#i have ideas and other doodles and im hoping i can motivate myself to create
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Hello, Britishmuffin
I hope you are having a wonderful day/night.
Just wanted to know what inspires you to make such amazing art pieces? As well how do you deal with art block?
Im a artist myself but times get tuff and I lose motivation and start developing art block.
Sincerely, fisheggsoup :)
Morning! Love your name :D
Truthfully, my biggest motivator is born of necessity these days. I create art because I have bills to pay and family to support. My patrons are a huge driving force in all this, cheering me on from the sidelines while I work; my band of blessed saviours.
I also make sure that my social feeds are full of artists I love, who make art that makes me happy. I'm always watching films and playing games, always constantly absorbing media in this wacky age of technology-infused information. Then if I'm lucky, I get the chance to step outside for a walk in the woods with my sibling to help ground ourselves in the world and reconnect with nature, pure medicine for the troubled soul.
All of these activities serve to stir the Brain Soup and sometimes reflect in my artwork. I rarely get struck with the "fabled bolt of inspiration" these days, but I blame the current climate. I did used to.
As some of you will already know because I'm being quite open about it this time, I'm currently battling the worst bout of burnout I've had in literal years. So really, I'm not sure I'm the best person to be asking on the topic of how to deal with it, but here you go:
In my experience it’s not the best idea to wait for inspiration to strike. Inspiration is unreliable, constantly waiting can leave you anxious, and also most of us just don’t have the luxury of being able to. I kinda think we just need to create despite it (or TO spite it, or in order to spite someone who told you you couldn't, if that's your sauce).
If you feel like your art sucks, instead of expecting perfection try just giving yourself permission to be bad at art for a while, you might be surprised about how much of a relief it feels. Make a hundred terrible little sketches, doodles, scribbles, or just make marks on paper. You don’t even have to show them to anyone, they can be just for your eyes! More often than not I’ve found that the physical act of creating artwork can genuinely inspire you to make more, and better work. It flexes those art muscles and gets the creative cogs whirring. Just make stuff!!!
As a person who’s had little choice but to create for years, it can be really helpful to push through it. Not always, though.
Sometimes the art block you’re staring down actually goes layers deep into the realms of debilitating mental health and poor living status, right into dangerous burnout and breakdown territory. Some would argue that creating art in times of real pain is the best medicine, and indeed, creates the best results. I wholly disagree.
My advice is to always make art in those moments when you can, even if it sucks. And when you just can’t, then rest. Watch your favourite guilty pleasure anime, cook some delicious food, hug your pets, go exist in nature for a bit. Have you ever seen Kiki’s Delivery Service? That!
Helpful links to combat art block:
Line of Action has great learning resources, while also being a brilliant tool for a variety of speedy sketch warm-ups
Don’t know what to draw? Use a character description generator!
You could flex your figure drawing muscles with models on Figurosity, AdorkaStock, or ArtModels360 (nudity warning)
Improve your fundamental art skills with Drawabox or videos on The Fix List
Generate some colour palettes to use as a challenge. Adobe’s colour wheel tool isn’t too bad either
Other more practical tips include:
If you struggle staying motivated, try to refocus by sitting down and asking yourself "What kind of art do I really want to create?” Try to rediscover what excites you! Is your aim to work in the art industry? To be able to draw your OCs smooching? Draw beefy bara men? Do you really just wanna paint cool rocks? All valid af
Pull up images of your favourite artworks and study them. Ask yourself “Why do I like this artwork?” Are the outfits really cool designs? Is the lineart super stylish? Do you love the way they used colours? After that, think about what you need to learn to get to that point yourself, and start small. Mimic your favourite artworks in order to learn how to do it.
Example: If you realise that you want to improve at drawing hands, just spend a week learning about them. Draw pages and pages of them, find a way to make them fun and sexy to draw! I did just that, and now hands are actually one of my favourite things to draw, it works.
Warm-ups are SO important. If you just started on a piece and already feel defeated, ask yourself “Did I warm up enough first?” You can try looping fifty quick spirals in different sizes with your pen, scratch out some box shapes, doodle some funky wiggly shapes, crosshatch them, whatever you want! Just get that hand moving before you leap into your artwork of choice, it helps to loosen up to keep your lines from becoming too stiff.
