Stimulating, inspirational... the Writing for Games & Interactive Narrative event

On Tonight! One night only!|!!Writing Games & Interactive Narrative Event in Maynooth

Having worked on a number of games & apps, the first full narrative I designed for a role playing game (RPG) was Grief, which is still in development. I really connected with the really interesting concept but as a writer who loves creating character and story, this was also an opportunity to design 7-9 HOURS of story!! What's not to like about that!?

So, as Screenwriter in Residence at Maynooth Uni and Kildare Co. Council Library & Arts Services, I'm running a free event with the Media Studies Department at Maynooth University next Weds evening (November 16th). There's a great line up of speakers - Devin Doyle, Charlene Putney & Chris Gregan - and, as a writer who has worked in games, it is a whole new exciting world. You don't even have to be a 'gamer' to end up writing for them, as Devin and I would admit!

It's in the NIRSA Seminar room (2.31), Second Floor, Iontas Building - that's in the North Campus - from 6-8 on the 16th.

Hope to see some of you there! (PS There's a direct train to Maynooth from Connolly & Drumcondra stations and regular busses from the quays.)

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS....

DEVIN DOYLE

Screenwriter Devin Doyle wrote the sci-fi horror web series Rapt for RTÉ’s Storyland in 2014, which led to work on Fair City, and ultimately, despite knowing very little about video games, a job writing on Larian Studios' heroic fantasy cRPG Divinity: Original Sin 2. Before graduating from the prestigious Australian Film Television and Radio School in 2012, Devin spent twenty years working in advertising.

CHARLENE PUTNEY

Charlene writes for Larian Studios scripting narrative and dialogues for Divinity: Original Sin 2 and combat dialogue and tooltips for Divinity: Original Sin. When she's not doing that, she lectures on Role Playing Games and interactive narrative at DIT and Trinity, teaches yoga and writes speculative fiction. She also performs and lectures at game festivals, most recently at the Playful Arts Festival, Netherlands and at GameCity, Nottingham. Catch her on Twitter: @alphachar or www.alphachar.com

CHRIS GREGAN

A passionate advocate for making game development accessible to everybody, Chris Gregan is a founder at Fungus Games Ltd. and is the author of Fungus, a free open source tool for easily creating storytelling games in Unity 3D. Chris has worked in the games industry for 13 years, previously founding the Irish office for the San Francisco-based PlayFirst Inc. As Chief Architect, he drove the company's global games technology strategy. He has lead developer credits on chart topping mobile games including the hit Diner Dash franchise.

On Tonight! One night only!|!!Writing Games & Interactive Narrative Event in Maynooth

Having worked on a number of games & apps, the first full narrative I designed for a role playing game (RPG) was Grief, which is still in development. I really connected with the really interesting concept but as a writer who loves creating character and story, this was also an opportunity to design 7-9 HOURS of story!! What's not to like about that!?

So, as Screenwriter in Residence at Maynooth Uni and Kildare Co. Council Library & Arts Services, I'm running a free event with the Media Studies Department at Maynooth University next Weds evening (November 16th). There's a great line up of speakers - Devin Doyle, Charlene Putney & Chris Gregan - and, as a writer who has worked in games, it is a whole new exciting world. You don't even have to be a 'gamer' to end up writing for them, as Devin and I would admit!

It's in the NIRSA Seminar room (2.31), Second Floor, Iontas Building - that's in the North Campus - from 6-8 on the 16th.

Hope to see some of you there! (PS There's a direct train to Maynooth from Connolly & Drumcondra stations and regular busses from the quays.)

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS....

DEVIN DOYLE

Screenwriter Devin Doyle wrote the sci-fi horror web series Rapt for RTÉ’s Storyland in 2014, which led to work on Fair City, and ultimately, despite knowing very little about video games, a job writing on Larian Studios' heroic fantasy cRPG Divinity: Original Sin 2. Before graduating from the prestigious Australian Film Television and Radio School in 2012, Devin spent twenty years working in advertising.

CHARLENE PUTNEY

Charlene writes for Larian Studios scripting narrative and dialogues for Divinity: Original Sin 2 and combat dialogue and tooltips for Divinity: Original Sin. When she's not doing that, she lectures on Role Playing Games and interactive narrative at DIT and Trinity, teaches yoga and writes speculative fiction. She also performs and lectures at game festivals, most recently at the Playful Arts Festival, Netherlands and at GameCity, Nottingham. Catch her on Twitter: @alphachar or www.alphachar.com

CHRIS GREGAN

A passionate advocate for making game development accessible to everybody, Chris Gregan is a founder at Fungus Games Ltd. and is the author of Fungus, a free open source tool for easily creating storytelling games in Unity 3D. Chris has worked in the games industry for 13 years, previously founding the Irish office for the San Francisco-based PlayFirst Inc. As Chief Architect, he drove the company's global games technology strategy. He has lead developer credits on chart topping mobile games including the hit Diner Dash franchise.

