So You Want to Write About Games

wordsmythe wrote:
I know I want to get people together, to try and figure out what a collective mission/goal is, and what we want to set us apart (aside from not being just another news/reviews site). I want to be content providers. I didn't even realize it at the time, but as I was brainstorming in the car this morning I realized I want to make a site similar to The Escapist, but not quite.

Hey, if you want to help manage and encourage the writers at GWJ, I'm willing to take your help.

So I never responded to this because I was never too certain what to make of a lack-of-smiley.

But now I've actually come with other ponderings. Pardon if this lacks structure.

I got some free time at work today so I decided to jab something down on the keyboard, which has resulted in a write-up about Borderlands 2. Two things came out of this.

The first is going back and rereading some of my thoughts on the first Borderlands to refresh my mind on some of my complaints from the first game. Going through, I was almost startled to see how much I've changed in terms of my writing since end of 2010, a little over two years ago. I wrote seemingly endlessly and in great detail. I was not afraid to go on side-tangents or try and crack unnecessary jokes. I was also still doing my whole Negatives/Positives thing, where I'd basically review a game in two posts.

All of these things have changed, and when I look back I only think "Holy crap, I wasn't nearly as good as I thought I was". For some reason, even though it has happened multiple times, I am surprised to see my growth in terms of writing. I'm so much more used to seeing how my art has evolved, how I can see a physical manifestation in the improvement of my abilities, or even see how some of my web development code became more clean and efficient when I was spending more time doing that while I was unemployed. Seeing improvement in writing is...well, I never expected it to be so obvious.

Unfortunately, I feel like a lot of my syntax is still pretty piss poor, but baby-steps, I guess.

The second thing that came about was a trio of article ideas I'd like to write. My first thought was to try pitching them here, to GWJ, now that I've seen success once. However, there's a couple of problems with that. The first is the Call for Writers has just finished, and I imagine everyone is going to be busy sifting through all of those entries. Now would probably not be a good time to add to the pile. So the better option would be to consider other places to pitch to.

Which is where the typical issues set in. Now my mind feels like GWJ is a safe place to pitch as I've already been front-paged once, and while my confidence has been bolstered to not be as afraid of rejection here, I'm just as afraid of trying someplace like, say, The Escapist or Polygon (I don't even know if Polygon does freelance article pitches).

So wrapping up to a point of sorts: what are your recommendations on pitching an article?

(I just reread most of this thread and can't believe how much I've repeated myself in two short pages)

when I look back I only think "Holy crap, I wasn't nearly as good as I thought I was".

Life advice: Being able to say that is always a good sign.

ccesarano wrote:
wordsmythe wrote:
I know I want to get people together, to try and figure out what a collective mission/goal is, and what we want to set us apart (aside from not being just another news/reviews site). I want to be content providers. I didn't even realize it at the time, but as I was brainstorming in the car this morning I realized I want to make a site similar to The Escapist, but not quite.

Hey, if you want to help manage and encourage the writers at GWJ, I'm willing to take your help.

So I never responded to this because I was never too certain what to make of a lack-of-smiley.

No smiley because I'm serious. You may not be aware, but I attend night classes, have a full-time job, and am active in at least 2 nonprofits outside GWJ. Somewhere in there I also pretend to sleep, from time to time.

(I don't even know if Polygon does freelance article pitches).

Replying for the benefit of the broader audience: I don't believe Polygon does much freelance, and they seem to express a strong long-term strategy toward more staff writing. I've also heard that the hiring process is quite involved.

From what I understand, The Escapist is still pretty freelance. But I haven't heard for sure if they've mended their ways in the payment department. I can tell you they have become much more explicit in their description of what to expect, and I know Susan will do her level best for people. It might be good porfolio-fodder. I've been looking at trying it out myself. In my infinite spare time......

wordsmythe wrote:
ccesarano wrote:
wordsmythe wrote:
I know I want to get people together, to try and figure out what a collective mission/goal is, and what we want to set us apart (aside from not being just another news/reviews site). I want to be content providers. I didn't even realize it at the time, but as I was brainstorming in the car this morning I realized I want to make a site similar to The Escapist, but not quite.

Hey, if you want to help manage and encourage the writers at GWJ, I'm willing to take your help.

So I never responded to this because I was never too certain what to make of a lack-of-smiley.

No smiley because I'm serious. You may not be aware, but I attend night classes, have a full-time job, and am active in at least 2 nonprofits outside GWJ. Somewhere in there I also pretend to sleep, from time to time.