If it’s just not working today, that’s okay. Take a break by filtering your creativity into another entirely different creative pursuit. You could try baking something tasty, making music, writing for your next D&D campaign, building cute houses in minecraft or the sims, painting miniatures, crafting with paper or sewing fabric, etc etc. Anything that keeps the creative brain ticking that isn’t drawing is also worthwhile.
And, mentally:
Try not to worry about what other people think of your artwork. Doesn’t matter what age you are or your background, the fact you’ve created anything at all is incredible. You brought something into the world that didn’t exist before. You’re powerful as hell.
Related: please please please don’t focus on being “successful” on social media. Even though I know it can feel awesome to post your art and get instant reactions, these things are a death spiral of addictive behaviour and shouldn’t dictate your creativity. Use sparingly.
Remember that your kid self would absolutely be losing their mind over the cool stuff you’ve made now. Same goes for your ancient ancestors who used to make those little clay animals. You’re doing great, be proud.
Don’t be so damn hard on yourself. I mean it <3
If you keep drawing you will improve. You will get your motivation back. You will make art again even if it takes you a while. And know that a muffin is cheering for you c:
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shows up late to the party with gravity falls doodles
#hopefully this cna be the start of me getting back into the habit of drawing#my artist notes are gonna be slapped all over doodle pages#i have ideas and other doodles and im hoping i can motivate myself to create#gravity falls#gf#stan pines#stanley pines#grunkle stan#soos ramirez#soos#stan#sparkly soos is the best one i made so far#i was thinking about my grandmother was right i am the worlds most perfect man as i was drawing it#artskls
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Talking about what I’ve learned recently about art block/motivation in a way that I hope is helpful
I have art block more often than I don’t have it, I think I just always have it and sometimes I can push art through the cracks of it very rarely, but it doesn’t seem to go away at all; making art has always been uncomfortable for me (personally)
I’ve always been really frustrated because the only thing I’ve been passionate about is art, but if you don’t have any strong interests besides art and a vague idea of ‘getting good enough’ then you dont have things to draw and things come out stale and lifeless. honestly the best art advice that i didnt understand well enough when i heard it the first time, and only really GOT when i fell ass-backwards into figuring it out, was “find interests/hobbies that arent related to art”.
if you let obsession with improvement and nothing else get ahold of you, it’s going to get out of control fast. ‘why am i not better yet when all i do is think about this and try to paint ladders on the wall to get out of this hole’. it gets really embarrassing to yourself.
It’s really really hard if you have this mentality but you have to draw for yourself, learn to be self indulgent. I’ve read literally those words a hundred times and didnt fully absorb them in a way i could act on, so i dont know that typing them here for other people having the same problem is helpful.
actual actionable advice that has helped me with this specific problem:
-chase passing interests in anything, just enjoy things. put the idea of art out of your brain, itll come back. (personally the way that worked for me is “im very passionate about this subject and i want to tell people about it AND communicate how it makes me feel”)
-have secret hobbies to let yourself be bad at. pick up a new creative thing and make stuff that way without focusing on improvement, just enjoy whatever comes out of playing around. make some kind of pseudonym/secret blog/whatever so you can collect what you make. even if youre not trying to improve, its going to happen and being so new to something that youre constantly improving a ton is exciting and this will help you feel something about creating things without expectations. its especially fun if the specific avenue you go with has a reputation for being “cringe” or “childish”. have fun, cringe is fun.
-if you post art and then keep checking back to see if people like it: holy shit do not post something when you’ve just finished it and you’re proud of it; make the art and then drop it in the queue for a few days away, make the time longer if youre antsy about it. try really hard to not tie your feelings to other peoples reactions to your art.
-i dont know how universal this is, maybe it’s just me being avoidant, but i make art and personal accounts separate, and turn off notifications for art accounts. if its important and for professional stuff, have a contact page. if its a tumblr sideblog where i doodle horses, i turn the askbox off. i don’t remember who said it but “i drew this for myself but you can look at it too if you want” has stuck with me and has been one of the most helpful things about art ive heard.
i think because of the entire Capitalism Thing, if you do art for a job, there’s a feeling that if it’s real work it needs to be miserable and hard or else you’re goofing off. but if you burn yourself out for years because you think art as a job needs to be torturous or it’s rude to people working other jobs then.obviously thats not sustainable. take care of yourself and your mental health. ive worked a lot of (non art, physical industrial) jobs and while i’m glad to do art now, please remember you’re a person before you’re your job title. (especially right now)
i hope this is understandable, ive been dealing with this issue (+avpd) for years and am finally starting to get ahold of it and i want to shorten this struggle for anyone else that has it if at all possible.
