Wow your response is amazing! Totally is going to help me out. And when you say you have huge respect for directing and episode creating in general I completely agree with you!! I find that I can’t blame long wait times for episodes because of how difficult and how detailed you must be to create the best possible!!
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If you’re writer: how do you write “good pacing”? How do you know that your story is flowing well/not rushed or dragged on?
If you’re not, can you give me an example of what is good pacing/bad pacing in a story you’ve read or just make on example up?
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No shade, just facts but I find in most Episode Featured stories, that even if you don’t pick the gem choice they provide, you don’t necessarily get the same outcome but literally nothing happens in consequence to not choosing the gem choice.
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I don’t really read Featured stories anymore, and I know about that. XDD when I read a featured story for the first time.
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It’s a shame because some stories are actually kinda nice like I remember first reading Venomous when it wasn’t an Episode story and now that it is I’m hesitant to go back to it in fear of overpriced gem choices that don’t matter. I don’t get why they exist at all.
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Originals are way better than Episode messing up the stories that they feature, but tbh I kinda like the outfits, and hairstyles, but gem choices, nope.
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Yeah! The fact that a lot of unreleased clothing, hairstyles, and animations are used gets me all excited to what I can add to my story in the future.
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imma wannabe author does dat count 
anyway imma do it
- Do you like choices in stories or do you prefer to just read?
That Depends if the choices are important in the story or not. If they make no difference id rather just read.
- Adding onto the question before, what kind of choices do you like/hate? Do you like choices that impact the story or does that stress you out? (I know it stresses me out)
Sometimes. Like the fact that i could have kissed ricky and instead i kissed the other dude 
sorry im in love with The Manhatten Murders 
- Do you like character points? As in, do you like it that your choices impact your relationship with characters?
I dont bc i want very scene 
- What makes you continue reading a story? What makes you stop?
If your story doesnt catch me by the first episode im out
- What do your favorite stories have that make them amazing?
They og yk.
- Writers: how long do you think an episode should be?
1000 lines. or 10 mins
- Readers/Writers: what do you look for in the first episode?
Like i said before. If it does catch in then im out. Im looking for the drama!
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I don’t care much about choices.
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I suppose it can be stressful if the choices impacts the ending.
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I don’t mind character’s points.
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I keep reading only if the story catches my attention and if it has an original and unique storyline which tbh is rare for me to find. I hate cringy, sex crazed stories. I stop reading from there.
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Plot has to be original and entertaining
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10 mins at most. I don’t mind longer if the storyline is great.
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well idk if id consider myself a writer but I’ve written a few stories. and for pacing, I havent seen very many where the pacing was too slow (like used too much character thought and descriptions) but I’ve seen quite a few where the progression of the story is faster than familiarity we have with the characters. its kinda hard to realize when youre writing because you know the full story and characters so youre already comfortable with them, so I guess just have other people read it and see what they say
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Do you like choices in stories or do you prefer to just read?
I like having choices because it feels more interactive, especially when I get to choose what happens next or something that impacts the story. -
Adding onto the question before, what kind of choices do you like/hate? Do you like choices that impact the story or does that stress you out? (I know it stresses me out)
I love choices that affect the storyline, they are so important if I’m going to read an action or mystery story. -
Do you like character points? As in, do you like it that your choices impact your relationship with characters?
I love having that it makes the story feel more real. eg. If you annoy your friend it does affect the relationship rather than them forget it in the next scene. -
What makes you continue reading a story? What makes you stop?
One thing that makes me continue reading a story is when I don’t know everything about the characters, it makes me want to get to know them and find out their story. Like why did the guy commit the crime? You can tell I love mystery lol
What makes me stop reading is when there is no character development at all. It’s so terrible. I also hate characters that are so cliche, “Look at me I’m the blonde rich mean girl” or “I’m the bad boy I beat up other people for just looking at the MC and they think it’s alright because I’m supposed to be hot”. -
What do your favorite stories have that make them amazing?
Good characters that have flaws, nobody is perfect and neither should your characters be. Giving them flaws to deal with is the best thing in a story. -
Writers: how long do you think an episode should be?
Between 1000-3000 lines excluding CC, hair and makeup and dressup games. -
Readers/Writers: what do you look for in the first episode?
A nice introduction with to the characters. Don’t reveal everything straight away but show us the characters and their main goal which hopefully are choices might impact.
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- Do you like choices in stories or do you prefer to just read?