I'll send an e-mail to you when I got a bit more time. Seems like something to consider.

momgamer wrote:

From what I understand, The Escapist is still pretty freelance. But I haven't heard for sure if they've mended their ways in the payment department. I can tell you they have become much more explicit in their description of what to expect, and I know Susan will do her level best for people. It might be good porfolio-fodder. I've been looking at trying it out myself. In my infinite spare time...... ;)

I wasn't even thinking about payment, actually. I'm working full time so I'm not relying on a check from a gaming site to give me a week's worth of ramen in cash. I just want the exposure, but more than that the experience. I've held off since some of my younger efforts of pitching an article were met with "Not bad, but no room at this time for such a thing" responses, but I think it's time to become persistent. But if I pitch, I want to make sure I pitch a baseball instead of trying to pitch a football or basketball.

Or hockey stick.

Hey! Don't doubt the efficacy of a properly thrown hockey stick. Particularly a good goalie stick with a properly taped handle.

ccesarano wrote:

I've held off since some of my younger efforts of pitching an article were met with "Not bad, but no room at this time for such a thing" responses, but I think it's time to become persistent. But if I pitch, I want to make sure I pitch a baseball instead of trying to pitch a football or basketball.

Or hockey stick.

Something something something about 100% of shots you don't take never make it in the net blah blah blah.

I'll see if I can find that blog post by Kieron Gillen and his advice for freelance writers. I think that might be relevant to your interests if you haven't read it yet.

For what it's worth, I found pitching to the Escapist to be very pleasant. Susan Arendt is the features editor there and is great to work with. They'd be a great publication to start with if you're looking to get your toes wet.

shoptroll wrote:

I'll see if I can find that blog post by Kieron Gillen and his advice for freelance writers. I think that might be relevant to your interests if you haven't read it yet.

Here it is: http://gillen.cream.org/wordpress_ht.... It's a bit ranty but it's some good advice: take pride in your work and don't feel bad if you ever feel a need to get out it. Unfortunately, this wasn't the blog post I was thinking of.

But I found the article I was thinking of! So here's 12 pieces of advice from John Walker who is another founder from RPS: http://botherer.org/2012/01/11/12-ti... Hits some of the same points as the other article along with reiterating some advice that was given up-thread.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

For what it's worth, I found pitching to the Escapist to be very pleasant. Susan Arendt is the features editor there and is great to work with. They'd be a great publication to start with if you're looking to get your toes wet.

I used to love the Escapist during the 'zine years. I think I lost interest after they switched the format and started to focus more on video/news (or at least that's the perception I have).

There was also some good praise and recommendations about writing for them (and some minor tidbits about other sites) I found in a greatest hits compilation when searching for the Keiron Gillen article I was thinking of:

The Escapist was the other major organ I regularly wrote for. Basically, they were a home for the mid-length essay. If I had something which was worth 2000 words, I could normally find a home for it at the Escapist. They also had the most polite, professional proofers in games press, actually mailing back your copy with the changes they wanted to make.

And on that note, I think that's about all I can contribute here. I don't fancy myself a writer, and the last few times I've tried to pen anything they didn't go very far. But, I have massive amounts of respect for the people who write seriously about games, and especially those who can do so in a memorable way. Best of luck to you ccesarano!

So looking for feedback. I only did one draft, which is bad enough, but I'm basically pointing out that Anita's argument is small in scope and insufficient, even though I agree with it.

I'm looking to hear about all my own logical fallacies and errors.

EDIT: Okay, forget feedback.

I did get to talking to one of the developers at Tribute at PAX East (guys who made Scott Pilgrim: The Game and are working on Mercenary Kings) and we tossed about the idea of a sort of interview or Q&A over e-mail or something. Basically, I had heard some rumors about the development of Scott Pilgrim and the involvement of Ubisoft, and it seemed like it would be a good story. Developer said they don't really censor themselves so any question I ask, they'd answer.

So I'm wondering what the best way to go about this info gathering is. I don't know much more than rumors or speculation, so I was thinking of taking it one question at a time, or doing some research, jotting some questions down, but keeping them to the side so the interview could progress naturally.

Is this an acceptable form of interviewing or correspondence? I haven't done many interviews, and only one over e-mail (one was over Skype and one was in-person), so I'm not sure if there's a proper etiquette. The first time I did an interview it was a single blast of questions all in one e-mail. I feel like now it would be better to collect information over a period of time, then see what sort of story comes out of that to pitch.

