How to Break In and Stay In - Professional Techniques for Video Game Writing - page 9

Andy Walsh, Freelancer
Some days it feels like I still am breaking in; I'm not sure the process ever stops,
though it does get a bit easier. I started writing at university while I was doing a
law degree and wanting to become an actor. . . so I took a few turns on my way to
writing for games! The great thing about starting this way was that I'd written and
produced seven original plays, adapted another, and had a half-hour comedy shot
and broadcast for cable TV by the time I left university. This experience meant I'd
not only got a healthy resume, but I'd also had a chance to see how a theater audience
reacted to my material, what they liked, as well as what they didn't respond to, and
what my writing style and technique was. By the time I'd done all this, I'd caught the
writing bug and decided that writing and directing was what I wanted to do as a job.
Luckily, as I left university without a clue as to how to manage this massive life
decision, my mum found an MA course in television and radio scriptwriting at a local
university. I knew practically nothing about TV or radio writing, but I recognized
that theater didn't pay much, so TV and radio might be a way to earn a living. During
thistimeIgotmyfirstpaidjob. Alocaltheaterhadheardofme...er...throughmy
mum again!! The interview took place in a pub, and the fact that I'd already written
so many plays in my spare time gave me a good resume and a range of samples to
show the producer. When we negotiated fees and rights, I must admit that I'd arrived
with the thought that I didn't care if I got paid nothing, but I didn't say this— never
say that! By the end of the interview I'd not only negotiated a reasonable fee, but
I'dkeptalltherights tomywork. This isagoodmodel toremember...nevergoin
shooting too low. If you shoot too low thinking this is the only way to break in then
you will end up with nothing. While you need to be realistic, don't be too fast to
give away rights or to ask for too little money. If you're not sure what to ask for, talk
to other writers, look on the Internet, or contact groups that represent writers such
as IGDA or your national writers' guild.
A little time after this I landed my first TV job through a professional tutor I met
on my MA course. I'd gone the extra mile on my assignments and worked well with
him, so when he got a job story producing a new soap opera, he made it a contractual
point that he brought me with him as a storyliner. Walking up to the TV station the
firstdaywasincredible...Iwasonaprettynicesalary,IwasbreakingintoTV, and
I felt I was off! The job was a short-term one to do development work, and after a
six-week whirlwind I left the station, having learned a lot and convinced this was it!!
I'd worked for a major TV company, I'd written the play that had opened the Ben
Kingsley Theatre—what was to stop me?! Surely now I could pick and choose from
jobs...er...no. As itworkedout I didn't get paid towrite again for another seven
months.
I wasn't idle during this time. I wrote and toured another two plays with my own
theater company, started work on a play for a local school, and worked on completing
my MA. All the time I was applying for jobs and sending off writing samples until I
got my next writing job. From that point on, I've not stopped.