There is no guide to how to write a live choose your own adventure story; it is a relatively modern concept that, as far as I can tell, is only possible as a result of current technology. When I was a teenager I read those choose your own adventure stories where you had the option to add to the story once you reached the end of your branch. While those were interesting, the downside was that they were not live. Collaboration is often significantly more enjoyable when live.
So while there is no guide as to how to write these stories, I have been doing this for a reasonable amount of time and am comfortable with my approach.
I generally start with no intent, unless the story is linked to another one or has a stated theme. For example, when I write a zombie story I know that it will include zombies, but I know nothing else.
The main character develops as an individual as the story progresses. As the story opens, I know nothing about them. As the main character chooses different paths, they develop as an individual and their potential actions become constrained. A character who chooses to wear slutty clothes from the outset will always have the option of taking slutty actions. A character who is consistently non-violent, even in the face of violent options, will tend to have less and less violent options as time goes by.
I also take hints from people who make comments. If all they want is the chance to purchase a Snickers bar, then if there is an option to take one I'll try to make it happen. I try not to go out of my way to include the desires of every individual, but if it's something that can be worked into the story, then I treat it as if the subconscious of the character was represented in the comments. The character itself is always a representation of the collective thoughts of the participating individuals in response to the situation the character has been placed, or has managed to place themselves in.
From time to time people complain that I have written the character into a corner, or that I have not provided sufficient options. To a certain extent this is the responsibility of the writer. I choose how the environment responds to the actions of the character. I try not to screw too much with the environment though. In many stories (not all), the challenge faced by the main character results from their actions, not from a predicament the character was placed in. Generally, where I have placed the main character in a predicament myself it is at the outset of the story. The Sunday Crime Trilogy, the Where Am I? series (although in both of these cases I did not know the predicament myself at the outset, but I certainly wrote the predicament in without regard for the actions of the character) and all of the zombie stories are examples where the challenge is placed on the main character.
In truth, I often find these stories more enjoyable than completely open-ended stories. Sarah and Chris was one of my favourite open-ended stories. The risk with open-ended stories is that the predicament the character ends up in is not necessarily the most exciting.
When I look at David and my brother, the character fluctuated between a desire for her brother and a desire for David. I called the story David and my brother because in reality the story was more about her feelings for the two of them, and her reaction to them, than it was about the people they fought and the resulting violence. Some of that is missing from the no choices version of the story though, because, as I said, to me the comments of participants to a certain extent are like the subconscious of the character. What you do not get from the no choices version of the story is that many of the choices made by the character were motivated by desire to see her brother, rather than anything else. And yet in the end, after their fighting, she rejected both of them.
I like writing these. Hope you (whoever you are) continues to enjoy reading them.
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