Thread by @WritNelson

Okay, confession time--I'm the 'wrong' person in this meme!

I meticulously outline plots, campaigns, and character relationships (among other things) long before I build them. It hasn't just made my writing better - it's saved my butt.
#NelsonGameOutline

https://twitter.com/WritNelson/status/1026581789513592832

There's a lot of ways to outline narrative THINGS. However, while looking for better ways to plan, present, and structure my work, I came up with a flexible format that has--again--saved my butt more than once, and my clients love.

Today, I'm sharing it!
#NelsonGameOutline

Is this a financially or professionally sound decision?

I don't know!

I'm trying not to think about it!!
#NelsonGameOutline

I *do* know it's one of the primary things I wish I had when I was starting out as a professional dev, so:

1) I'm going to walk you through the format, and why it works.
2) Then, I'm going to provide a spreadsheet you can copy/modify for your own projects.
#NelsonGameOutline

You'll be able to see one of the most critical portions of my workflow

in crippling

excruciating

detail
#NelsonGameOutline

I'll get the "check my SoundCloud" stuff out of the way--I have a Patreon that basically funds Twitter things like this, and a PayPal link I can provide upon request.
Yadda yadda yadda.
I hope you get something out of this.

Let's begin.
#NelsonGameOutline
patreon.com/XalavierMakesW…

BEHOLD: THE SPREADSHEET

Cornerstone of the game developer's toolkit for very good reasons, among them the fact that it makes us feel like we have some control over the endless void of existence.

With a good outline, that desperate dream almost comes true.
#NelsonGameOutline

There's a few things you need in an outline. You want to know:

1) What you're making
2) When you're making it
3) Why you're making it this particular way
5) How expensive the thing you're making is (i.e. scope)
6) Potential problems with the thing, before it's built

There are other things that are nice to know, such as whether the Thing is good, but the list above covers most of the bases.
#NelsonGameOutline

The spreadsheet is first separated into Phases (read: days, acts, etc.), and Scenes.

Phases are the major chunks of the work--if most of the events in your work occur in one Phase, the story is likely unbalanced.
#NelsonGameOutline

Scenes, on the other hand, are the stages across which the events of your work play out.

Each Scene has a Beginning, Middle, and End. This is to ensure that every Scene created is communicating *something* substantial, and vital to the whole.
#NelsonGameOutline

Once inside a Scene, we define the overall narrative Content it will contain.

What's happening? Is it interesting? Does it play a vital part in our story, or are the events described actually tangential to the meat of the tale we're trying to tell?
#NelsonGameOutline

Then, we define the Purpose of the Content.

*Why* are the things described happening? How will these events be executed? To what end?

Now that we have a concrete piece of story, we're justifying it to ourselves, and those who will read the outline.
#NelsonGameOutline

(Yes the text shown is hurriedly-written over the top nonsense so I can take screenshots for the Twitter thread because everything else I've used it for is under NDA, why do you ask?)

Once we know what we want to make, why we're making it, and why we're making it *this way*, we break down how we plan to realize the overall effect and story portion described in detail.

Beginning, Middle, and End.
#NelsonGameOutline

Everything to the right of the Phase, Scene, Content, and Purpose columns, changes to suit the project.

If you're writing a linear story, length goals may be important to note, but major choices made by the player character may not--salt to taste.
#NelsonGameOutline

One thing I do want to point out as important to keep, regardless of project, is the Area of Focus column.

Essentially--what portion of THIS chunk of the work is most important, and draining on your budget (in terms of time, visuals, effort, iteration, etc.).
#NelsonGameOutline

If you invest a lot of effort into the End of Scene 1 of Phase 3, when your Focus (and budget drain) will come from the End of Scene 2, you've either underestimated Scene 1's importance, made a planning mistake, or aren't allocating your resources correctly.
#NelsonGameOutline

In conclusion - OUTLINING THINGS IS HARD, but focusing on the structure of your work before it's built, in as much detail as you can, will save you heartache and brainpower down the line.

It also makes you look very busy/professional, which is nice.
#NelsonGameOutline

Here's the link:
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…

Take the #NelsonGameOutline, modify and use it however you need (as long as you don't sell it or something), and let me know if *any* of these words helped.

There's your peek behind the curtain.
Thanks for reading, and good luck!

Oh, one last ending note from personal experience:
Don't make a game about an anime blacksmith inspired by the forces of Hell to the damnation of themselves and anyone who comes into contact with their weeby wares.

The road is long, and leads nowhere.
#NelsonGameOutline

A last, last note:
This is just one of the tools I use, and it comes later in the process, after a number of key elements are analyzed and finalized.

Outlining stories in a vacuum doesn't work well - particularly in a medium that requires you to be as flexible as games does!