WRITING INTERACTIVE ACADEMY
WORKSHOP
Want to create your own interactive story game? Whether you’re an aspiring writer or an experienced developer, this 11 week+ writing masterclass will help elevate your craft, forge new philosophies, and generate a brand new prototype of your own devising.
Regular one-to-one feedback; tutor-led peer playthrough workshops; lifetime access to article/guide archive; experts and guest speakers; tailor-made exercises; industry introductions; and, for qualifying students, a LinkedIn-integrated graduation certificate…
This page contains the Application Form; an in-depth visual explanation of the workshop’s three phases; and reflections from some previous students from multiple writing backgrounds.
PHASE 1: APPLICATION PROCESS
The initial application form + steps you’ll take to join the workshop, including the selective criteria for who gets offered a place.
PHASE 2: ONE-TO-ONE TRAINING
Beginning straight after sign-up, this phase involves working with the tutor on a variety of exercises, prompts, discussions, and potential paradigm shifts in whatever schedule the student is able to follow until the next 11 week Group Workshop slot arrives. This phase aims not only to prepare your project pitch, but work on in-depth narrative skill analysis and development outside of the stress of full-on writing.
PHASE 3: GROUP WORKSHOP
This is it! For 11 weeks (+ a mid-phase break), work on producing your polished game prototype to the best of your ability, continuing that one-to-one interaction with the tutor but now adding in group video workshops where everyone plays everyone else’s games — live! And at the end of it all — the industry showcase + potential graduation certificates await!
Below you’ll find an in-depth visual explanation of each phase,
plus the initial application form to begin this selective process. Good luck!
The workshop creator and lead tutor, Dr. Greg Buchanan, was Senior Narrative Designer and writer for BAFTA-award winning games such as NO MAN’S SKY. He has worked for over 20+ studios across AAA and indie from Activision to Supermassive to small experimental projects in-between. Greg is also a TTRPG creator for DARK SOULS and several unannounced projects. He is a veteran academic/teacher, having led multiple game writing workshops over the past two years. Born in 1989, he studied English at the University of Cambridge and completed a PhD at King’s College London in identification and ethics (looking at the nature of choice in novels/games). Greg is also a bestselling author of crime fiction and a volunteer socializer with Cats Protection.
Initial Application Form
Complete this short form to begin the process of applying for the Writing Interactive Academy workshop — after submitting this, you will receive a workshop test via email. For further information about how this phase works and what we are looking for, please familiarise yourself with ‘Phase One’ above
Course Tuition Fee/Cost: £1250GBP + VAT (Due at enrolment)
(adjusted to local currency via Stripe payment platform)
The course is suitable for all backgrounds and experience levels:
ASPIRING WRITER WANTING A PAID GAMES INDUSTRY CAREER?
ALREADY A GAME DEVELOPER OR GAME WRITER?
ARE YOU A LINEAR WRITER?
THE COURSE IS FOR EVERYONE
PHASE 2: ONE-TO-ONE TRAINING
The workshop process starts on acceptance — you will join a one-to-one private Discord messaging channel where Dr. Greg Buchanan will lead you through a number of exercises designed to expand your philosophy of game writing; develop and extend your skills in writing and interactivity; and plan your project before the group portion begins.
The timings for this phase are flexible according to your availability, and multiple exercises can be completed and/or revisited during Phase 3 also.
WHAT PHASE 2 DOES NOT REQUIRE:
You don’t need to extensively pre-determine all aspects of your plot, mechanics, structure, project, pitch etc — in many ways, this can be counter-productive in this type of environment. Instead, this phase is about learning and testing that learning through real potential applications in your writing.
WHAT STUDENTS SHOULD AIM FOR IF POSSIBLE:
A mini-prototype of a short sequence of your game (2-5 sets of choices), demonstrating not only the core plot idea/ experience/ protagonist, but also a potential style and scope for your larger work. This will build on initial exercises, allow you to test your skills so far, and see if this really is the kind of game you want to make.
PHASE 3: LIVE GROUP WORKSHOPS
Your one-to-one channel continues, but now you have a class size of between 5-15 students alongside you, meeting together weekly and commenting on each other's work with mutual support and valuable insights as you work on your own prototype game along the way. By offering other students feedback on their work, you will improve and develop your own writing skills and ideas in the process!
