I'm not much of a creative writer, but I'm currently trying to make a creative narrative around my FIRST Elder Scrolls Oblivion playthrough.
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from ThePiedPooper@discuss.online to gaming@beehaw.org on 07 Aug 15:14
https://discuss.online/post/24840251
from ThePiedPooper@discuss.online to gaming@beehaw.org on 07 Aug 15:14
https://discuss.online/post/24840251
This might not be the place for it, but I’d love any feedback I can get. No need to leave a like, comment, or subscription, simple feedback will be enough!
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I figured I'd give it a look, and creative stuff like this should always be encouraged!
There's a lot of things I want to critique, but I first want to lay out some ground zero statements, if that makes sense:
I'm just one person, and things I say might not hold true from one person to another. Meaning, others may disagree with my opinions, and you yourself might even disagree; that's fine.
The most important thing is to enjoy the process. If you're having fun making these, keeping that fun going is the most important thing. If a suggestion would make it less fun, it's completely okay to ignore it!
I'm having issues formulating my thoughts as I try to write this, so forgive me if it makes less sense than intended.
The future perspective is a fun idea, but it kind of conflicts with the whole premise of a blind playthrough. How are you supposed to have a future perspective on things that you, the creator of the narrative and story, aren't able to foresee? I can understand wanting to do something creative with your first playthrough, especially if you felt inspired by the worldbuilding or lore of the Elder Scrolls world.
Let's start from the top. First, who is this character's story that we're following along on? We don't know their name, who they were before they were a prisoner, or why they're in prison to begin with. A character is much more compelling when there is already a goal, something to the story beyond just the circumstances they find themselves in.
Second, there's the issue of having a personal story layered on top of a pre-existing plot. What you're writing is currently similar to fan fiction. Not really a big deal, but given that the world of Tamriel and the Elder Scrolls series is already pre-established, not to mention the plot of the game, there's going to be many that are already familiar with the story of the game.
Given that, there's the question of intent. Are you wanting to create this for others, and for it to be entertaining? As a documentary, to sort of chronologue your character's journey or playthrough? Or is it just an excuse to try writing, using imagery and other storytelling tools? To be clear, any reason, even no reason, is fine. But there's different critique for different approaches.
For example, if the intent was to entertain, I could mention that having more personality and getting us more familliar with the main character would be a good idea. If the idea was to chronologue the journey, you could have snap cuts of the most important moments filling out a journal entry (e.g., you're reading out of a journal that the MC keeps, and adding snips of gameplay footage to coincide with the journal).
If you were wanting to just try using imagery and other narrative tools, you may want to reconsider your choice of words. While imagery is a fun way to write, adds immersion, and adds details to things that otherwise would be glossed over, you are able to show literal images of what you are describing. So there's no need to describe the undead, as the viewer can see them as clearly as our main character could. If this was what you were wanting to do, you could use the other senses to add to the immersion; smell, sound, taste, etc. Describe how the undead smell, the rotting food tastes, how moist the air is, or slippery the moss on the rocks or pebbles are.
Another thing to consider ties into what I mentioned earlier; the pre-existing universe of the Elder Scrolls franchise. Oblivion takes place within Cyrodill, with so much going on. If you're wanting to write a story within the universe, you might want to read up a bit, so you don't create a narrative that falls apart when the world or game has a different plot point than what is intended.
If this is a blind playthrough, as in, it is your first time playing the game, you may want to consider changing the tone, or perspective. If the story is told in first person, there's less issues with unexpected plot changes or conflicts between preconceived ideas or other things, as the main character will find out, or have their misconceptions corrected at the same time as the viewer.
I'm happy you're enjoying the world of Tamriel. I myself grew up playing the original Oblivion, so it's nice to see others re-experiencing the original fascination I had with the world and game. That's all from me though!
Thank you so much for the advice! I decided that I’ll rewrite the script using most of the tips you gave me, specifically:
Adding more personality. Giving my character a name. Writing the script in present tense (if I understood you correctly) Adding details that the viewer can’t see as opposed to what they can see
I am writing the script to entertain people, not so much for myself. I don’t have an inane desire to write, but I do have an inane desire to entertain people. I feel as though let’s plays are too done, and I need to try something new.
Do I have any writing skill, or am I more or less wasting my time here?