Getting the Work Done - Professional Techniques for Video Game Writing - page 88

is a chance to integrate narrative more closely with gameplay, but this can be an up-
hill battle unless writers step out of their comfort zone and learn about the other
game-development systems. The more you know about the tools Level Designers
use to build the game, the more you'll be able to make narrative easy for them to
implement. Don't be afraid to get your hands on the more technical side of game
development.
9.6 Beating Writer's Block with a Clock
There's never enough time in this business. You're always trying to beat the clock,
and you never have the luxury of indulging in writer's block. That thought alone can
be enough to send me into a mini panic attack, shutting down all progress. I know
it doesn't sound logical. There's a reason writers have a reputation for being heavy
drinkers. It's easy to give up and wallow in paradoxes. At some point, you're going to
face writer's block on this job, and I hope I can provide some strategies you can use
rather than turning to alcohol.
First of all, work on what you want to work on. Just sit down and get your
fingers moving. If you feel like writing dialog for one particular character rather than
the voiceover direction editing you had scheduled for today, go ahead and write the
dialog. Progress is progress, and the scheduled work will come when it's ready. Just
remember to reschedule it if you don't get it done that day.
Interestingly enough, this strategy applies to non-writing tasks as well. I some-
times hit a block, and if I'm not careful, I'll sit staring at my computer all day, doing
nothing. In the back of my mind, other tasks nag at me. If I stand up and go work
on them, I get myself moving both figuratively and literally. Currently I work from
home, and sometimes doing the laundry is exactly what I need to do to get past my
writer's block. I'll be folding socks, and the solution to the writing problem will just
come to me. The trick is to get up and go back to the computer the instant that
happens. Don't get sucked into the other work so entirely you forget what pays the
bills. If inspiration isn't striking when you're away from your desk, set a timer. Work
on the other tasks for 15 or 20 minutes, then go back to the blank page and see if
the momentum carries over.
Another way to get yourself moving past a block is to edit some of yesterday's
work—or better yet, last week's. It can get your brain into the right space and push
you forward. Be careful not to edit and re-edit just to look like you're doing some-
thing, though. Use that timer again if necessary. Edit for 20 minutes, then write new
material for 20 minutes. It doesn't matter if it's no good—you'll go back and edit it
when this happens again next week.
And while we're on the subject of being good, nurture your inner cheerleader
and recruit a real-world cheerleader. We writers have a host of demons in our heads
telling us we'll never measure up to Shakespeare, so why bother? Often, they're at
the root of writer's block. Don't let them win. Hemingway doesn't measure up to