Writing for Interactive Media: The Complete Guide - Hardcover

Samsel, Jon; Wimberley, Darryl

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1581150059 ISBN 13: 9781581150056

Publisher: Allworth Press,U.S., 1998

Synopsis

This volume offers guidance in writing for interactive media. Having examined basic story-telling, the book goes on to look at Internet soap operas, educational kiosks, Web-based training and other on-going experiments around the globe. It sets out to teach writers how to expand their markets and create design proposals, and discusses character and story issues, interactive screenplays and more.

About this title

From the Publisher

Back Cover
"Writing For Interactive Media" offers a vital introduction to the key skills and concepts every writer needs to master the emerging craft of interactive writing. Authors Samsel and Wimberley explore the entire gamut of multimedia activity, elucidating the basics of interactive storytelling as well as the intricacies of writing hypertext, gaming applications, and corporate training programs. They show how to:

- Plan and structure interactive ideas

- Write and design compelling characters and multi-form plots

- Create design proposals and interactive screenplays

- Understand the mechanics of hypertext fiction and online narratives

- Write informational and educational multimedia

Included are interviews with leading visionaries Greg Roach, Neal Stephenson, and Michael Joyce, and behind-the-scenes looks at such popular interactive creations as MGM's Paul Is Dead, The X-Files, and the role-playing saga Myst. Sample documents, proposals, and scripts are also provided, as well as expert tips for networking, negotiation, and sidestepping the most common mistakes when writing interactive documents.

Jon Samsel currently teaches a course in writing for interactive multimedia at the UC Irvine Digital Arts Program. A frequent lecturer at industry seminars and events, he is the writer and producer of The Killer Content Workbook for Apple Computer, Inc. and co-author of How to Write Books That Sell. He lives in San Francisco, California.

Darryl Wimberley taught screenwriting at the University of Texas at Austin and is currently a full-time author and screenwriter.

From the Author

Author's Introduction
The late great Orsen Welles once said, "Everything you need to know about filmmaking can be learned in 2-3 days." I don’t know whether to believe that statement or not. I suppose that for a man who wrote and directed several of the most critically acclaimed films of all time, this was no overstatement. But I can almost guarantee that if those words were uttered by any other contemporary filmmaker, he/she would have been run out of town faster than you could shout, "Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!"

I am not convinced that a writer can learn everything she needs to know about interactivity in a day or two––let alone, within the pages of a single book. The daily bombardment of new tools, techniques, and technology is daunting -- some even say, to the point of polluting the creative landscape. One wonders if the technological gold rush will ever slow down long enough for our creative souls to catch up. I hope so. There is so much to learn, so much to see and explore.

The ever-expanding world of "new media" eagerly awaits its first Citizen Kane and Casablanca in much the same way as the information age searches for meaning in a fistful of fiber optic wire. As long as we live in a society where the technology tail waves the creative dog, we will continue to be inundated with new information at a dehumanizing pace. I am reminded of a commencement address given by John Nathan, a professor at University of California at Santa Barbara, to the graduating class of the School of the Arts and Humanities. Nathan said, "New technology’s voracious appetite for data has spawned a new profession. This profession is called content creation. It is up to us, the humanists and the artists, to restore some balance and perspective to...the Information Age."

That speech made a significant impact on my approach to living in a digital world. Nathan’s words have given me the courage to ask the storyteller, Where? and the technologist, Why? My journey has taken me on an exhaustive quest to answer a deeply profound, two-part question -- What is this thing called interactivity and what exactly is the writer’s role in it?

Until now, there have been precious few resources for interactive writers and designers. With that in mind, the "best creative practices" of those artists on the front lines of the digital revolution will be examined in this book to provide some guidance and insight into the emerging field of interactive writing.

The first section of this five part book introduces the key skills and concepts every interactive writer needs to know in order to be cyber-literate such as how to plan and structure your interactive ideas, create dynamic flow charts, and how to organize the written document.

In Part Two we'll take a look at what all good stories have in common. We'll look hard at what makes interactive texts different from novels, films, and television, and see what those differences mean for the interactive writer. We’ll talk about immersion and the seamless experience. We’ll discuss how three-act structure fits into interactive narrative. And we’ll also take a look at how to develop characters for interactive dramas, and gather around the campfire for conversations with some of today’s most celebrated "story-artists."

Part Three takes us away from narrative as we delve into hypertext fiction and the World Wide Web. We’ll deconstruct MGM’s online rock ‘n roll murder mystery, Paul Is Dead, and reconstruct the role playing saga known as Myst.

Part Four explores the art of informational multimedia. Topics of interest include corporate uses of interactive multimedia, interactive education, and CD-ROM tutorials. We’ll show writers how to implement instructional methodology into their concept documents. We’ll also talk about how writers can build more productive and engaging websites.

Finally, Part Five tackles frequently asked questions concerning writers of all skill levels. Topics include the importance of networking, advice on dealmaking, tips on creativity, dealing with rejection, how best to follow-up submissions, and common mistakes to avoid when writing interactive documents.

We live in an exciting age where the story and the teller are merging in a garden of forking paths. The audience is no longer a passive but an active participant in all that interactivity has to offer. New methods of communication and expression must be forged. And more and more it is the writer -- the electric scribe of the Information Age -- who leads the charge.

COMMENTS FROM THE PROS

"The definitive book that merges story with techno. Mandatory for creative writers to understand the mechanisms of digital media and essential for technologists to understand the applications of storytelling."

-- Lynn Isenberg, Hollywood Producer and screenwriter

"Interactive writing is a whole new ballgame when it comes to production. Even though I don't consider myself a writer I found the book to be extremely helpful in kicking off our Multimedia department. I learned to create a Design Document that helped to sell the interactive training idea to my company and now we've been producing CDs for the last 2 years."

-- Brigette Callahan - Creative Director, Amiable Technologies, Inc.

"It gives writers all the tools they'll ever need to create tomorrow's stories today."

-- Douglas Gayeton - Writer/Director of the interactive CD-ROM game "Johnny Mnemonic"

Edition details

• Publisher: Allworth Press,U.S.
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1581150059
• ISBN 13: 9781581150056
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320