IF Seal: Writing resources and making friends
IF seal, I have so many questions but my main one would likely be; do you have resources you could give us? Especially related to learning coding and how to start making and planning your IF. I'm not new to the IF community, ive been around for around 2-3 years and ive finally gathered the courage to try and make my own and im starting planning basics like the ideas and plot lines and whatnot but I don't have any idea of where to go from there. What do I do, am I meant to go on and start writing it like I would a fanfic or do I make characters first, do I make the plot and worldbuild first?? I'm very lost, IF seal and i don't know where to start...
Another question would be; how do I make IF friends? I wanna talk about my plot ideas with others who enjoy IF's, maybe even create a baseline Tumblr account where i can just gather ideas to look through and chat about it but should I? What do I do for that? I like rubber ducking with people and bouncing ideas and such between me and others, but none of my current friends enjoy IF like I do.
Dear Lost Friend,
I do hope you are enjoying the new year. Some of what I say will be rather "how long is a piece of string" so I apologise in advance for that, but I hope it will be useful regardless.
Here are some resources for practical basics:
For ChoiceScript, I recommend looking at the introduction to the basics and working through the tutorial step by step. The ChoiceScript wiki is also excellent.
For Twine, I recommend the Twine Grimoire Volume 1 and Volume 2 by Grim Baccaris. There are various UI templates around as well - a quick google showed me this collection, and there will be plenty more to find on itch as well.
For ink, there's a basic guide here.
I understand that you are also looking for advice on structure and process, though, which is a rather larger topic.
My first suggestion is to try making something small: the equivalent of a short story, or if you have characters in your mind that you like, try sketching out a branched conversation or short scene about them.
If you are making something big, there is a blogpost here about writing longform IF. Paul Wang has a large archive about his writing process here. Some of it may be useful for you, some may not - take what you like and leave the rest.
Interactive narrative benefits from outlining your ideas before writing so you have a sense of the different endings you're aiming towards. What could the PC be aiming for that explores what you want to explore about your setting? How could characters help or hinder that, and how could the PC's actions change the world around them?
As you start to flesh out your ideas, you will learn more about your own writing process and whether you like to start with characters, setting, or plot. What I do recommend is to always keep the PC's place in the world, and their actions, in your mind. A static setpiece or characters having long conversations outside of the PC's activity may be just what your story needs, but consider how it affects the PC and how the PC is able to engage with them.
As for IF friends, I think getting in touch with writers whose work you enjoy is the first step! There have been various discords around the place although I am not sure which ones are currently active, but others may chime in on this! If there are IFs that you especially love, then chatting with other fans of them is also a way of getting involved with the community.
I hope this is useful, Lost Friend, and that you find a fun way of getting started with your project!