ALEXANDER NEWCOMBE
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Improv Writing

31/3/2014

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If you get in to writing at all, you'll come across some form of improv writing. It could be called something else like free writing or prompted writing, but I'll stick with improv here. The idea is that you take a phrase, word, or concept from somewhere else and begin writing on it, usually with a pretty short time limit.

It's a simple exercise meant to get you writing. You don't have to come up with the initial idea, so you're able (in theory) to jump right into the writing. In practice, there is often some stuttering as you try to kick off a short story with some bizarre phrase like "He only saw the colours of excitement and treachery."

I've come across variations on this exercise in every writing class I've ever taken, and I've done it with a couple of groups of writers outside of those classes. I've realized that I get a lot more out of it now than I did when I started. It turns out that even though this is supposed to be an opportunity to be free and open, it takes some practice to do that in a way that is useful. After all, this is meant to somehow better your writing, not just take up time while you're in a class.

The first step is accepting that you will write some bad stuff. Before you even see the prompt, look to your writing hand and apologize for the dreck you're going to be making it write out. This was my problem for years when I was starting out. I'd get a prompt and try to be clever. I'd try to craft a tight story out of whatever random quote I'd pulled. And I would, more often than not, write very little; what I did write wasn't clever or neat. It sounded hollow and the author's voice was overwhelmingly apparent.

But when you start to get out of your own way and just write, you get something more natural. It's still bad, and in my case it rarely has much arc or plot to it, but at least it sounds like a story and not a writer trying some experiment with words. Then, when you get rolling, you just start adding the pieces together until you get to some kind of an ending. It's okay if it just drops off at the last sentence. Like I said, it'll usually be bad anyways.

Though I didn't realize it for a very long time, I think these excercises teach you two really important things. One, writer's block is an excuse. You can always write something, and something is always better than nothing. Once you start, you're over that intimidating initial hump. The second less is that putting a plot together is simple if you build up from where you are. Even in a bizarre, ultra-messy, improv writing piece, it's much easier to look at what you already have and add an element or two to turn it into a story and not a collection of things. The alternative, which is figuring out an ending and pulling the characters and world towards it, can be very tricky and often unsatisfying. You don't really have time for that kind of approach. In your own work, you might find a project that warrants that, but I feel that it will always be a more difficult method than simply building on what you have while keeping a rough framework in mind.

These are really helpful now that I write full-time. I don't get the luxury of time or full creative freedom. Everyday, I work to a deadline and using ideas brought to me (at least partially) by other people.
Ideally, what I'm writing is better than the fifteen minute rush jobs I was doing in the Here Be Monsters writing groups.

What I don't understand is why none of this was ever broached when I was in school. It seemed like we would do improv writing to "loosen us up". But the reasons for doing it weren't made clear. I would have loved to have a teacher talk about why we do what can seem to be frivolous writing games. Perhaps this is just obvious? Maybe it's something to do with my learning style and wanting to have a goal for what I'm going to learn in mind.
Either way, I'm glad I was told to do it.
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Games with Great Stories and No Words (Part 2)

23/3/2014

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Welcome the second and final part of this look at game that focus on story while avoiding words. In the first post, I talked about Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. This time, I'm going to speak about Journey and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. Again, since these are story-driven games, I encourage you to go play them before reading further. I'll be talking about every part of the story with no regard for spoilers. Consider yourself warned!

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Co-Op Storytime with The Yawhg

9/3/2014

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The Yawhg will be here in six weeks... and no one expects it. Not a one of us. We just keep on living our lives, week by week, unaware.

This is how the charming, story-driven game called The Yahwg starts. It dangles just a little bit of the plot in front of you and then throws you into making uninformed choices. Much like the protagonists mentioned above, you have little idea how choosing between attending a ball or hunting animals in the forest will help you prepare for the doom coming to your town.

And that is all the game is, essentially. Making choices and exploring how they play out in the six weeks before the Yawhg arrives. It's beautifully illustrated, written in a storytelling style that is part letter writing and part fairytale, and intriguing in its pure focus on story. It uses a clever system that ties your choices and world events into mini-stories that seem to flow naturally, even when you thought you were being clever and veering off the path.

It's also billed as a co-op game, and I'm really glad I decided to play through it with someone. It's perfectly playable as a single player game, but
as you can see in the trailer, playing with people makes it a lively experience. You're all just picking from lists, but it entrenches that feeling of directing a character and makes the revelations all the more fun. Once you have to make the character decisions in front of people, you'll change the way you play (for the better).

I was thoroughly impressed with how quickly this game established characters that I sympathized with, especially when they didn't become the hero I was hoping they would become. I'd love to tell you examples, but I really don't want to spoil too much (even the trailer gives away more than I would like). Let's just say this is a great game for people that want to see a charming cad become a fantasy crime fighter, only to turn into a blood-addicted vampire, and then the triumphant leader of a town.

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Games With Great Story and No Words (Part 1)

1/3/2014

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For a long time, Shadow of the Colossus was at the top of my list of favorite games. It created a story of desperation in a strange land that I totally dug into. The mechanics of the game tied into the story in ways I hadn't seen before. And it did this with almost no words, proving my secret fear that writers are useless (not quite, but it's an important point).

This is going to be a multi-part look at a few games that I feel are related in terms of narrative design. We have Fumito Ueda's two acclaimed titles, Ico and Shadow of the Colossus; Journey, by thatgamecompany; and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons by Starbreeze. As a game writer, I want to see how they made stories that I loved while using little or no real language.

Also, I am going to spoil all of these games. They are all games that try to put forward an interesting and surprising story, so if you don't want them spoiled, you should stop reading.


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