#askbox is briefly open for this#verryy briefly and super selective about answer things bc. avpd#i appreciate nice comments and i save them in my inbox but its hard to answer them publicly without feeling like a jerk#but sincere thank you your nice comments mean a lot to me
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sorry for the pda i need to make a gross friend appreciation post
@cascifers you’re one of my closest friends and being able to meet you was one of the greatest experiences of my life. i know im emotional and probably sometimes really hard to deal with, but youve stuck by me so far and its made me a lot happier than i would be if you werent in my life. what we’ve made together makes me happy, but our friendship means a lot more than that to me. youre attractive, funny, and you need to stop being so hard on yourself. i wish i knew how to effectively help your more negative moods, but until i figure it out, ill be sticking right by you. I love you.
@sketchfirstthendray youve done so much for me and i dont even know if you realize it. from being around to text to being on call with me as i fall asleep to ward away paranoia to giving me gift art doodles for no real reason, youve never failed to make me smile in some way, shape, or form. youre beautiful and god i wish youd send me more selfies, you’re drop dead gorgeous. your girlfriend is extremely lucky and im sure she knows it, sin twin. i hope you continue to stay in my life and you keep bugging me at early hours in the morning. its also really refreshing to speak to someone that wont judge any kink ever lmao-- I love you.
@katamaridamaci ren, we’ve known each other for a long time now and i’m so glad we’ve kept in touch. your stories and your characters are wonderful, and as your style changes little by little, i love seeing you grow. you make me laugh nonstop and your shitposts never get old. your ocs hold a special place in my heart. meeting you was awkward at first, but that was just because i was so nervous. i loved exploring a convention with you while wearing a kigurumi, and the fact that you actually went to my birthday party despite living so far away dumbfounds me. youre adorable with vi, and i wish you two the best. i love you.
@coloredkittykat999 seeing your art improve so quickly is motivational, you have no idea. we havent known each other super duper personally for so long, but getting to know you and your characters better has given me a better understanding of you and ive never been so inspired to be a friend of yours! the things you make are so full of detail, and your ocs are really likable. the times we’ve called before have also been really fun, and i can say for a fact that you’re very attractive! i hope we can talk more, for how long we’ve known each other, you mean a lot to me. i love you.
@ghostcups ghost oh my gooooooood. i wish we could’ve met while you still lived closer, having you move so far away broke my heart. much like kitty, your art has improved drastically over a short period of time and i’m amazed by it! i get really upset when i see youre upset, i know what its like to feel like that at your age and i wish i could take those feelings away from you. youre an amazing person with a wonderful heart and the motivation to keep making wonderful pieces of art. keep creating, i support you 500%. i love you.
@busheti hikaru, you’re the closest person i am to in real life despite us only speaking to each other fairly frequently for less than a year. god, youre the only shit that t o l e r a t e s me. youve provided me comfort and support that i cant give myself, and im forever in your debt. youre talented as hell and it makes me really salty, but i keep wanting to support you actively anyway because your will to draw inspires me. youre extremely handsome and i wish you had more confidence in that. thank you for being there for me, in class, and still now. i love you.
@articulatecreator jay my god. you’re talented, gorgeous, your voice is heavenly, and your talent makes me super envious. despite all of that, instead of just being bitter and trying to avoid you, it’s attracted me to you and im honored to be someone you consider a friend. youre wonderful and emotional like me and im so happy i can connect with someone on so many things, even choir. i love your concepts, your aesthetics, your art, your voice, aaaaagh. i wish i could meet you, dork. thank you for being here for me and getting closer and closer to me. i love you.
@sinful-rainbros sym you mean too much to me for me to forget you. meeting you was a brief thing, but i regret none of it and it was so much fun. youre such a nerd about a few things and its adorable tbh, like how you care about your books so much or how you worry about your horse. i wish i couldve spent more time with you, thanks for the brownies. we’re also similarly bitter in the same ways, like we’re somehow related or connected or some shit. connected at the mind. also youre gorgeous and you cant say otherwise fuck you. i love you.
i love all of my other friends too, if i didnt write you something here, it doesnt mean i care about you any less. this has just all been on my mind and i wanted to share it. its like,,,,,,, 4 am.
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DD2000 - Research blog for a path into industry
Portfolios and their importance
Now before we even get to the building up to our chosen job and how we get there we have to talk about arguably the first and most important step when going into any industry, a good portfolio.