And WULFIE begins!

Just heard from Deirdre Barry of Monster Entertainment that my series WULFIE - the cute little Big Bad (and purple) Wolf called Wolfgang Amadeus Rachmaninov III and his best friend Libby - got funding as part of their Media Slate application.

I am over the moon, as any of you who know me can imagine.

WULFIE began with bedtime stories I made up for my daughter in 2005... when she was all of six. She's now 14. We are both eeping at each other with delight, punching the air and grinning insanely.

To everyone who is a writer with ideas that haven't yet been recognised.... take this as hope!



(Concept designs by Mark Flood.)

Derry here we come

PUNKY is among four nominees in the Celtic Media Festival's Children's TV awards section alongside two from BBC Alba(Scotland) and one from Wales so I'm hotfooting it to the lovely city of Derry this evening.

Regardless of what happens tomorrow aft, it's a great upbeat excuse to return to the city. But then you don't need much of an excuse to visit Derry... except the five hour EACH WAY by train. Which is why I'm breaking records to try and get as much material to the stage of printing so that I have plenty of work to entertain me en route!

In case you haven't heard and are interested in attending, I'm organising a third networking event for animators, animation directors and writers on April 30th. Same place, same time, but it's filling fast so let me know if you want to come! The group is now officially called the Creatives in Animation Network.

Second Success for the Animation Networking Group

March 12th, an empty room in Temple Bar fills with the hum of conversation and networking at its finest -- good conversation, interesting people, nobody actually selling anything but enjoying each other's company and making connections.

We had another great group -- some managed to make it back from the first but, as usual, we all ran out of time and I'm not sure we all managed to talk to everyone but that's why the network is growing.

All being well, I'm planning another for April 30th. Which seems miles away but dates can creep up on padded toes in a very underhand way when life is busy! So, if you want to come, let me know and I'll put your name down. It is a fantastic way to make connections. If the energy in the room and the sheer heat of the space was anything to go by during the first two, something good will come from it.

And a huge big thank you again to the Screen Directors Guild of Ireland, to Birch and Angie who came along on the night, for the wonderful space.

SMOCK ALLEY... a preview

Still trying to pull all the pieces together to ensure that my play about George Farquhar, bawdy n bold as it is, gets on to the stage in Smock Alley next year.

The idea is that it will rehearse in Dublin, most likely, with Stephen Bradley in the lead - he was born to play this part. It will premiere in Derry in September 2013 as part of their UK City of Culture, as the lead play of a second Farquhar Festival produced by Jonathon Burgess. Then, the idea is for it to come to Dublin for a month to Smock.

After all, it's the theatre that gave George his best anecdote - and possibly his most embarrassing and traumatic story, one I don't believe he would ever have revelled in telling. It's the 'ghost in the machine' if you like and the reason he became a writer.

This was the occasion when, while acting on the Smock Alley stage at the tail end of the 17th century, he accidentally stabbed a fellow actor with a sword having forgotten to switch it for a foil. The actor, price, did survive and acted again but, fortunately for everyone who likes George Farquhar's work, it was, essentially, the end of his career as an actor.

MONKEY PUZZLE TREE...

MONKEY PUZZLE TREE has been named as a finalist in the Codelia Award of the Hollywood-based BlueCat Screenplay competition for UK/ International scripts and a semi-finalist in the overall BlueCat competition 2012!

Only heard last night and I have whooped several times to myself already this morning!

For the Cordelia Award - UK and Ireland - there are six finalists out of 493 scripts, but overall there were 2,754 scripts submitted.

Diary Dates: For Animation Networking Events

March 12th
April 30th, rather than 23rd.

Frameworks -- usually March but not released yet. Focus for collaborations people?!

The Next Animation Networking Event for writers and animation directors...

Yup, it's a snappy title. I can't help them - they just flood from the keyboard!

Anyway, following on the success and popularity of the first networking event, I'm organising another one to take place on March 12th in Temple Bar.

The purpose of these events is to bring writers and animation directors together and see if we can't start collaborating with each other on various projects from shorts to features to series to, even, books. Who knows? There was so much creativity in the SDGI Screening Room the last time that if I hadn't called it to a close, I suspect we might still be there now! (Okay, slight exaggeration.)

There will be another event six weeks later on April 23rd and I'm hoping that we can get a Facebook Page up for on-line networking after the next one. There is a waiting list from the last event on Jan 31st but if you want to be part of the momentum, let me know.

PUNKY Dresses Up For The IFTA Awards Night....