- I don’t really care…
- Adding onto the question before, what kind of choices do you like/hate? Do you like choices that impact the story or does that stress you out? (I know it stresses me out)
- I hate timer choices… But you could do gains instead of points so one choice can re-occur in a few chapters
- Do you like character points? As in, do you like it that your choices impact your relationship with characters?
It’s okay - What makes you continue reading a story? What makes you stop?
Pregnancy. Ill just stop reading there… Or the mean girl who is blonde + has two minions that you really want to kill off… - What do your favorite stories have that make them amazing?
They’re slowed down and not rushed, Some are funny and has a plot line. - Writers: how long do you think an episode should be?
over 10 minutes (1000 lines+) - Readers/Writers: what do you look for in the first episode?
A good hook, maybe a flash forwards into the story (I don’t really care abt this but CC)
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Moved to Episode Fan Community since Community is for discussion of specific stories. Make sure to check out our Forum Tutorial for more info about creating topics, and feel free to PM me if you’ve got questions. 
Choices. Lots of choices. Bonus points if they matter! I could also read a story without choices, but I definitely prefer choices. Although, I don’t like choices that don’t really fit with the storyline, they seem kind of forced. Some stories are just better with choices and some are better without.
Well, I think we all hate gem choices. That’s a fact. I personally enjoy stressful choices that actually make you think what would happen if you chose a certain choice. They make a story interactive, which I just can’t see happening with a story that has no choices.
I don’t just like character points, I love them. They make a story much more realistic. Just like with choices, I enjoy when they have an impact on the ending or just the plot in general.
Advanced directing, minigames, character points, hard choices, and most importantly, a good plot.
Clichés. I hate them. A cliché story would have to be really good, practically perfect, for me to actually read it. But there’s not really such a thing as a good cliché story. Basic directing and grammatical errors also get on my nerves.
I’ve seen a pattern with all my favorite stories, they’re all interactive. They all have minigames, choices that matter, and different endings.
Definitely over ten minutes. If an episode is shorter than that, I kind of feel like I wasted my pass. If it’s longer than twenty minutes, I get bored and just give up on the story. In short, I think around fifteen minutes is good.
Definitely a lot of plot development. If the half of the first episode is just two people talking in a hallway, I’ll give up on the story. I have to be hooked on the first episode to actually move on to the second one.
I usually aim for over 3000 lines, not inculding intros, outros, or customization. I think episodes should always have more than 1000 lines. If it’s less than that, the episode is usually very short.
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Bloop
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Thanks!
In the opinion of both a reader and a writer....
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To be honest, I like choices but I also like when the story just goes along and I get to see how characters deal with things without making the choice myself! (So a bit of both lol)
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I do like choices that impact the story, I feel it helps me better interact with the story and characters!
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Character points are awesome but I can’t code them for the life of me (I always end up messing the smallest thing, and then getting completely lost on the points!)
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When the author has a writing style that keeps me captivated or the characters are interesting. I usually don’t ever stop a story unless I just can’t understand it. (Sometimes, the grammar and spelling is so bad, that I have to force myself to stop reading, even if I wanted to give it a chance.)
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My favourite stories always have such beautiful and descriptive writing and that’s what makes them stand out to me!
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Episodes should be as long as the author feels is just right! They don’t have to be super short or super long. (I usually tend to at least have a minimum of 400 lines, excluding choices and dressing games)
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I don’t look for anything specific in a first episode. Normally, I tend to want to see where the story is headed and if the first episode doesn’t really grab my attention, I’ll still give it a chance!
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Do you like choices in stories or do you prefer to just read?
As a writer too, I struggle a lot with adding in choices, so when reading stories, I don’t really mind. -
Adding onto the question before, what kind of choices do you like/hate? Do you like choices that impact the story or does that stress you out? (I know it stresses me out)
I much prefer having that affect the story. -
Do you like character points? As in, do you like it that your choices impact your relationship with characters?
I don’t really care about character points, but points that like impact your personality or survival skills are the best ones. -
What makes you continue reading a story? What makes you stop?
If the story ends up going totally away from it’s original plot like Riverdale I get totally turned off. -
What do your favorite stories have that make them amazing?
The overlay and spot directing is insane and the storyline is really good. -
Writers: how long do you think an episode should be?
My episodes usually go over 2000 lines, no less. But it also depends if directing takes away lines that could’ve been used for speech. -
Readers/Writers: what do you look for in the first episode?
As a writer, the first episode is basically an introduction to the story, so the reader knows what it’s about. As a reader, I don’t really look for anything.
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