Script Doctoring - Professional Techniques for Video Game Writing - page 169

15.3 Conclusion
How you go about your work as a script doctor is as important as what you do, be-
cause in large part how you do it helps define what you're doing and how well you're
going to be able to do it. Assessing the task and setting up the systems and mech-
anisms to enable your success are essential steps to actually doing the work. Master
that, and you'll put yourself in the best place possible, giving you the maximum avail-
able time and attention for writing, which, after all, is why you're there in the first
place.
15.4 Exercises
1. (Rewrites)
(a) Lookatthefollowingparagraphofdialog.Rewriteitsothatitflowslike
actual conversation without losing any of the factual information.
“Hello. My father is at war fighting Marchizia. He left me in
charge. That makes me as good as a king while he's gone. So
don'tmakememad.�
(b) Look at the following paragraph of dialogue, which suffers from an excess
of personality. Rewrite it so that it's half its current length without losing
any of the factual information it contains.
“Oh, hello Sir Reginald! So good of you to come! Do you
want some wine? Something to eat, perhaps? I'll have a ser-
vant prepare your quarters—we weren't expecting you so early!
Now,I'msureyou'redyingtoknowwhyI'vesummonedyou,
and make no mistake, it was a summons. With my father off
on the Marchizian frontier, I am, for all intents and purposes,
king. You would do well to remember that, don't you think,
the next time you consider spreading sedition and lies about
me. I'd hate to have to shorten you by a head, but I must
do what is best for the kingdom, and the best thing for the
kingdom is most certainly ridding it of traitors. Wouldn't you
agree?�
2. (Writing barks) You have 20 minutes to write as many variations on “I've been
shot� as you can. At the end of the 20 minutes, count how many you have
and make sure each of the ones you've written is unique. Try this once a day
for a week. See how many you can do at the end of the week as opposed to at
the beginning.
3. (Adding characterization) Imagine that you've been asked to work on a fantasy
RPG. The helper NPC character is a crotchety old wizard, but the dialog that's