Gearing up for a big day on Saturday 11th.

With PUNKY up for two IFTA nominations... with floor length gown and tux specified for entry along the red carpet into the new Conference Centre for the award ceremony... this could be one of the biggest nights for PUNKY!

The nominations are for Childrens/ Young People's Programme and for Sound Design. To everyone who voted for us, a heartfelt thanks.

But then it has already been a big nine months for PUNKY between the launch at the end of April, multiple screenings on RTEjr since May 3rd, to the overwhemingly positive response internationally - virally via the web, DVD's being sent overseas and word of mouth - to Gerard O'Rourke winning European Producer of the Year at Cartoon Forum last September and Target Entertainment coming on as distributor to launch the series internationally at MIPCom last October...

So Saturday already feels like a real celebration of all that has been achieved -- and very far from the scribblings of an idea that I had back in 2007!

BLUECAT Quarter Finalist: Monkey Puzzle Tree

My second newest script, MONKEY PUZZLE TREE, just got into the quarter finals of the Bluecat Screenplay Competition 2012 out of over 2700 scripts.

It's a nice little nudge of, well, niceness/ nice news/ commendation on a freezing cold morning in a wooden shed looking at wallflowers!

The Animation Networking Event is now officially and enthusiastically ALIVE!

The inaugural meeting last night of the Animation Networking Event - yes, we are on the hunt for a title for the group, all suggestions welcome - was a fantastic night. So many talented and enthusiastic people in one room, all with the desire to collaborate. Writers came from every field from theatre, animation and soap with a desire to work on ideas from horror shorts to pre-school TV, from post watershed TV series to features and competition shorts. The animators came from backgrounds in modelling, 2D, stop motion, 2.5 D, flash, concept design, games...

Best of all, everyone was of the opinion that the bringing together of our two species - animators and writers - should have happened a long time ago, can only lead to good things - maybe in two days, two months, two years... and that the group was overwhelmingly worth developing into a viable and long-term critical mass...

Phew.

FEW PLACES LEFT FOR ANIMATORS

INAUGURAL ANIMATION NETWORKING EVENT

Next Monday 30th at 7pm, the first networking event to bring together a group of writers and animators takes place in Temple Bar. Limited by space, there are three spaces remaining for animators.

The initiative will, hopefully, become a monthly event – there is great interest on both sides and a waiting list of writers and animators for the next event – but we do need to make sure there is an even mix of writers and animators for the idea to work. Hence we need three more animators for this event so we can get this series off the ground.

My hope is that these evenings will bean opportunity for animators and animation directors and writers interested in or already writing in animation to meet in comfort, with a cup in their hand and get to know each other. The meetings will last about two hours and there is no cost involved. The hope is that various collaborations and partnerships may form that might lead to new, creative and wonderful work in animation. We have great writers lined up for this one and a waiting list of writers and animators for the ones to follow. But we need three more animators to come on next Monday .

The initiative is supported by The Irish Playwrights and Screenwriters Guild (IPSG) and SDGI.

All animation directors and writers working or interested in working in animation are welcome; if you can’t make this one, let me know you’re interested and I’ll put your name down for the next one.

THE PERFECT MAN...

... The Attic Studio have confirmed that they will do a reading of my romcom on Jan 31st. Having seen the calibre of the acting overall during just two visits to its below ground basement home in Filmbase, I'm getting pretty excited.

I've learnt in the past six months how much, as a writer, I can get from a reading of any of my work but especially something that doesn't quite work. With this script, feedback on the first draft was very positive by three of the four readers, but what was interesting was that there was little agreement about what was wrong. What one reader loved, another hated... Which is why this reading is so important to me.

I need to hear it to know for myself what works. To garner feedback from actors, other writers, directors that I can spin around in my head and use to figure out what I need to change or work on or maybe even, if I'm lucky, how to make it great!

And I have 24 hours to complete the rewrite. Why am I blogging? To spur myself on!

To all who are currently in the midst of a rewrite, GOOD LUCK and COURAGE!

INAUGURAL ANIMATION NETWORKING EVENT:places limited

Should have mentioned that you need to let me know if you want to come along. The Screening Room isn't huge and we want to make sure that everyone has a chance to mingle and talk. Email me or let me know via this blog/ Facebook/LinkedIn if you want to attend, Lindsay

INAUGURAL ANIMATION NETWORKING EVENT

Animators need writers and writers who like to write animation scripts need someone to bring them alive.

Here’s an opportunity to informally meet your counterpart and, hopefully, strike up relationships that might lead to new, creative and wonderful work in animation

On Monday 30th at 7pm in the Screen Directors’ Guild Screening Room in Temple Bar, The Screen Directors Guild of Ireland (SDGI) and The Irish Playwrights and Screenwriters Guild (IPSG) are inviting writers and animation directors to the first ANIMATION NETWORKING EVENT.