A portfolio in definition is according to many sources such as google, the oxford dictionaries and the free dictionary
a set of pieces of creative work intended to demonstrate a person's ability to a potential employer.
Example: "she had a portfolio of crayon portraits"
now reading the definition you should get an idea as to why a portfolio is quite the important tool in any industry but allow me to elaborate, a portfolio usually contains all of your best and well presented work that you wish to show off to a future employer in the hopes that it will impress them enough to consider you for the role available and hire you into it.
Even if that doesnt happen they are important tools for ensuring people dont soon forget you, if its good enough your employer might talk to his co-workers about it and the work that was in it, might recommend you to other companies and give you an easy-ish way into the industry, not only that but if its up online somewhere it can allow none industry people to view it and get invested in the work you do, get invested in your ideas and anything to do with them and begin to support you and want more of your work which is hard to ignore from people in the industry.
But an important part of a portfolio is to make sure it fits the job role, its nice that its all neatly presented and stunning work but if your going for a modelling job and bring in cool doodles of swords instead they will more than likely enjoy them but dont cross your fingers for the job or even being well remembered in a good way.
Now lets take that Modeling job as an example, if your looking into that job there are some things that would work well in your Porfolio
What to include generally
Some well constructed and unique models to show your skill, talent and creativity. Make sure to have beauty shots (Three angles) a Uv render (Shows off the uv maps of the models showing you do know how to Map and texture) and a wireframe
some more bland models that everyone has but it shows you can model things of this type, guns, corridors things like that
all of the work should be finished and if not it should be a w.i.p showing of how the model developed or something you are working on recently and wish to say “this is my latest project”
Portfolio : About myself
Every portfolio for every job must be different and suited for the job role your looking to invest into. Now my portfolio will have me looking into narrative design so there are some things i do need to include when constructing mine and things i need to look out for
What i should include
Well written stories of varying length and style as well as on different matters and subjects to give a quick look at the range i can write at and my ability with different styles and topics
Character development if possible, Original character, fan characters and things like that, let people in the industry see the work and love put into them and how you created them from the ground up, even include the most trivial detail if needed it will show how i think about even the smallest things for characters and bring them to life
Same applies for world building, show worlds you crated and the living breathing atmosphere they have, show off head canons and theories about already made worlds if you wish
Show dialogue and scripts made, this includes roleplaying and back and forth between characters of your own and friends
Work done that is not narrative directly but does still link to it
Any writing done for games, this includes small projects and twine games
Now what have i done to go towards this portfolio as of writing this?
I have written many short stories and poems some better than others i cannot lie however i tend to struggle sometimes with motivation in writing longer tales if they are not split into parts either via working time or as part 1, part 2 etc, 3 twine games which could be improved but stand at a decent enough quality and i do intend to create more, have an entire blog built for role playing (character creation and building, dialogue, world building) this is where i let alot of my ideas roam free as well as some of my more out there character traits, this character has spawned off into his own story and world view from a character that had nothing to start with, he has spawned countless side characters and alternate realities surrounding him and all of them have their own stories and worlds not to mention many pieces of college work.
All of these very important in the portfolio especially for the job role im looking to enter.
General Examples of both good and bad portfolio's
Networking
Networking is in short terms the connections you make with people be them big or small, it forms a web coming from you of connections you made. If you meet David and David knows Susan but you dont know Susan, she is still now in your web of networking due to knowing David.
Networking is important to the industry at it is a key way to get into the industry and get yourself known to people, without the links to people it would be almost impossible to get a way into the industry without directly going up to someone and asking for a job or applying yourself.
Networking can also offer unexpected help from people inside the industry through simply talking to them.
But how can networking help my career path into a narrative games career?
More importantly what kinds of networking could help my cause?
Well the obvious one to start off in narrative would be social media, its a great place to store and write small stories or tales and build character/worlds. It is also perfect for getting your small tales out to a large audience of people very quickly.
Take tumblr for example, its blogging allows for quick short stories or grand giant multi-post tales to be re-blogged , twitter is also a good example here as many industry insiders use twitter and could be a great way to share your narrative ideas and work with them to get feedback and make yourself known to them
It is also a prime location to show off portfolio w.i.p work and gain interest in what else is inside your portfolio both from regular people and industry insiders which could lead to job offers or simply having you in mind when a place does come up
Another prime example would be Game conventions, they allow for examination of upcoming games as well as series of games with over arching stories as well as the idea of communication with industry insiders as well as games media about games and your general idea. It could also provide you with skills and much needed tips if your willing to buy some people a beer. Game designers are just people like you and me so most of them have no issue sitting down to talking.
