Archive for the ‘Game Design + Writing’ Category
Posted on November 12, 2009 - by Monica Valentinelli
Why Your D&D Game Doesn’t Make a Great Novel
Have you heard the line, “Your D&D game won’t make a great novel?” If you’ve heard me speak on panels before, or if you’ve read several submission guidelines from agents or publishers, you might have. I’d like to tackle why.
First, let’s get all the bad mojo out there on the table by saying something completely [...]
Posted on October 28, 2009 - by Monica Valentinelli
Life in Crazytown, New Releases and a Favor
First? I need to offer all of you an apology. I haven’t been blogging lately, because things have been a “bit” busy on this end. After my appearance in Indianapolis for GenCon, things slowed down a bit in September, but quickly picked back up. Why? Can’t talk about all of it, but I can talk about some of it. Blasted Non-Disclosure Agreements!
Posted on June 8, 2009 - by Monica Valentinelli
Publishing’s Future may be a Paradigm Shift
One of the hot topics over the past, few weeks as been the “future of publishing.” At BookExpo America, the Future is Digital, according to the Washington Post. (You can also find a lot more information on the topic through Publishers Weekly.) While I’m offering my opinions related to the future of professional publishing and [...]
Posted on September 11, 2008 - by Monica Valentinelli
How Genre Affects Game Design
Like pulp? How about horror? Superheroes? Awesome. I bet that many of you who are reading my blog have had great ideas for stories or games based on a popular genre. With fiction, you probably already write using techniques to affect the pacing, mood and feel of your story to induce that air of mystery [...]
Posted on August 15, 2008 - by Monica Valentinelli
Writing with Gender Treatment in Mind
In today’s world, headlines are splattered with same sex marriages, celebrity “bumps” (a slang term used to describe a pregnant woman’s stomach), and women deemed to be “fat” because they gained a few pounds. Whether you’re a writer in the entertainment industry or a columnist for your local newspaper, gender treatment is one of the [...]
Posted on August 2, 2008 - by Monica Valentinelli
Writing Notes for Tales of the Seven Dogs Novella
I’m happy to report that Flames Rising featured a preview of Tales of the Seven Dogs Society, my soon-to-be-released novella that I’ll be selling in less than two weeks at GenCon: Indy.
In 1969, Jericho Usher disappeared without a trace, never explaining the otherworldly nature of the annex. Jericho Usher spent his lifetime investigating anomalous phenomena, [...]
Posted on July 22, 2008 - by Monica Valentinelli
When Fan Awards Make a Difference: Diana Jones and ENnie Awards for Gaming
As most of you know, I’ve done a lot of writing and editing within the gaming industry. Like other industries, there are some industry-facing and/or fan awards that softly bolster the businesses that do their very best. There are two awards that are typically presented at GenCon Indy that not a lot of folk are [...]
Posted on June 16, 2008 - by Monica Valentinelli
Reflections of a Gaming Industry Freelancer
This year marks the fifth year I’ve been active within the gaming industry as a freelancer. Within five years I’ve worked on two dozen games, dozens of reviews, attended approximately 35 conventions and gatherings, met hundreds if not thousands of people, spoke on panels, and built some awesome memories. Here are some of my [...]
Posted on May 11, 2008 - by Monica Valentinelli
How to Infuse your Creativity by Researching Tropes, Myths and Beliefs
As promised, I’d like to give you all a little exercise that my fantasy author friends might appreciate and immediately recognize. This is an example of how I do my research, and I’m offering it to you to put more questions in your mind than answers, to challenge not only what you write—but how.
For [...]
Posted on April 25, 2008 - by Monica Valentinelli
The Difference between Game Design and Writing Games is…
Okay, so now that we’ve spent a whole week talking about writing game-related fiction, I’d like to round out this week o’ gaming by talking about the fundamental differences between game design and writing games. This is an often hotly-contested topic in many gaming companies, but really comes down to a very, simply idea and [...]
Posted on April 24, 2008 - by Monica Valentinelli
Gaming Fiction Day Four: Inferred Plot and Metaplot
Game fiction can sometimes have an “inferred” plot because of its popularity like many popular movies. Most people know Darth Vader is a bad guy. Writing about the rebels running from Darth Vader may seem like plot to you but really? That’s just a standard detail nowadays. Instead, those same rebels might be running from [...]
Posted on April 23, 2008 - by Monica Valentinelli
Writing Game Fiction Day Three: Plot your Plot
So now you’ve decide you’re going to write this really awesome story based on the video game Final Fantasy X. You love the character of Yuna, so you’re going to sit down and write a story about…but wait? What is your story about? Okay, you’ve figured out that Final Fantasy X is based on the [...]
Posted on April 22, 2008 - by Monica Valentinelli
Game Fiction Day Two: How to Fit your Story to the Theme of the Game
If I gave you a list of well-known movies, I bet that you’ll quickly identify what the theme of the movie is. For example, we know Indiana Jones is pulp, we completely “get” that Army of Darkness is a comedy, and we understand that X-Men III was supposed to be an action movie where Phoenix [...]
My Recent Releases
The Queen of Crows
Download THE QUEEN OF CROWS e-book at DriveThruHorror.com
Watch the Promo Video
Family Games: The 100 Best
Order through Amazon.comThe Bones
Available at Gameplaywright.netRecommended Writing Music
Violet War
Click for Literacy!