Thoughts?

ccesarano wrote:

So I'm wondering what the best way to go about this info gathering is. I don't know much more than rumors or speculation, so I was thinking of taking it one question at a time, or doing some research, jotting some questions down, but keeping them to the side so the interview could progress naturally.

Is this an acceptable form of interviewing or correspondence? I haven't done many interviews, and only one over e-mail (one was over Skype and one was in-person), so I'm not sure if there's a proper etiquette. The first time I did an interview it was a single blast of questions all in one e-mail. I feel like now it would be better to collect information over a period of time, then see what sort of story comes out of that to pitch.

Thoughts?

Others may have a more definitive, authoritative answer, but if this Doctor Who book is any indication, email chains may be a bit "industry standard."

The long email exchange is the format of the book. Now Ben Cook and Russell T. Davies had a long history of journalist/subject, so there's leeway and trust there, but it seems - if nothing else - a decent model to follow.

RSPaulette wrote:
ccesarano wrote:

So I'm wondering what the best way to go about this info gathering is. I don't know much more than rumors or speculation, so I was thinking of taking it one question at a time, or doing some research, jotting some questions down, but keeping them to the side so the interview could progress naturally.

Is this an acceptable form of interviewing or correspondence? I haven't done many interviews, and only one over e-mail (one was over Skype and one was in-person), so I'm not sure if there's a proper etiquette. The first time I did an interview it was a single blast of questions all in one e-mail. I feel like now it would be better to collect information over a period of time, then see what sort of story comes out of that to pitch.

Thoughts?

Others may have a more definitive, authoritative answer, but if this Doctor Who book is any indication, email chains may be a bit "industry standard."

The long email exchange is the format of the book. Now Ben Cook and Russell T. Davies had a long history of journalist/subject, so there's leeway and trust there, but it seems - if nothing else - a decent model to follow.

The drawback to extended email chains is that a lot of people (myself included) can fall behind on emails. If you're under a deadline or dealing with an issue of timeliness, you might want to try more of a chat format (or even voice).

Google Wave?

Perhaps asking for their preference beforehand would be a good idea? "Would you like to trade e-mails over time or do a live discussion over Google Chat or Skype?"

ccesarano wrote:

So looking for feedback. I only did one draft, which is bad enough, but I'm basically pointing out that Anita's argument is small in scope and insufficient, even though I agree with it.

I'm looking to hear about all my own logical fallacies and errors.

I can't see if anyone left it as a comment, since Facebook is blocked at my work, but I think you fail to give credit for the value Anita's video does have, in that it educates about the trope as such. Any good writer should be mindful of the tropes they use and how they use them, and therefore is served by better understanding common tropes. Anita's goal is to provide better understandings of vg tropes that deal with feminist issues. She may be more looking to raise the baseline, where you want her to reach new concepts you hadn't thought as much about.

I will continue to endorse her work because it's the sort of thing about which everyone writing for or about games should be knowledgeable. And it's a good refresher for those who may have already learned.

I hadn't gotten any critiques, actually. Yours would be the first.

I did want to try and sound fair, and acknowledge that this is just one video. Most critiques I've seen of her video seem to treat this as her entire argument as opposed to a part of it. So it could be in the future I'll have to eat my own words, something I'd be glad to do.

A confession. I must admit I was disappointed that I received near universal praise from those who read this rather than anyone pointing out a flaw in my own argument. I feel like the real issue when discussing Anita Sarkeesian is that a lot of people already have their mind made up about her.

So how do you guys deal with trying to write while under stress? Lately it seems every time I develop a skip to my step there's someone there to smack me in the back of the head and say "Knock it off". As a result I've found myself escaping into television or more "passive" hobbies, but my poor blog is beginning to feel neglected. I've started to write plenty of things up recently, actually, but by time I am able to get back to them I just don't have it in me to finish.

I used to try and use the forum as a way to get in "the mood" for writing, but I've learned the two just don't coincide. Going to a forum to prepare to write an article is like going to the pub or diner and conversing with your friends in order to prepare to write a speech. Sure, you CAN practice, but going from casual to structured is just not the same. The purpose is typically different.

Sometimes it helps to read good writing. I actually avoid Quarter to Three until I feel I need to get in the mood to write, because there is just something about Tom Chick's style that seems to mentally prepare me to do more than just jot down thoughts. His method of writing is entertaining, which is what I seek.

This doesn't always work, though. So what do you guys do? What happens when you're feeling stressed or sapped of energy but need to write?

