This week, I’m teaching an awesome generative workshop class at VCFA residency (the MFA I teach at). It’s called “Inspired by Play” and it’s all about using games to write fiction. Games, gamification, and brainstorming toys/tools that I’ve spoken of often, like The Story Engine decks.
Because I think it’s helpful to have an example for the class and because it’ll probably be helpful for all of you, I wanted to place the first chapter of Codename: Monster Slayer (the first draft as it stands now) and the play that led to it.
As I’ve mentioned before, it’s inspired from play with the Ironsworn deck, though I have also incorporated some creature cards and the like from the Story Engine Lore deck.
In the notebook page below, I started with the general idea that I wanted a prologue of sorts, a chance for us to get to know the main character before she hits the shit hitting the fan. Not really a prologue, honestly, but then, I’m not a prologue skipper. (Text below, including some from the next page.)