Getting the Work Done - Professional Techniques for Video Game Writing - page 86

into lines people won't mind hearing every time they replay the game. Try to get
another pair of eyes you can trust to give honest feedback on your work. At the very
least, read your dialog out loud before you turn it in. The line that sounds hilarious
in your head may not be so great when it's said out loud.

Tips for Staying Organized
Organization can rescue a project in peril and avoid deadline slippage. By now I'm sure you've
noticed how much I enjoy making lists, so here's a list of tips for staying on top of your projects.

• Write things down. Use whatever system works best for you. If you don't know what works

best, try color-coded sticky notes, day planners, to-do lists, wikis, spreadsheets, email, text
documents. You're a writer; use the written word to your advantage and don't depend on
remembering important details.

• Communicate with others. Even the best planners sometimes need someone to say, �Wait,

weren't you writing a script that week?� Beyond that, the creation of an interactive narrative
is a group effort, and your teammates will appreciate knowing how your part of the project
is going.

•

Use folders to organize files. Both digitally and in real life. I've got a different folder for
each major project both on my hard drive and on my bookshelf. They're not exact copies
of each other, but I have backups of important documents, and I can lay my hands on
them at any moment.

• Useacalendar. There's nothing like a visual representation of time to help keep you on

track.

• Learn your pace for this job and work to that pace. They call this a job for a reason. If you

know you can edit 500 lines in one day, sit down and do it. In a similar vein, don't schedule
3000 lines in a day if the best you've ever done is half that.

• Institute some form of version control. This doesn't have to be complicated. Simply saving

a file with a new name including the date could be enough. Whatever works best for your
own system, you need to be able to instantly bring up the most current version as well as
several previous drafts. You never know when you'll need to step backward a bit, and you
definitely need to be confident you're working on the most up-to-date file.

9.4 Strategies for Freelancers
Freelance game writers often work removed from the development team and some-
times have to keep on task from the comfort of their own living room couch, sur-
rounded by the distractions of housework, movies, and family. I've found a personal