Hey all,
I’m getting the error that I have too much text between quotation marks, when describing a room. I’m using the description of the first time the room is visited to set the scene and start the story, hence why it includes a lot of content. The error seems to suggest that the allowed amount of text is very high, and that’s it’s more likely an issue with the code rather than wordcount - however whatever I try I can’t seem to fix it. Can anyone give me a hand?
[code]“IndependentProject” by Tom Maxwell
Part - Introduction
The The Clearing is a room. "[if The The Clearing has not been visited]Ah, the smell of fresh air. It’s something you’ve missed in your later years - since you went freelance you can’t seem to get out of the house; it’s either sitting in front of the computer or looking after the kids. For once, you’ve managed to worm your way out of a Sunday babysitting to explore the great outdoors – this is what you dreamt of before moving out to Canada. The time is 10:17AM, so you’ve got a good few hours of peace ahead of you. Above you is a pastel blue sky, unblemished by clouds and complimented by an early morning sun. There is a slight mist in the air; not thick enough to impede sight but enough to dampen the senses. You set off up to toe-path toward the forest and walk with a spring in your step.
Time passes.
Checking your watch the time is now 11:15AM. You are now deep within the forest, and decide to stop for a snack. You slide off your backpack and set it down next to a rock, which makes a fairly comfy seat. In your bag you have a multitude of items to keep your calorie count and blood sugar up throughout the day, however a cereal bar is the first thing to catch your eye. Before taking a moment to enjoy your snack, you double check your equipment. Compass - check. Lighter - check. Mobile phone - check. .44 Magnum - Check. Pocketknife - check. You strap the compass to your belt and place all of the items back into your bag (apart from your lighter, which you prefer to have in your coat) and open the cereal bar. Chewing away, you notice how still the forest feels; there is a certain tranquillity here that doesn’t exist anywhere else. Holes in the canopy above you create golden spears of light that are visible to the naked eye; beams of warmth that fleck the forest floor as if splashed with a brilliant paint.
You pause for a moment, taking in the natural beauty around you. A feeling of serenity sweeps over you as you close your eyes and take a deep breath. You are truly at peace.
There is a rustling sound.
Opening your eyes no wider than a squint, you take a look around. It must have just been the wind, or a bird.
More rustling.
Now alert, you realise that the noise is being made by something larger than you originally thought. There is a slow padding behind you, and turning your head a large, four-legged shape comes into view.
Two large, brown eyes meet yours - looking back at you is a Grizzly Bear.
All the reading and research you have previously done couldn’t have prepared you for this moment. The creature is huge; a hulk of nature with claws the size of pitchforks and a jaw that could take off one of your arms in one quick snap. By sight alone you’d estimate the bear to weigh in at around 400KG - a brown behemoth that calls the vast forest its home. If you move, it might charge. If you don’t move, it might charge. You remember the guide you read stating to make yourself as big and as loud as possible when encountering a grizzly; you’re not even sure you could stand without your legs giving way underneath you.
The gun. Use the gun.
Glancing away for a second, you see your bag only a few feet away from you. It’s within arms reach. Turning your head back around, the bear is still fixated on you. Without breaking eye contact, you slowly reach out a hand and move the bag onto your lap. With a calm and quiet efficiency, you open it’s straps and rummage around, eventually retrieving your firearm. You take it and begin to…
The strap. The strap on the gun’s holster is stuck. You can’t unclip it, something has become stuck. You tug at it, but it won’t budge. In your panic, your bag falls to the floor - almost all of it’s contents fall on the ground. The bear tilts it’s head, watching with interest. It takes a few steps forward, inspecting the items that are now littered on the forest floor. It approaches, now almost within touching distance, and begins to nustle a sandwich with it’s muzzle.
You wake suddenly, as if startled by something. You hear a faint scurrying behind you, and as you spin your head around you see the plant-life twitch as if recently disturbed. The forest around you is thick; so dense the light barely travels through it. The sun beams down onto you, and by its position in the sky you guess it’s around midday. As you stand up you notice cuts on your hands that you hadn’t had earlier in the day – some of them still bleeding. You look at your watch but it’s been smashed in the fall; the screen remains barely in one piece and wires splay from where a button on the side used to be.[otherwise]The clearing is warm and tranquil.[end if]"[/code]