Writing and Game Making

[guest509]

I've been spending my creative time since the 7DRL putting together talkie projects (see my Super Hero RL fantasy project, for starters), but I'm also about halfway through my first novel.

There are a couple of things I've discovered about creative projects in general.

The biggest one is that there is no limit to creativity. You can't really use it up, it just seems to get stronger. You don't run out of ideas, it's more like you have far too many ideas and you have to cut down. It's the same with making a game and the same with writing a novel.

Secondly, and this is a big one that i think everyone knows, it's not the ideas that have value. Not at all. It's the execution. I can pitch a great idea for a superman/batman movie (seriously, I wrote a 6 page treatment) but actually making a great Superman v. Batman movie, or just flushing out a great script, is the hard part. It's the hard work of putting it all together that gives it real value. And that takes discipline.

So that's what I've learned, or relearned. Creativity is limitless, ideas are only as good as their execution and discipline discipline discipline is the key to bringing this all together.

I'll post my Superman pitch in a second thread...to be ignored at your leisure. :-)

[Rickton]

Creativity might be limitless, but time isn't. And programming takes a lot of time.
I write as well, but unfortunately the way things are going for me these days, I have to choose if I want to write or program on a given day...on the days when I even get to work on anything at all.

For me, they both kind of fulfill the same "need." One of the things I like about game programming vs writing is that there's multiple types of work involved, it's not all creativity*. If I'm not feeling very creative but still want to get work done I can work on features or bug fixes or interface...stuff that's not very creative but takes a lot of time to implement. Then when I'm feeling more "inspired" I can work on content.


*Although to be fair, there's some of this in writing too, you have to edit, but for me at least that takes less time than writing new stuff does.

[guest509]

Yeah I agree. I try to do a bit of both, but then I fail at both. I need to concentrate on one at a time.

But what is 'fail' anyway? If it's your hobby then it just needs to be fun or relaxing.

[AgingMinotaur]

*Although to be fair, there's some of this in writing too, you have to edit, but for me at least that takes less time than writing new stuff does.

Ha! I spend about 90% of my writing time researching and editing (deleting the better part of what I've manged to actually write with the last 10% of my time). Luckily, I'm less inclined to agonize over code. If it does approximately what I want, it's there to stay, baby.

As always,
Minotauros