I’ve included game writing and narrative design under this same page heading because I approach both from the same place. This is not to say I would ever confuse the two. Rather, I believe that a good game writer–even if he or she is just scrambling out a few dozen dialogue barks days before a game ships–is still always aware of the needs of the game as a whole, and working to make sure the writing feeds those needs. Game writing of all stripes should never feel tacked on or redundant.
That said, let’s explore what I can do for your game.
Pre-Production Narrative Design
I am a master at brainstorming world building, and a highly creative idea generator. I once had a professor (of game design) say with a touch of wonder that the more restrictive the parameters I was working with, the more creative my output was, and that every idea was viable. During my 10+ years as a professional writer I have worked as a lead in a variety of fields as well as story genres, and if brought in early in your game planning I can help you:
- Fully develop your concept, including everything from the game world and lore, to tone and characters. I have even created a game-world specific language.
- Work with the team to think through the game’s design needs in order to plan constructively for a game that will reach its full potential and be delivered on time.
- Find and articulate the core of your idea, creating a game design document that can grow and evolve as the game changes without losing your core vision.
Because I have experience in every aspect of game design and have created my own games independently (with commissioned or purchased art), I intuitively think through the various needs of a development team, such as game design, UX, programming, art, and audio, and approach narrative design as one piece of the whole that is created by the entire team. Any documents I create will reflect that holistic approach to the game.
Mid-Production Narrative Design, Scriptwriting, and Game Writing
Many game teams find themselves well into their game’s development process before realizing they need a writer on board. In cases such as this I will tap my many years of professional experience as a story doctor to work with the development team by:
- Advising ways in which the existing game narrative can be strengthened–while maintaining voice and existing world building.
- Suggesting easily implemented changes to characters which would strengthen their appeal and the player’s connection to them.
- Recommending in-game edits to story quests that would strengthen motivation and keep the player engaged in playing the game.
- Noting continuity errors in the world building or game narrative, and recommending scoped fixes.
In this interim stage of a game’s production I can also take on the task of script writing or game writing, with such tasks as writing dialogue barks, conceptualizing the game world, and writing quality UI text.
Late Production Game Writing and Proofreading
Games evolve over time, and many indie devs find themselves halfway through their game’s development before they’re quite aware of just what they’ve got on their hands. For this and other reasons a development team (or solo developer) may suddenly realize they need a professional set of writing eyeballs on their game just before its release. Be aware–this is not the stage at which a narrative designer can perform miracles or make a story that is fundamentally inconsistent or unsympathetic work… at least not without the developer being willing to back up a bit and make changes. However, there are definite ways in which I can still polish a game’s writing and address issues, such as:
- Providing very simple, easily implemented ideas to tweak the characters or story narrative in ways that would strengthen the game overall.
- Combing through all existing game writing to make it tighter, punchier, and clean of grammar and spelling errors so it reflects the professional standard every dev wants.
- Cleaning up any continuity errors which have snuck into the game, editing both for tone and gameplay consistency.
- Filling in those missing pieces of game writing still needed.
I am just as happy to work on a mobile game with little story beyond environmental design as I am a sprawling story-driven RPG, and I play a wide range of both serious and casual games and enjoy them all. However, the one genre for which I’m a tough sell is first person shooters in which the player-character carries a gun and shoots other people. If that describes your game, there’s a good chance I’m not the best writer for your needs.
I bring my best to every game I work on and am passionate about helping creators see their vision become reality, but I have a soft spot for games that are socially aware and teams that embrace diversity.
My professional rate is $55/hour and I am open to contract work. Luckily, I have the freedom to offer a discount off my normal rate in order to help indies. I value collaborating with teams that are eager to create and have a wealth of experience with google docs, spreadsheets, and team organizational software. I find I learn something new with each person or team I work with and love the energy of working toward success on a shared project as we overcome challenges.
My resume will be available as a clickable pdf here soon (the website was infected with malware and I’m giving it a good dustup as I rebuild), and it and writing samples are available upon request.
Additionally, I offer a 15 minute free consultation in which you present me with your game writing or narrative design problem and I make recommendations and tell you how I’d approach resolving it. Let’s connect!