3A: THE OPENING GAMBIT
PITCH YOUR IDEA
3B: THE SPRINT
MFA-STYLE GROUP WORKSHOP
3C: THE FINALE
INDUSTRY SHOWCASE
& GRADUATION
TESTIMONIALS & NOTES ON SOME PAST PROJECTS
“This is the sort of structure that interactive narrative is crying out for. Access to honest, gentle, professional feedback in a medium where it can be hard to find is a blessing.”
- Thomas Davies
(Whispers in the West)
“Finally a workshop for interactive narratives! Greg’s guidance and the support of fellow students make this an invaluable experience for anyone interested in writing for interactive mediums.”
- Nathan Vokal
(Infinity Ward)
“I think the biggest thing this workshop did for me however is help with confidence. Every workshop session where I was given feedback was never "don't do that, do this", but rather "you're on the right track, but try adding this". I joined this workshop mostly to force myself to write, and came out of it a stronger writer, but also a more confident writer.”
- Ren Perry
"There's no substitute for having other people read and critique your work, and doing so in the safe and encouraging environment that Greg provides has been genuinely career-changing."
- Kate Gray
(Goodbye Volcano High,
Winding Worlds)
A game about a mythical monster (Thomas McGuiness)
My early talks with Greg were about finding potential moments for choice and interactivity. I remember experimenting wildly with in-line choices, sequencing links, cycling links, and all sorts of wonderful Twine magic whole trying to get a sense of what each tool could do for me and my story. Some of these experiments definitely worked better than others, and the workshop environment was incredibly helpful in figuring out which was which. It also pushed me to level up my technical skills as well since seeing my fellow workshoppers on zoom create amazing moments with timed text and sounds in Twine pushed me to do the same!
The feedback I received from my fellow workshoppers was also instrumental in the development of my game. After writing a heart racing chase scene in the Minotaur’s labyrinth, struggling not to overwhelm players with too many “turn lefts” and “turn rights”, I remember one workshopper asking why they couldn’t just stay still or hide and being astounded that I hadn’t even considered the option! A workshopper mentioning how they would have loved to have had the choice to sing along to a lullaby their character was remembering lead to one of my favourite moments of my demo in which the lyrics of the song echo and distort on the screen! Learning how to best word choices, incorporate the “reality effect”, and pace out my narrative were all helpful lessons learned throughout the workshopping process. All of this led to the creation of a game demo that I was immensely proud to show off in our final showcase!
A game about a monster in your house (Nathan Moore)
After inheriting your childhood house from your dead father, you find yourself revisiting happy memories and old wounds while packing your parent’s lives away into boxes. Your trip down memory lane is interrupted by a deranged killer breaking into the house and trying to murder you. Using chance and quick decisions you must survive the night and get out of the house by any means necessary, but what will your decisions lead you to? What earth shattering secrets will you uncover? What ungodly creatures will you come across?
Clive Barker’s Cabal meets Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
The course was a wonderful introduction to the process of writing games, with guest speakers who gave incredible insights into specific softwares like Ink and Twine. The class was a mix of all different types of people at different levels of the profession. The group dynamic was great and the friendships formed, I think, will last a lifetime.
Greg’s constant support and advice was invaluable -- his prompt honest feedback encouraged me to improve the project and helped me stay on track.
How I created this course
The idea of rotating stories and giving feedback on multiple writers’ work at various intervals is nothing new — this ‘MFA’ style format has a long history in other fields, particularly novels and screenwriting. And it was after completing such courses that I wondered to myself — why didn’t the format exist for game writing?
I saw a space for a workshop that's more about honing your craft and producing your own work than getting jobs. Yet — despite having a similar creative focus — the prose novel MFA-style course I took in 2017 led to huge career benefits for me, including multiple books, over a dozen translations worldwide, and a television series now on the way from the studio behind Hannibal and Narcos.
Turns out that taking writing seriously in an environment of experts, mutually dedicated other writers, and deadlines was a pretty useful thing — and with it, opportunities to actually get this stuff out into the world with introductions to agents and visiting industry folk who would see our work. I’ve tried to replicate these advantages here with the industry showcase, graduate certificate, and other opportunities throughout the course.
Ever since this workshop began in 2022, the format has undergone constant refinement, notably with the addition of PHASE 2 and the increased emphasis on tailor-made writing prompts to help target skills improvement outside of class. Very few MFA-type workshops offer this level of intensive one-to-one tutor support — a facility you don’t have to use every week, but which is there to support you if you need it.
And if you join us and find there’s something useful that the workshop doesn’t currently provide? Let us know: it fits the overall needs of the process and your fellow students? We’ll do our best to provide!