While this is a perfectly reasonable statement to make, like not everyone can sing, not everyone recognises that they cannot write and this is often where a number of problems can arise.
I’m not talking about the ability to combine words into perfectly good sentences and deliver clear meaning. Creative writing is so much more than that. It’s about understanding that, at a basic level, sentence construction can be tweaked and varied to give subtlety, power and flow to the things you write.
A lack of spelling ability and less than perfect grammar may be seen as a measure of the inability to write, but sometimes we have to see past these things to the heart of what lies behind these things. Of course, poor spelling and grammar may be indicative of a lack of ability, but what if the person has dyslexia and in spite of this has the soul of a true storyteller.
An ability to write is about understanding story, plot, drama, conflict and characterisation. It’s about richness and depth. But most of all it’s about knowing that first drafts are only the start and that editing, re-writing and polishing are the tasks that make your writing rise above simple, well-constructed sentences.
Writers need to be honest with themselves about their ability to write. The desire to write and to become professional writers is not enough on its own to take them to that place.
However, if your drive and passion is strong enough and your self-critique is realistic and non-destructive, you can learn everything you need through study and rigorous application. And if the thought of this amount of hard work puts you off then it will be harder to succeed in the field of game writing.
Game writing is constant hard work but dedication can win you through in the end.
Gamewriter Bites! 