Content - Pips and Pods

 When you read a piece of writing, you may notice that there were decisions made that are carried through it. The longer the work, such as a novel, the more obvious those decisions generally are.

For instance, if an author wants to be able to switch between characters' thoughts and feelings, as well as their actions, they may opt to write in 3rd person universal. If they want a more intimate feeling within one character, having the reader experience only what the protagonist experiences, they may choose to write in 1st person.

What person you write in is only one choice an author makes. Pace, default tense (usually either past or present), setting - these are all decisions that are made initially and carried through the entirety of the work. (Usually. There are exceptions!)

In this system, each decision is called a Pip. 

Here are a few decisions you might make:

• Person: 1st (protagonist, incidental), 2nd, 3rd (universal, limited)
• Point of View: who are we following, if anyone, in particular
• Default Verb Tense: past, present, future
• Style: prose, poetry, or take inspiration from an author you admire
• Prompts: add a few words into the writing that you decide on beforehand (this is a great way to take your story places you'd never expect)

The collection of the individual Pips constitutes a Pod. 

In Pips World, you are encouraged to make a different Pod for each chapter/episode.

At this point, you may be wondering if the continuity of a work will be interrupted by having different pods in each chapter. Maybe. But we think the freedom of using different pods for each of your chapters/episodes is what makes this fun. 

Try it. Experiment. Have fun! 

Introduction and Background

 Hello and Welcome! to Pips World.

This first entry is to introduce the system and give the background of where it came from.

Introduction

Pips World is a system which can be used to explore creative writing by mindfully and deliberately trying things out. Use it like a game (like a solo journaling role playing game), use it to write your next novel (Parz has already written a short-ish novel and will be using Pips World for writing a longer one), or simply as a way to creatively explore creativity. It's all up to you.

Background

The two creators, the brilliantly amazing, wonderful, and oh so modest, Aleesha and Parzival Sattva wrote their own stories based on the journaling solo role playing game, Apothecaria. As they wrote their stories, they discovered many elements of the genre to be positive - consistent settings, a bit of world-building pre-made, prompts to help direct action. But over time, they found that the negatives, such as over-detailed prompts, and their desire to expand their stories beyond the given prompts, made playing the game tiresome and cumbersome. Their solution was the creation of a system, this system, to give them the ability to be as creative as they want, to expand their stories in the way they desire, and yet still have elements to help guide story (sometimes into unexpected but delightful places).

The elements of the system are straight-forward. At least they think so. Hopefully you do too!

We hope you enjoy using Pips World as much as we enjoyed creating it. 

Next: Content - Pips and Pods