(Original Concept Art for Shards Version 2)
Like yesterday's post, this one is more of a general mandate that I have in place rather than a discrete step in the process. I will get back to actual steps soon...
When I was throwing together some ideas for a second edition of Shards just about two years ago, I did a few quick drawings to try and get into the vibe. I was at the very end of my 'all art is going to be clean black and white silhouettes' stage. I'd done some publishing in that style, which I still like a lot. It gets to some of the simple principle that I was talking about yesterday. It's more iconic by its nature. It communicates a lot in a few simple lines and shapes. It's got a lot going for it.
But it's not Shards. I mean, it's not what I think Shards should be. It's maybe a more Dune-like game, with a darker presence that hangs over the whole thing. I still think it looks like a cool game. But, I don't know if it looks like a fun game. I'd rather work on fun games, in general.
I realize that I'm mixing some of my steps here, but the creative process isn't linear. Again, unlike what I've been teaching for a few decades (but no longer do, thank goodness), creative people don't complete an outline, then a rough draft, then a revised draft, then a final draft. They write a chapter in a few hours that is done and publication-ready in the first draft. Then they take notes for a second chapter. Then they wait ten years. Then they realize that the first chapter they wrote (which they still don't need to edit at all, because it was perfect) is actually chapter three, and those notes for chapter two were for a different book altogether, but that's okay, because now I have two books to work on! And chapter one is not actually chapter one. It's half of a short story. The other half just came to me, and once I write it, it will be done.
That said, I understand that the point is to get stuff done. I mean, at some point, you've got to actually finish things. Back to theater - I LOVE that opening night is on the schedule. On that day, this thing will be almost done. A lot of it will be locked down. I won't be able to pull the whole set apart and re-build it over the weekend. We're still going to tinker with character moments and play with pacing over the course of the run, and I might swap out your hat in Act 2 for the final two performances because the color isn't exactly right, but we're close to the end. And, when the curtain falls on the final production, it's a finished product that I can no longer return to. It's incredibly helpful to have that outside force in place.
But, throughout, I'm focused on improving the thing rather than finishing the thing. I have learned to trust that if I do a good job today when staging the fight between these two characters, and we give this scene the time and attention it needs TODAY, that will pay a dividend tomorrow because it will be a strong moment we can build upon. If I do a good job today crafting this spot art or this character design or this stat block, it's going to be a snazzy piece of the final thing, whenever that thing gets done.
That drawing at the top is two years old, but I am glad I hung on to it. I was able to use it right here! This is probably what it was meant for the whole time.
Ah, the old "outline, etc" process! Sometimes I need to do something like that, as I often get "visions" of a story's beginning/end, and the entire middle is just...blank. But this time around, I am just writing and letting it happen as I go. Glad you kept that drawing, too: it IS pretty cool-looking, as you said! :)
ReplyDeleteOutlining can have its place - all of it can have its place - but believing that you have to work in a specific order, or have to organize your process flow in a particular way - often works against progress (in my experience).
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