Sometimes you just need to plow through, putting words on the screen. You can make it better in editing later.

As an editor, I'd vastly prefer 1200 words that need my help than 0 words (or a 20-word email saying that there will not be any words).

I'm hoping Wordsmythe, Momgamer and other GWJ staff writers might have some words of encouragement or advice for me. I got the dreaded rejection letter last night from Elysium informing me I don't have what it takes to write for this site. I've gotten my share of rejection letters but this was a particularly hard one, especially considering I poured a lot of time into my submission and consider it one of my best efforts.

I'm really trying not to be Debbie Downer here, but I'm trying to gauge how competitive the GWJ Call for Writers is compared to getting published on other sites. Do you guys consider GWJ one of the tougher places to get on staff, or pretty much on par with say the Escapist? While I certianly hope there are easier places to break into, I recognize that this could be the case of "don't quit your day job."

I guess it will help once Sean sends feedback to see where I went wrong. I'm really hoping it was more of a case that my style didn't mesh or the final winner was just amazing. I really hope I'm not coming off as a sore loser as it was an awesome experience and I truly appreciate all the hard work The GWJ team put in. I'm just trying to figure out my next steps as a budding writer.

My first piece of advice is, just because you aren't a staff writer, don't be afraid to pitch to Wordsmyth and co. anyway. Being a guest writer is just as rewarding, and if I can get on the front page as a guest then I imagine plenty of others can as well.

The big reality of games writing, however, is that it is very competitive, and my impression is that, at this point, it's like most other competitive job markets where you're more likely to get in via connections than a straight up application. That, or you do enough successful freelance work and someone is willing to hire you on staff.

I think Escapist is also pretty competitive. I sent a pitch there a few weeks ago and haven't received a response yet. In the past I've always gotten the rejection at least, and imagine if they do not go for my idea they'll end up letting me know. But the fact that it is taking so long goes to show how much they have to shuffle through.

I know what it's like to feel Debbie Downer after being rejected in some form or another. It could be that what you want to write about may not fit GamersWithJobs but is more fitting to another site. I imagine the first step is to go out there and see if you can find sites where your voice would be harmonious with the rest of their content, then begin pitching.

EDIT: Does "Editor-in-Chief" mean something different in the games industry than it would mean anywhere else? It seems a lot of times it is used to mean "head writer" or something.

ccesarano wrote:

My first piece of advice is, just because you aren't a staff writer, don't be afraid to pitch to Wordsmyth and co. anyway. Being a guest writer is just as rewarding, and if I can get on the front page as a guest then I imagine plenty of others can as well.

The big reality of games writing, however, is that it is very competitive, and my impression is that, at this point, it's like most other competitive job markets where you're more likely to get in via connections than a straight up application. That, or you do enough successful freelance work and someone is willing to hire you on staff.

I think Escapist is also pretty competitive. I sent a pitch there a few weeks ago and haven't received a response yet. In the past I've always gotten the rejection at least, and imagine if they do not go for my idea they'll end up letting me know. But the fact that it is taking so long goes to show how much they have to shuffle through.

I know what it's like to feel Debbie Downer after being rejected in some form or another. It could be that what you want to write about may not fit GamersWithJobs but is more fitting to another site. I imagine the first step is to go out there and see if you can find sites where your voice would be harmonious with the rest of their content, then begin pitching.

Thanks Ccesarano. I'm guessing since nobody else from the GWJ staff have responded, maybe my first post came off a bit awkward and a little desperate? I didn't mean it to, but if it did my apologies.

At any rate, maybe once the competition is completely over the crew could post a few pointers for everyone who didn't make it.

I got my 'nay' from the powers that be as well. Thought I'd post my piece up here for commentary/savagery/unabashed praise:
http://tanglebones.tumblr.com/post/5...

Tanglebones wrote:

I got my 'nay' from the powers that be as well. Thought I'd post my piece up here for commentary/savagery/unabashed praise:
http://tanglebones.tumblr.com/post/5...

Sorry to hear that Tanglebones. We may be on opposite sides of the political spectrum, but I often enjoy reading your posts. Don't have time to check it out now but looking forward to checking out your story tonight.

jdzappa wrote:
Tanglebones wrote:

I got my 'nay' from the powers that be as well. Thought I'd post my piece up here for commentary/savagery/unabashed praise:
http://tanglebones.tumblr.com/post/5...

