Writing Monstrous Manor

Uploaded a video about writing Monstrous Manor

Monstrous manor was my first attempt at an adventure gamebook.

I was already thinking about writing one and I discovered some amazing open source illustrations which formed the basis of the layout of the book. I started by sketching a map on note paper, then started working out the layouts of the levels and what encounters, items, and traps the player would discover along the way. I then drew them properly on gridded paper with a tracing paper overlay so I could write the temporary address of each entry on top.

I remember driving myself crazy trying to figure out how to map some of the sections because for some reason instead of using codewords I had decided that the player would switch between duplicate entries if they made certain choices. I made things insanely complicated for myself. Which led me to buy a whole set of the Wizard re-releases of fighting fantasy for the next book just so I could learn some of the tricks other authors had used before me to simplify player navigation.

It wasn't an easy book to write but I learned a lot in a short space of time and it was definitely an interesting experience.

Until next time.

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Martyn Cruise, Author

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