Review of "Interactive Writer's Handbook" by Wimberley/Samsel
Gareth Rees
"Interactive Writer's Handbook" by Darryl Wimberley and Jon Samsel
Carronade Group, 1995.
ISBN 1-885452-03-9
$39.95
This book purports to be three things. First, a writing tutorial giving
instruction on writing for multimedia projects. Second, a description
of the current state of the multimedia publishing industry. Third, a
collection of interviews with professionals working in multimedia.
It does none of these well. It isn't a survey of the multimedia
industry: it names a few companies and a few games, but fails to
describe what these companies do or what the games are like (for
example, there are no screen shots).
As a writing handbook, it spouts the standard creative-writing-school
line about showing versus telling, about three-act structure, about
characterisation through action and dialogue. Very little effort is
made to point out how writing for multimedia differs from writing for
film. The main example piece of writing is an ordinary screenplay. The
discussion of character says nothing about the considerable difficulties
of making engaging and realistic characters when the reader's
interactions with them may happen in uncontrolled order, or when the
dictates of playability force them to behave in unrealistic ways. The
discussion of plot talks briefly about branching structure but makes no
effort to suggest ways of overcoming the exponential increase of
story-lines; it eventually comes back to suggesting that the best plan
is a linear structure where choices aren't choices but just bring the
player back to the main story again.
The interviews are best. They do give a flavour of how the multimedia
industry is trying to turn itself from a bunch games and software
companies into an entertainment industry capable of competing with film,
television and print.
This book clearly has neither been copy-edited or proofread. The prose
style is poor, there are typographical and grammatical errors on most
pages, and there are some really dreadful howlers. The book's most
laughable section is when the writers try to pretend that they are
literate, and invoke Shakespeare as an exemplar in a discussion of
characterisation:
Read Mac Beth. Poor Mac's just back from a furious battle and
already his Lady is planting the seeds of ambition which (at the
play's First Major Reversal) sees Mac Beth kill his Uncle at prayer.
How about Hamlet? The Prince is called on-stage to encounter a
ghost. The Greeks really knew how to kick things off!
[about Romeo and Juliet] Start with the play's First scenes. Romeo
isn't introduced as a lover here. Romeo's family name, Capulet, is
defiled by Old Montague [...] Juliet's father, the head of the
Montague clan [...] At the beginning of Shakespeare's play, for
instance, Romeo isn't in love with anyone.
Maybe "Interactive Writer's Handbook" is just a joke. But at $39.95 it
isn't very funny.
--
Gareth Rees