Sorry to hear that Tanglebones. We may be on opposite sides of the political spectrum, but I often enjoy reading your posts. Don't have time to check it out now but looking forward to checking out your story tonight.

Likewise, man

jdzappa wrote:

I'm hoping Wordsmythe, Momgamer and other GWJ staff writers might have some words of encouragement or advice for me. I got the dreaded rejection letter last night from Elysium informing me I don't have what it takes to write for this site. I've gotten my share of rejection letters but this was a particularly hard one, especially considering I poured a lot of time into my submission and consider it one of my best efforts.

I'm really trying not to be Debbie Downer here, but I'm trying to gauge how competitive the GWJ Call for Writers is compared to getting published on other sites. Do you guys consider GWJ one of the tougher places to get on staff, or pretty much on par with say the Escapist? While I certianly hope there are easier places to break into, I recognize that this could be the case of "don't quit your day job."

We had nearly 80 submissions. It took Sean months to slim that down to the 8 best, and I helped choose from them based on what I took as indications that the writers would be good long-term additions to the staff. No submission was perfect, but there were a lot that were quite good.

ccesarano wrote:

My first piece of advice is, just because you aren't a staff writer, don't be afraid to pitch to Wordsmyth and co. anyway.

Yeah, you can always throw stuff at me.

The big reality of games writing, however, is that it is very competitive, and my impression is that, at this point, it's like most other competitive job markets where you're more likely to get in via connections than a straight up application. That, or you do enough successful freelance work and someone is willing to hire you on staff.

Very true. It's one of the most competitive, lowest-paying jobs out there.

EDIT: Does "Editor-in-Chief" mean something different in the games industry than it would mean anywhere else? It seems a lot of times it is used to mean "head writer" or something.

It's sort of complicated. The EIC is the "face" of the organization in many respects. Lesser editors (I usually call myself "managing editor") are the ones who keep the lights on, the cats herded, and the hamsters running in their wheels. The actual breakdown of responsibilities varies.

Here's what I do here, for what it's worth: I edit, approve and schedule all the text content on the Front Page. I also handle one-off submissions and emails from writers interested in writing for us (most of the time this means telling them that we don't pay and don't allow affiliate links, and then they disappear). I also write things sometimes. Somehow, that fits in between the MA, day job, and volunteering for three organizations.

You might understand why I'm not as active in the forums (e.g., this thread) as I once was.

Wordy has the right of it. There were a LOT of submissions, many of them quite good! Please don't feel too bad, often times we're looking for a certain tone or style that isn't explicitly just a question of being a good writer or a bad one. We've rejected folks like Jeff Cannata and Rob Zacny over the years, so you're in good company. They make us look extra stupid every single day since they're out there doing great work.

I really can't recommend enough that if you're serious about games writing, having your own personal blog with consistently solid writing can go a long way to showing your passion for the subject. When we had our brief stint with the GWJ Press Pass I reached out to Justin McElroy solely because he had a backlog of writing on his own site and I could see his track record went beyond a good draft in my inbox. Not saying that was a factor in this case (Sean and Wordy have been primary on this) but it can't hurt.

jdzappa wrote:

I'm hoping Wordsmythe, Momgamer and other GWJ staff writers might have some words of encouragement or advice for me. I got the dreaded rejection letter last night from Elysium informing me I don't have what it takes to write for this site. I've gotten my share of rejection letters but this was a particularly hard one, especially considering I poured a lot of time into my submission and consider it one of my best efforts.

There's a bit of good advice from a book editor I once saw on a science fiction forum many years ago: "We don't reject writers. We reject pieces of paper with typing on them. So just go ahead and produce some more pieces of paper with typing on and we'll be happy to take a look at them."

Tanglebones wrote:

I got my 'nay' from the powers that be as well. Thought I'd post my piece up here for commentary/savagery/unabashed praise:
http://tanglebones.tumblr.com/post/5...

As an Editor of a newspaper I can tell you what I think about it, if you'd like. But I have to warn you I can be harsh. So don't click unless you can take it :).

Spoiler:

You need to vary your sentence structure more - in nearly every sentence you used a comma. In several sentences you used many, many commas. It's a bit melodramatic, like where you say you are no longer two people in solitude. It lacks action - the passive tense in which you write makes it lifeless. It reads like you made an effort to be eloquent. What I tell my writers is their articles need "teeth". They need some kind of bite that provokes some kind of reaction. The article lacks teeth.

That's not to say it's a bad piece. You just need to let go more and give it some pop, some personality.