First thoughts on the story
Here I am downloading my initial thinking on my southern gothic horror story
I want to share a little about the story (Bayou Hollow) I’m writing for my interactive fiction (IF) project. I’ve been thinking about this story for a long time now (maybe a little over a year).
Think in terms of a southern gothic horror mystique type of feel…
Bayou Hollow
An unexpected letter arrives: an inheritance of Magnolia Plantation from a great-grandmother never known to exist.
Arriving in the small Louisiana town of Bayou Hollow, the oppressive humidity settles like a shroud, Spanish moss hangs heavy from ancient oaks, and an unsettling feeling of being watched permeates the air.
What begins as a simple inheritance [side note: inheritances, in general are NOT simple! But as I write this, I realize their “simplicity” is irrelevant to this story, but also see why this inheritance is so complex.] quickly unravels into something far more sinister.
Aunt Celeste, a woman never before met, greets the newcomer [i.e., the reader] with cryptic warnings.
Over the course of five days, the reader must navigate the delicate balance between two worlds.
By day, the streets of Bayou Hollow beckon the reader to help townspeople, uncover local legends, and slowly earn the trust of a community that guards its secrets closely.
By night, the veil between the two worlds grows thin, and supernatural forces that have shaped this town for generations begin to reveal themselves.
Something is coming. A convergence of “dark forces” that threatens to tear reality apart, with Bayou Hollow as the gateway.
[another side note: “…tear reality apart…” makes it seem way bigger than Bayou Hollow, the stakes are high for this poor reader. This may need to be tweaked.]
Impossible choices loom: The reader must embrace a heritage they’ve never known, or reject the legacy of power flowing through inherited blood.
The choices the reader makes will determine not just one fate, but the fate of everyone in Bayou Hollow. Will the power be mastered? The curse broken? Balance found between the mundane and the mystical? Or will everything be sacrificed to save a town that may never fully offer its trust?
OK - so that’s what I have so far in my notes about this story. What I love about it is the ability to provide a variety of decisions to make for a rich story to unfold for the reader (and ultimately the player).
well that sounds fun... like a escape room only a story