There are a few that take place here in the UK :
EGX - EGX is a British made Gaming Convention sponsored by Virgin media and s currently set to take place in the Birmingham NEC arena on the 21st -24th of September
Play Expo - Play Expo is a British games convention set in Manchester England at event city.
There is one that comes to mind and does take place in the US
Ludem Dare - Ludem Dare is a game jam hosted this year in San Francisco that gives people a theme and 24/48 hours to create a game, this allows people in the industry to see how people work under a tight deadline and the quality of games they can create with minimal information. It also allows for the people involved to brush up on their skills or develop new ones.
Well i say one but you cant talk US and game gatherings without mentioning
E3 - E3 is a yearly multi company convention in which the biggest games are shown and revealed and many of the gaming industries top professionals visit to give their games that needed star power, a place like this is perfect to ask questions, build connections and show off work you had done in hopes of making an impression
One important thing to know about networking overall however is that you should never be afraid to talk to someone or ask questions to them, they are not some untouchable idol who will simply scoff at you, they are infact just as human as you are and i imagine they they have trouble talking to a person from time to time. Plus there is only things to gain instead of things to lose
The Ideal Work Place/Key Companies In My Field
When it comes to an ideal work place that generally comes down to preference, some might want to work for Bethesda, maybe you want to work for EA but this is in general terms which company would be the best suited for the field i would like to enter
The first company that instantly jumps put for narrative focused games would be tell tale who have generally been known to create heavily emotional narrative focused point and click/episodic games based on existing IP’s such as The walking dead, borderlands and game of thrones
https://telltale.com/ - 4000 Civic Center Dr, San Rafael, CA 94903, USA
https://telltale.com/jobs/
As of this moment in time they are only looking for a senior writer in the job field i wish however that doesnt mean i cant apply for another job they are in need of to work my way into a writing position for example they are always looking for q/a testers so using that i can wiggle into a narrative design or writer role by suggesting things that could improve the story experience or helping with the writing of scripts and dialogue.
An issue with telltale however is it is hard to single out a game from their library as more narrative focused or important than any other, walking dead offers a dark saddening take on the world where every option and choice you make will have an impact later. This is in stark contrast to say tales from the borderlands which yes does have a similar choices matter mentality however the story in that game is less serious and grim and more light hearted and lovely.
With tell-tale they cover so much ground in their narrative focused games its hard to single one of them out alone
Not a company that comes to mind when thinking of narrative but one that i would enjoy a job at would be gearbox, they are mainly known for creating the borderlands franchise and as of now are in the process of making the third game . Their narratives tend to be somewhat serious but have a lighthearted tone to them with alot of dirty humor.
Borderlands and its sequels probably are the most notable games they have created and do narrative in an inventive way in that it is both serious yet not at all serious at the same time i mean....the planet your on is in grave danger from a tyrant hell bent on wiping life as you know it off the planet with an alien doom weapon, but at the same time the villian mocks you with such childish insults and sarcastic nonsense its hard to take it seriously, even more so with some of the side missions like “shot this guy in the faace” which is exactly as it sounds.
http://www.gearboxsoftware.com/ - 5757 Main St, Frisco, TX 75034, USA
http://www.gearboxsoftware.com/careers/
Gearbox software have an odd internship program that allows people of all skill levels to join and it is called the cogs program, in their own words the cogs program is
“The COGS program at Gearbox Software is designed for future game developers to get a chance to start their careers by becoming embedded with the veteran, professional developers at our world-class video game development studio and actually contribute to a commercial video game project. It’s the real deal. This is the foot in the door. This is the chance to prove yourself.
The COGS program differs from a traditional internship because Gearbox Software will actually pay you during your time at the studio. What?! Did you read that right?! Yes, we’re going to pay you to prove yourself. We must be nuts.But forget about us being nuts for a minute – the COGS program is as real as Clap Trap’s malfunctioning artificial personality.
