What shouldn't I use just ONE single node for my entire story?

You can switch characters in-and-out, add time delays, add media, etc. all within ONE SINGLE node. How cool is that?! Well, here are a few side effects:


1) It will take a really long time to open that one node. Maybe ~30-60 seconds. If you just happen to click outside the box, you'll have to wait another 30-60 seconds to reopen the node. Just sayin'...


2) The Tool SEARCH in the toolbar will be useless. You cannot search for a word with the node open, so it will just tell you there are, say, 24 instances of the word "fish" somewhere inside that ONE node. (Instead, you could use "Control-F" with the node open to find each instance of your "fish".


3) You should employ User Choice buttons as much as possible. It gives the reader a sense of control over the story flow and "interactivity" with your characters. Readers will feel like they are a part of the story and not just a bystander observing things. No one really likes a constant stream of continuous text messages. If your story is one single node, that means there are no User Choices. This is not recommended.


4) Editing one long node will be a bear. A large one. Grizzly. Breaking up your story into component nodes will allow you (and your editors) to find your place quicker and easier.

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