Mapping out the valley filled with clouds
“[It’s] what I call ‘The Valley Filled with Clouds’ technique. You’re at the edge of the valley, and there is a church steeple, and there is a tree, and there is a rocky outcrop, but the rest of it is mist. But you know that because they exist, there must be ways of getting from one to the other that you cannot see. And so you start the journey.”
–Terry Pratchett
Female Agent has always been a valley filled with clouds: I’ve planned out the major plot points in advance, but not the exact paths between them. I always feel like I’m under pressure to produce content so, as soon as I’ve got a half-decent plan, I set off on writing the next episode.
It’s possible to over-plan
I’ve always been wary of over-planning. Some planning is great, and I’d never want to start anything important with no plan – but, in my experience, over-planning wastes time and stifles creativity. I think it can encourage project paralysis, and even cowardice: it’s much easier and more comfortable to be planning (which, by definition, can’t fail) instead of actually delivering work (which can fail and humiliate you).
But it’s also possible to under-plan
That said – I think some of the problems with slow delivery and not-hot-enough episodes can basically be traced to me getting lost in the valley filled with clouds. The problem is that it is filled with fucking clouds and it takes me a while to find the right path.
Current project
I’m currently trying to fix this by planning out all the remaining episodes in medium-level detail. The Mother of All Beat Sheets. I’d always thought this much planning would be a waste of time, but – now I’m doing it – it’s just obviously the right thing to do.
For example, yesterday and today, I was trying to fix an episode in the outline (set in the club) that just felt flat and slow. After some thought and stress, I realised I could hit the same story beat by bringing forward an episode planned for much later (set outside the club).
This fix took one day; it feels like the kind of problem that would have caused weeks of stress and significant rewrites if I’d encountered it on the ground in the valley filled with clouds. So I think that, if I prioritise finishing this process now, it will more than pay for itself in smoother and faster production of episodes in the future.
I can tell it’s intellectually demanding work because I’m frazzled at the end of each day. 😩 I’m going to take the evening off and get an early start tomorrow. Have a lovely Sunday evening guys! I’ll report progress next week. 🦀❤️
Comments (6)
The existing club stuff is great. The spy stuff is great. It’s more compelling and sexier than anything else out there. Replayability has always been good and is increasing. It’s one of the best spy stories out there, full stop. Stay on target and trust yourself. You’re doing great.
Keep it up.
Don't be too hard on the existing club content.
So... let's figure out timescales. Episode 1.20 was finalised and released November, 2023. You were releasing approximately 3 updates per year but it's mid 2024 and there is an unfinished beta so releases are slowing. You have 4 lifepath updates planned. So is it fair to say that will take development / rewriting of the prologue through to 2026 before you can return to the side mission, Booth Babe, then you will return to the main game development in early 2027?
You are over-generalizing, discarding variables inconvenient to your narrative, and declaring patterns based on an insufficient set of cherry-picked data points, simply out of the juvenile desire to douche it up on the internet. These posts have no value.
As a long time follower of the project I'm glad you're finding a new way to approach it to give yourself a better guide on the road instead of continuously burning out episode to episode. It seems like before you'd get the bare minimum of supplies before going on your hike with only general landmarks to follow, and it was slowing you down as you meet situations or potholes you weren't prepared for. This now feels like you're taking the time, finding a road map, buying all the gear you need, and Then going on the hike. Longer startup but I'm hoping it helps you in the long run. Planning in medium detail will also allow you to determine how the story points will be different depending on the character background when you re-implement the life path, making it smoother to branch the events. You're content is literally my favorite game, and its always been worth the wait in my opinion. So even if it does take some time, I'm hoping it makes it easier on you. Thank you for all you've done and are going to continue to do going foward!