COGS stands for Contractors of Gearbox Software – you will get a contract and it will say that you have become an actual, official, paid professional inside the studio that is home of Borderlands, Duke Nukem, Brothers in Arms, Homeworld, Battleborn, and Randy Pitchford’s flamboyant shirts. The contract terms can be for as little as three months or as long as a year, depending on the timing and the role. During that time you’ll get free soda. Also during that time you’ll contribute to a real commercial product at our AAA development studio earning valuable experience and credit that will not merely be rewarding and insanely gratifying, but will also set-you-up to be very valuable and sought after by the industry. And there’s free snacks to wash down with the soda. Did I already mention the soda? It’s a cool deal.”
quote directly from here
This is all to simply prove if you deserve a job or not
Key people in my field
http://www.evanskolnick.com/games
His portfolio is rather well put together and lists all of his skills and accomplishments as well as any and all of the projects he has worked on it also seems to show his wide range of work as he has taken part in narrative roles on project such as mafia 3 which is full of gore and racial angles and tension to the kid friendly hi-jinks filled over the hedge game and movie.
This is a portfolio i should keep an eye on and learn from
https://twitter.com/evanskolnick?lang=en
Evan Skolnick is an american born writer who has previous worked on marvel comics as a lead writer and now has jumped into narrative video game design, his most recent project/job being the walking dead : a new frontier by telltale which makes him a key player not only in my field but a company based solely around the field i wish to work in
has a book out called : video game story telling, what every developer needs to know about narrative techniques
the description of the book and what it may offer
“With increasingly sophisticated video games being consumed by an enthusiastic and expanding audience, the pressure is on game developers like never before to deliver exciting stories and engaging characters. With Video Game Storytelling, game writer and producer Evan Skolnick provides a comprehensive yet easy-to-follow guide to storytelling basics and how they can be applied at every stage of the development process—by all members of the team. This clear, concise reference pairs relevant examples from top games and other media with a breakdown of the key roles in game development, showing how a team’s shared understanding and application of core storytelling principles can deepen the player experience. Understanding story and why it matters is no longer just for writers or narrative designers. From team leadership to game design and beyond, Skolnick reveals how each member of the development team can do his or her part to help produce gripping, truly memorable narratives that will enhance gameplay and bring today’s savvy gamers back time and time again.“
Edwin McRae isnt noteworthy due to the work he has done, though he has worked on many smaller titles and mobile games as a narrative designer and world builder. He is more notable due to his constant advice and tutorials on how to become a better narrative designer and how to build a living breathing world from scratch
He too like Evan has a book or two to be purchased and read which can be found here : https://www.edmcrae.com/books-and-comics.cfm
Another good narrative designer to take a look at would be Daniel Dick, he describes himself as follows
“ I'm a Narrative Director & Writer with over 15 years of industry experience creating, building, and implementing successful narratives (including multiple AAA titles). I also recently designed a narrative design and game writing course for the University of British Columbia's Creative Writing Program.”
Some notable projects he has worked on include
★ DEUS EX: MANKIND DIVIDED
Narrative Director
Eidos Montreal
★ HOMEWORLD: DESERTS OF KHARAK
Narrative Director
BBI / Gearbox
★ SPEC-OPS
Lead Narrative Designer & Writer
Rockstar Vancouver
★ BULLY
Narrative Designer & Writer
Rockstar Vancouver
★ SOCOM: TACTICAL STRIKE
Lead Writer & Narrative Designer
Slant Six / Sony
★ SOCOM: FIRETEAM BRAVO 3
Lead Writer & Narrative Designer
Slant Six / Sony
★ NEED FOR SPEED & SSX
Story Consultant & Contract Writer
Electronic Arts
★ TREASURE PLANET
Game Designer & Writer
Barking Dog / Disney
★ THE DAMASCUS LETTER: A Spy Novel
Author
Finalist for the AMAZON BREAKTHROUGH NOVEL AWARD in 2011.
His portfolio on Linkden is also very well put together and will have to keep an eye on this one as well
https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldick/
The skills i need
When it comes to narrative design in general there are certain skills you will need when entering the field.
Atleast basic knowledge on pacing and tone to a story, you cant have characters fighting an epic war then suddenly 2 seconds later have a clown filled tea party only to mourn their friends for a solid hour or two after that, it kills both the tone your going for and pacing. Keep it balanced and consistent
Understand character and world building, it good to create a world or character but if they are blank slates of boring with a side of boring pie then no one will care.
To create a breathing living world you must think about every detail and bit of history, what does this town do for the world, why is this ruin here, where do these enemies live etc. However be careful as you cannot make a game with backstory and word building alone and people do not want to have to sit through hours of lore.
