up little cups upon the simple altar when Collin entered. He called out greeting but his old face saddened as he took in Collin’s fiery haired demeanor.

“The Circle of Oaks,” Collin began, “Do people ever fail to come back?”

Argus straightened and his heart reached out to the young man who tried to take on so many of the world’s problems. “The Circle of Oaks offers great wisdom, but at a dear price. Sometimes, that price is too high.”

“Has anyone ever returned after the mists have cleared? The next day? After?” Collin’s tone was flinty and cold, it held no emotion whatsoever.

“I’m very sorry, my son.”

At that moment, something inside Collin changed drastically.

There's more here.

 

[Lars Frehse]

1. How many sessions deep are you into your story? (meaning- how many single game sessions have you written up for your SH so far?)

Seventeen actual sessions

2. Everyone seems to agree that a successful story hour can only come about as a result of passion on the writer's part for the story, not the glory. Still, how much do you value reader feedback?

Quite a bit, actually. Knowing that there are people who are interested in the stuff I write gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling in my tummy.

3. What percentage of your own players read the story, would you say?

3 out of 5, I think. Oh, you want a percentage? 60%, then.

4. Do you value the page views column on the main page? If so, do you feel like jumping from a bridge when you see Piratecat's views?

I value them, but I don't take them too seriously.

5. What's the worst in-game moment you've had to write up? Examples could include a total party kill or heavily hyped bad guy going down in the first round, etc... Things that just don't really happen in epic fantasy fiction.

Hmmm. Tough one. Maybe the biggest problem I am having is that often during combats, PCs are knocked out. (I usually throw rather challenging fights at them). In a real fantasy story, it is usually a rather dramatic moment when one of the heroes lies on the floor, bleeding and unconcious... With me, that is just day-to-day business, so I try to write around it.


6. What three things (single sentences each) would you say are most important in a good SH?

Originality, consistency and writing style

7. What three things (single sentences each) would you say are most important in a good SH writing style?

Grammar and punctuation, of course (even though I am a bit handicapped there, being a Kraut who's writing English), a generally pleasant and easy-to-read style and the ability to show the PCs as real individuals.

8. How many sessions behind are you in your writing, compared to where the campaign actually is, in-game?

One and a half session. But I hope to catch up with the story until new year's eve.

9. Have you ever tried to turn events (discouraging a certain course of action, cheesing a rule, etc.) in-game for the benefit of the story hour? If so, have your players called you on it?

No. The game takes precedence and the story hour is just a nice by-product.

10. If your story hour were published in novel form, paste here what you would want as the first-page teaser: several paragraphs from the story to hook the attention of a browsing bookstore patron.

The woman opened one of the two doors at other side of the room. In the room, laying on the bed, there was an orc who's entire skin was covered with green mold, making it look like an old loaf of bread, which had been laying in a damp cellar for too long. Cautiously, they walked up to his bed, as the Half-Orc started to cough, green phlegm flying from his distorted mouth.

His voice was coarse and obviously he every word he uttered caused him pain:"What do you want?".

Torn stepped into Old Toby's vision:" We heard that you were among the first who had gotten infected. We want to find a way to end the disease, so we need to know whether you have met foreigners before you got infected or whether anything else that was unusual happened to you.".

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