The idea is that animation directors and writers interested in or already writing in animation can meet in comfort, with a cup in their hand and get to know each other. The hope is that various collaborations and partnerships may form that will lead to interesting work in the field. It came about from a Screen Training Ireland gig when I broached the subject of where, as a writer, I could submit animation scripts. There didn’t really seem to be anywhere. Most companies create in-house and if you can’t draw, it can be hard to get a writing paw in the door.

And we need each other. Take PUNKY. I could have rattled around with that idea for years. As I have done with lots of other animation ideas and scripts. But for Monster Animation deciding to put their creative juices into it, it would still be an idea on a page. This, as a writer is frustrating. (Okay, basically, I wish I could draw!) To date, it’s turning into a very successful series that is on the verge of selling internationally in five countries that I know of, won the Producer of the Year Award for Gerard O’Rourke and has been nominated for two IFTAs.

But it seems to be crucial to develop ideas with the animation directors of companies, for the simple reason that if they are employed by a company, they need to be involved in most ideas produced by that company. Bringing a written idea from outside is difficult.

Surely for animators who need new ideas, who haven’t studied screenwriting or find it less interesting than drawing, it must be equally frustrating.

So this new group will meet on a regular basis. All animation directors and writers working or interested in working in animation are welcome; if you can’t make this one, let me know you’re interested and I’ll put your name down for the next one.

Could be fun!! Could be an interesting way to meet fellow writers and animators!! Could be the start of something amazing!!

ARCHANGEL in Dublin for one night only

A fantastic cast is gathering tonight in The Lab, Foley Street to do a rehearsed reading of the pilot script for my tv series, ARCHANGEL. Can't wait!

Last night's read-through was great fun; even some faces in the cast that I hadn't met for over 20 years. Same happened at the new York reading in September. Small world full of talent.

Tonight's event is organised by Anna Olson Nugent and Paul Nugent, as was the reading in the New York Rep... Here's hoping this is a further step towards the series getting made!

NaNoWriMo - satisfying but tough to do!

Back on target. Edging towards the 26,000 word mark on this the 16th day of National Novel Writing Month.

It's hard. Harder than I expected, but easier too. Harder to keep going but more enjoyable when you do. It has reminded me of why I write - because I love words!

Having a meter ticking over helps. I love calculating my new daily 'score' of words - I think I do it every few pars on some days. In 'stats', you can calculate your wordage by day and see what day, if you continue at that pace, you will finish; also how many words you need to write every day to reach the goal of 50,000 words by November 30th. (I think we may have a few extra crucial hours too, it being calculated in American time!)

Probably it appeals to the geek in me that needs numbers going upwards to feel the progress. Unless it's a Visa bill. Not so good when it keeps getting higher.

I took for my template a first draft screenplay that isn't working. Without really referring to the script except for snatches of dialogue that I then rewrite completely, I have just gone with the flow and I type up whatever seems to present itself. Chain of consciousness. A conscience suddenly talking. A monologue on why people fall in love. A foray into the background of a character and questions he asked that weren't answered when he was four and a half.

It's one of the most refreshing, tiring and satisfying exercises in that my other projects are also getting the benefit because my brain is being forced to create without worrying about whether it is any good. I find the words are flowing more freely on the other work I have to do, that I'm editing more clearly, that I get through work that has to be done without agonising over how long it will take.

But of course I have a sneaky hope it might be okay... if not in this draft (no, definitely not in this draft) then in the future. At least I will have the bones of a novel to pick over.

As for the screenplay, part of me is thinking the novel is better for the story while another part is seriously hoping that by writing it up as a novel, I can force the structure of the story to heal itself...

Jameson Dublin International Film Festival/ Untitled

What a mouthful!

Okay, we have till Monday to submit a one page synopsis, a logline and CV for a new feature idea to the Irish Film Board/ JDIFF for their UNTITLED competition. The theme this year is 1916, which really stymied me for a while but I have pulled an idea roughly together that would be such FUN to write. They want lateral thinking, but it has to be historically accurate - tell that to Neil Jordan re Michael Collins!

But here's my problem - they lure you in with this competition called UNTITLED. But then you have to give it a title. Is that a carrot/ stick thing? As I am woefully disastrous with titles,it would be so nice if they didn't need one...

Anyone want to swop synopses before the weekend and give mutual feedback???

Here's the link to the information too: http://www.irishfilmboard.ie/irish_film_industry/news/Deadline_for_Entries_to_the_Successful_Screenwriting_Competition_UNTITLED_Extended_to_November_14th_/1778