Story Development Method

The exhaustive detail that goes into modern games means that there is often a huge amount of weapon and object descriptions that need writing. Rather than have the least busy member of the art or coding team tackle this task, it’s important that this content is thoroughly researched and skilfully written by a professional, as these descriptions are an important aspect of what brings a fictional world to life.

Letters, case notes, diaries and descriptions are all examples of written objects that often appear in games in one form or another. At Graffiti Writer it’s fully understood that these types of written objects are as important to an interactive narrative as dialogue and I put an enormous amount of time and research into ensuring written objects are contextually relevant and memorable for players.

BACK STORIES:

I regularly write short stories and back stories for games that can serve a multitude of different functions. Clients can often use them as in-game written objects or as promotional material.

Although I’m perfectly comfortable and experienced with using a custom CMS or proprietary system for writing a game’s text, I also employ a host of different software packages that allow me to construct stories, outlines, character bios and sequences in the most understandable and efficient manner possible. Here’s a selection of the tools I make the most common use of:

OUTLINE 4D:

One of the main pieces of software I use is Outline 4D. It’s a professional scripting and screenwriting program that helps to arrange and filter content according to sets of criteria that we define, such as scene, character, timeline and arc (story arc, myth arc, character arc, etc.). This makes it easy to quickly determine where and when specific events in the story occur, which is extremely useful when dealing with a lengthy, multi-threaded non-linear narrative. I can also use this software to export to a number of different file types, so everything can be adapted to the clients’ workflow, and I can deliver updates in files that are easy to view and provide feedback on.

ADOBE:

I often use Adobe Photoshop for creating quick mock ups, where basic illustration is required to augment the written content. This can help immensely when creating  design documents for use at the pitching stage of a project.

MICROSOFT OFFICE:

Both Microsoft Word and Excel are extremely useful tools for narrative design. Microsoft Word’s uses are clear, whereas Excel is practical for organising dialogue line by line, or for creating a makeshift database for item descriptions. Often the spreadsheets are designed by the programming team, so the text can be plugged into the game’s code directly without the need for conversion.

MIND MAPPING:

I use a selection of different mind-mapping tools, such as Xmind, Edraw and Google Draw to quickly sketch out character and plot diagrams that communicate complex information in a punchy, visual manner.

ONLINE TOOLS:

I use Google Docs for much of my project management, but where larger, more involved projects are concerned, I’m also experienced with project management suites such as Basecamp and Huddle to ensure that everyone has open and transparent access to the content I’m creating and the milestones that are set for the project.