I write when I’m inspired, and I see to it that I’m inspired at nine o’clock every morning.
—Peter De Vries
This book is designed to be useful to three main categories of readers:
1. The student or amateur who wants to break into one or more of these fields.
2. The writing professional working in another field who wants to move into one of these fields (for example, the TV writer who wants to write games, or the book writer who wants to write animation).
3. The nonwriter professional who works in a related area of these fields and wants to move into writing (for example, an animator who wants to turn scriptwriter, or a game tester who wants to write game stories).
Think of this as your nuts-and-bolts manual for what a writer needs to know to create scripts for animation, comics, or games so that they’re in the right format and follow the right rules. This book is totally writer-centric, not an all-inclusive guide to related areas such as art or programming.
It is about the craft of writing, the practical rules, guidelines, tips, and tricks that will prepare you to approach these fields on a professional level of competency.
What this book will not do is teach you how to write. I’m assuming that you know your basic three-act structure; that you know how to create a character with motivations, needs, and desires; that you know how to type, spell, and use correct grammar. If you don’t know these things, close this book and turn your attention to learning the fundamentals of writing. Find your voice. Practice your art. When you’ve done that, you’re ready for the craft guidance you’ll find here.