Tips for Strengthening Your Episode 1

Your episode 1 is where readers are most likely to decide if they want to continue reading your story, so make sure it gives them great reasons to!

These tips can help you strengthen and clarify key elements of your story. Make sure you can answer the questions that follow each section; if not, revise until you can.

Make sure readers want to BE your Main Character (MC). Your reader should be able to see themselves in your MC, but also live out parts of your story’s fantasy through them. Make sure you’ve written an MC who readers can empathize with and relate to, but who’s exciting and aspirational enough to be fun to play as. Additionally, by the end of episode one, players should have a strong sense of what the MC’s motivations and long-term goals are, and what they’re doing to achieve them—including how readers can help them achieve those goals through the choices they make in your story!

• Will players enjoy inhabiting my MC’s shoes?

• Do I like my MC? If not, can I at least empathize with them?

• Are there opportunities for readers to affect the MC’s personality, appearance, background, and actions?

• Is there a clear goal set for the MC? 

Make sure your free choices are meaningful. Make sure you give players multiple free choices that offer them a chance to define and express themselves (for instance, their personality, job, appearance, etc.) in a way that lets them take ownership of their MC and story. And don’t forget to make sure that the other characters and the world of the story responds to these choices! 

• Do I give players enough free choices to allow them to help shape their story?

• Do my free choices allow me to make meaningful choices about and for my MC? 

• Do my free choices have a clear impact on the story and/or the other characters?

When it comes to gem choices, aim for quality over quantity. Avoid presenting players with gem choices too early in episode 1; your first one should happen after players have a strong understanding of, and attachment to, the story, world, and characters. 

• Does the first gem choice appear far enough into my episode that players are already excited about my story and characters?

• Are my gem choices rewarding enough that players who choose them will be incentivized to choose future gem choice opportunities?

If your story is a Romance, or has romantic elements:

Make sure your Love Interests (LI) stand out. It should be clear what type of character your LI is from the moment we meet them. Avoid making your LIs behave in ways that are inconsistent with their defined personality, unless it’s to show how they’re growing and/or changing.

• What kind of person is my LI? 

• What makes my LI irresistible?

• What are some ways my LI expresses their distinct personality type (e.g. clothing, mannerisms, pet phrases) and how does it make them stand out from other characters?

Make sure their meet-cute is unforgettable. The Main Character and Love Interest’s first meeting will define the arc and tone of their relationship for the rest of the story, so make sure it’s unforgettable! A good meet-cute includes plenty of free choices for the MC to flirt, joke, quip, interrogate, etc. It should be clear what makes the MC stand out to the LI, why the characters have caught each other’s attention, and why they’re meant to be… even if they don’t see it yet. And make sure to convince your players to fall in love with them—not just your MC!

• Does your LI appear as soon as possible?

• What is it about the MC specifically that the LI is drawn to? 

• Is there a clear sense of chemistry between the LI and MC?

• If your story has multiple viable LIs, does each LI have a meet-cute that feels unique to them?