@Michael: Thank you! This is super helpful!

Copy & pasting nodes. I try to account for choices the player makes in small ways, which usually results in a few lines of dialogue down the line. It's a bit tiring having to make a new node with all the same dialogue, and add just one mode line. Copying a previously-written node, pasting it somewhere else, and adding a few more lines would be great.

Also agree will Ellen--will there be a way to select how delays are displayed in the future?

Agreed. That's what I'm trying to do for my story, and whether that content is drama or personal moments, I don't want to put filler.

Ah, please don't swear at your story! I'm sure it's a sight to behold! :)

Oh! That is definitely true. I wonder if people will experience the story differently because of the size of their screens . . .

And seeing the story as a clickable-symphony (can I call it that) is awesome!

100% with Joey's point. Extra Credits did a great video on that, about negative possibility space, which can be found here. They also did a great series on choice in video games, which can 100% be applied to IFs, found here (check out "The Illusion of Choice", especially relevant here). In case you were wondering, each video is ~5-7 minutes long.

And I found your point about IF rhythm very interesting, especially in Sequel, where we are able to put timers between choices and dialogue. I've been developing my own IFs for ~1 year, and was involved in the creation of an English visual novel 2 years back, Monster Uses CPU 2. Thinking of IF writing as essay writing . . . I've never made that connection before, but that really makes sense. I usually see my IF as short stories, but you've really got me thinking. Thank you. :)

I have various Notepad files on my computer, where I jot down notes on the characters & their world, idea for future episodes, multimedia links to keep in mind, games w/ similar atmosphere to play & examine, etc. I also have a bunch of photos I've been taking for a different project that could be very useful for this one. I keep these in mind as I start working.

When I start an episode draft, the character is on a new floor of a building they are trying to escape from, so first I doodle a map of the current floor, just a general hallway idea. I think of what's on that floor, who was on that floor (the building's abandoned now), what materials might be there (is there an office or a mailroom, and what would be in there), etc. I also know the player will help the character find some kind of key (to reach the next floor). so I doodle little symbols on my map, for each room in the hallway. The symbols represent what the character will find there, and I use all these things to think of dialogue topics.

I write my scripts similar to how Lynnea does, kinda like a screenplay, and put them in Sequel as I go, polishing dialogue & putting in beats. I write in Microsoft Word; I bold the player's dialogue (their choices) and leave the character's with normal formatting, so I can keep track of my word count (personal preference of mine).

That's how I write my rough drafts. Hope you guys didn't mind that long response. :)

Hello! My name's Naomi. I'm a writer, artist, and game developer; I've created several interactive fiction works in the past. It's great to meet all of you, and to work beside you. :)