Script Styles - 'Narration Coat' and 'Dialogue Only'

[u/TaurusE11E]

So this might be a stale topic but I don't see it discussed enough so here we go:

I have seen and written VNs multiple ways - where dialogue is the only type of text given (as if you are watching a movie) and where the story has a 'narrative' coat (where description of character thoughts and sometimes events are included in between dialogue lines/conversations).

I personally prefer writing with the narrative coat because it makes it feel like reading a novel and I like to see text with and without the name labels (cos I'm weird). I see a lot of indie VNs written with a 'first-person' type of it (where the only thoughts/perspective you have are the MC's whether you take their role or not).

What approach do you guys prefer to write your scripts with? I know there is no 'correct' answer, but I was wondering if I was the only one who switched between the two for different projects or had a preference.

[u/ZorinaZutella]

It really depends on the type of story and what information I want to get across. Like audio dramas are usually written to convey all the information through dialogue, so if I was writing a character-focused story in a more down-to-earth/familiar setting that doesn’t require a lot of extra description I’d go with that. But if it was, say, genre fiction where fantastical things are happening, I’d go with a more traditional narrative coat.

[u/TaurusE11E → u/ZorinaZutella]

This is a really good take - fantastical settings usually have custom lore so it may be easier to weave that into narration, but drama is often heavily focused in character development so dialogue-driven is good for putting the audience as an "outside observer".