As a writer, what are some of the writing wrongs you see a lot of clangen accounts fall into?
I know a lot of Clangen blogs are simply snapshots of the in-game prompts with nice art, so this feedback will focus on those blogs that try to elevate the story and provide characterization/context/connectivity through it all.
One struggle I’ve noted in a few blogs, when they run long enough, is that they start to feel hollow/repetitive. The events and characters all start to feel the same, whether it is a unique setting compared to other Clans, or if it has your standard setup of medicine cats and whatnot. Sadly, there are some blogs I used to like, but now find frustrating due to their lack of engaging events.
If you really want to write a good Clangen story, you need to be willing to step away from the black-and-white retelling of the prompts and add your own variation. The “rule of three” thing with Anchovy, Weevil, and Wolf? I came up with that because all three had the StarClan trait. I then tied it into a few other prompts and exciting situations. When Rattlepelt suddenly became bloodthirsty, I decided the best way to explain that was possession, later changing her trait to thoughtful.
Clangen stories become stale when it feels like you’re no longer showing your characters in new situations. Push yourself to always have a plot going on. I note down multiple plot threads and follow them in my notes, which allows me to connect events across moons. Do what feels natural but always have something happening to your Clan, whether it is an outside threat, internal politics, romcom hijinks, whatever! Just connect those moments and let them build your characters.
Speaking of characters, make sure they have goals/direction/drive to interact with the plot. The main series has a problem where all the cats do is wander on patrol, and they don’t seem to have any goals or motivations outside of the conflict of the new arc. Give your Clan a culture! Show why we should care about these guys, and especially why we should care about the Clan as a structure. While not Clangen, @barrenclan dissects the reasoning for cats to stay in a Clan, even when the situation sucks and all they seem to do is fight for basic survival. It’s a good read for inspiration if your Clan feels dark and gritty.
TL;DR, I consider the biggest issues with Clangen writing to be a lack of character motivation and stale plots.