Characters are harder to build, they can have preset fears and goals and motivations and even backstories however alot of the time they need to grow alongside the player and inside the events of your narrative. If a character loses something precious to them show it, if they are tried from a long battle show it, if they have been beaten badly and took a massive hit to their pride again show it to the player and in the character.
Script/dialogue writing skills and understanding what goes into creating them. Make sure every bit of dialogue fits who it is meant for perfectly and try to avoid repetition if possible. Ensure scripts are clear to read for the voice actors
Ability to take critique and improve from it, maybe someone thinks a certain aspect of your narrative is a bit off and wants to give feedback, it would be your job to take that feedback in and maybe change the narrative a bit to fit it.
Interpersonal skills, do you really think your going to be working alone....yeah no it doesnt work like that as you will be with a team of writers more than likely who will be throwing in ideas into this world or character and trying to make them perfect. Listen to what they have to say and work with them.
Plus you will be working with other departments, maybe the environment designer needs specific dialogue for a fire area and you need to take a look at the area to gauge what kind of dialogue to fit into it, Maybe the character designer needs help figuring out how this character might speak and what they could even say
You have to have the ability to understand the genre of what it is your writing, cant have a kid friendly platformer suddenly have sexual jokes and decapitations now can we?
Organization in your writing is a good skill to possess as well as good motivation skills and time management
My work and evaluating it/General Evaluation
Now that i have mentioned the skills needed and the work i have done it is time to evaluate it bit by bit and see if i meet the standards set above and if not how can i achieve them from where i am now
My work
Short stories and poems tend to come to me in the moment and usually come from my already made characters, existing characters from movies/tv/games or from some random idea i had in my mind. However as mention before they tend to be a one time thing and rarely branch out and become longer, any longer story usually gets forgotten about due to motivational or memory issues even if broken into parts (For example i got 5 parts into a dark souls 3 story before forgetting it and never really going back to continue it). If i wish to get into narrative i need to work on long stories
The few twine games i have made so far are at a time where i have minimal knowledge of twine and one of them i cannot add to my porfolio due to content inside it. They are not nearly to the standard they could or should be and i should spend time completing and working on them to put them at the level i believe they could be.
The blog is personally my proudest bit of writing, i started the blog with a charcter based on an ingame mario enemy that had no backstory or anything, no personifcation or even personality. I took this enemy and gave it life and a soul, gave it wants and needs and fears and a personality, it has goals and a past now and as said has spawned countless Alternate worlds and ideas from it due to the story i have told with him. However alot of the writing tends to be very informal and dailouge based and the blog also has some informal and silly content to go through, will need to isolate the writing from this blog to show on the portfolio
As said he has spawned countless characters off of himself, from a sweet gentle shy king, to an evil dominating tyrant, a lonely yet wise last of his kind hunter, a sickening horrific yet lovable spider hybrid creature, a shy 1 limbed mechanic looking into necromancy to power his robotics to be honest this is stuff to include in the portfolio however it mention it here as no matter how many characters i do have i should continue to add more to the mix and develop them every chance i get to do so.
Skills and myself overall
In terms of skills i would like to atleast believe i own some of the needed skills for my job role, a basic understanding of pacing and tone, world and character building experience as well as interpersonal skills and abilities. Perhaps i do struggle a small amount with critique as sometimes it dont learn or go back to redo what is told of me.
Out side of skills to myself in general im a generally approachable and creative guy who could keep tensions low and ensure that everyone in the company is keeping themselves happy and destressed, i would also like to believe im willing to advance and learn even if it is painful.
But to evaluate you have to speak of the bad too, which is sometimes i can be very unmotivated and avoid/put off work for as long as possible even if i understand and know i have work. I can also get frustrated easilly with things that i cannot do or do not understand, if i wish to advance in my industry i willl need to put these under lock and key
My path into industry due to what i have found here
Due to the information i have found here there are a few paths into industry i can take
i can look for a indie or triple A developer looking for a q/a tester and work into the company from there offering the skills i do have to help construct the game and help any struggling member of the team during my none working hours, this iwll show them my previously obtained skills and allow them to remember me above all the other Q/A testers thus getting a foot in the door
I could also use my Voice acting talent and get in through that, voice a character and offer changes and help to the script as well as developing the character which again gives me a foot into the door.
another option is to wiggle into games journalism, this way i can write about and meet many developers as well as play some of the hottest games before anyone else and offer my opinion on them and what could be changed.
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