Going to try and organize this for easy reading.
@lordcloudx
That general statement is actually not how I feel, but is a matter of fact. There is very little incentive for good writers to actually write a Visual Novel aside from intrinsic motivation, and it's something that I have to constantly question when I'm writing. It all comes down to this: Why am I making a VN when I can write a book/comic book/movie script, possibly get published/accepted by Hollywood, and potentially earn money/fame?
I'm practically writing a VN just for the sake of writing a VN, and am holding off on finishing my book because of this. The thing is, will other writers do the same thing? Are they willing to give up their time and work hard for a medium that doesn't carry the same prestige, monetary rewards, or reputation as the others, only to get mocked or ridiculed when it isn't up to the audience's expectations?
The term Visual Novel is a naming convention. But when the genre calls itself a visual "novel", other people who may not be familiar with it will expect a novel with pictures (moving or not) despite the fact it is not written like one. Choose Your Own Adventure books, or Interactive Fiction is closer to what it really is from a western standpoint.
The EVN community doesn't need to be a close-knit group to be a single community. It's going to be regarded as a community when like-minded individuals/organizations share similar interests, regardless of the members relationship to each other. It's either the community hates each other, or they work with each other; they're not considered separate.
@mikey
Yup, the medium doesn't make a difference. In theory, it's different. In practice, it ends up being similar; only the format and the look of the text changes. The end result ends up being similar, maybe identical. So, why is it that I'm so focused on that?
You probably already know this: Each medium has their own particular strength. Novels are able to feed the imagination and make whatever world they're in real for the reader. T.V shows are able to illustrate this through moving pictures and sound. Drama CD's are able to make that world using only sound. And Visual Novels straddle that line of the imagination and the reality of the senses.
So, yes, they are all the same, content-wise. The final product doesn't differ much in terms of story. However, the approach to writing in each medium is different; some might argue it makes no difference, while others might state it's difficult, like making a Sci-Fi author write a Romance Novel; this distinction is sometimes lost on amateur writers who may not even realize what their strengths and weaknesses are.
Visual Novels are both fortunate and unfortunate in that they are similar to T.V shows and plays, but have texts similar to a novel. They're nowhere near a novel in design, because they incorporate the visual and aural senses by design. So, the typical approach, depending on the writer, is to either write it like a novel (which is a mistake, I believe), or write it like a screenplay. And you're right, there doesn't need to be a special writer for VN's, but that writer has to know when to limit himself and know when to let the "visual" or "aural" aspect lead the story. This is, oddly enough, similar to what scriptwriters and playwrights do.
This is why I say it's nowhere near a novel because a novelist has greater freedom with the language in what they wish to express; it doesn't even need to be philosophical. You won't see words like, "The stars shone valiantly under the crippling veil of night's grasp," when there's a picture of it, or "Her voice reminded me of the ocean, deep and strong, yet faint and airy like the mist," when there are voices. It can be written in, but it's ultimately redundant when the meaning can be simplified with a picture or with sound. Unless it has a purpose. A really good purpose.
As for the specifics on the medium, I agree with you. It is content neutral regardless of the physical or digital container it's housed in.
@Hime
All those ideas sound really fun to do. An interactive VN version of Phantom of the Opera, or Shakespeare, or an original work by a new playwright would be fun to do. Some of them would be tricky, like poetry depending on how abstract it is, but all those ideas (and more) are possible. This leaves EVN's with a really good chance to separate themselves from the Japanese. The thing is, most of the people who have the potential to make this happen, aren't doing anything related to VN's, or simply don't care.
As for the EVN field, I really hope that happens. Imitating the Japanese is fine and all, but doing just that isn't really helpful. It would be nice if a well-known novelist or scriptwriter would consider, as a side thing, to write a Visual Novel. But until that happens, the field is left waiting for the next 4LS and Katawa-Shoujo, or someone willing to "artistically" interpret VN's differently to show up. And do that well.