Dear Ken, I think it's about time that I wrote to you.
It is obvious your attention is in high demand (and rightly so) and as a result I couldn't hunt down an email address that reaches you. But I did find a proper address that might.
(If you are reading this letter and you are not Ken, please find Ken, give it to him, and tell him it's very important. If you're not convinced it's important, do me this one favor and just say so anyway. I'll owe you one.)
Last year you wrote an article talking about how to get into making games. I read it right around the time I was looking at my favorite games and the people who make them and trying to figure out how I get from playing to making.
5) If you’ve never done creative work on your own time, nobody is going to hire you to do creative work for them. Get writing, drawing, coding NOW.
I took this seriously. To be completely honest, I've been taking this seriously for awhile as it's the rough lesson I had to learn to get my first writing job, in advertising. If you'll permit me, I'll back up a bit, since it seems we both agree that this bit is important.
When I was a kid I started writing stories for school. Then I started writing stories on my own, for fun. No, not for fun. Because I couldn't help it. And I’ve written a lot of stuff since then.
I’ve written, produced, and directed two satirical plays about superheroes.
I’ve written, produced, and premiered a movie musical called "Life is Not a Musical: The Musical."
I’ve written TV advertisements for big companies like Apple, Netflix, and Stella Artois.
(This work requires a password. It's whistletaptap.)
I’ve written advertisements that won awards (ad awards, but hey, it’s not nothing.)
I’ve written short stories about first dates and short stories about scientists.
I’ve written a science fiction pilot TV episode about how humans got kicked off Earth.
I’m writing a long story about a girl searching for her father in another galaxy.
I’ve written a pitch for a cold war era VR spy game about seeing things from someone else’s perspective.
I’ve written love letters, cover letters, letters to New York, and letters to death.
I’ve never written a letter like this. But this is a unique situation for me. Video games have had an unshakable death grip on my attention since birth and you're the guy who makes the best of them.
So that’s why we’re here, writing/reading a dramatic and naively passionate letter about writing and and wanting to make video games. I figure I should show you that I take stories seriously and I'm willing to work hard on their behalf.
I figured I should admit that when it comes to doing what you do, I'm a blank slate, which is the nicest way of saying I have no idea what I'm talking about.
I figured if I’m gonna take a run at this thing I should start by trying to learn from the best.
Hi Ken, my name is Zane Miller. I’m a writer who wants to make games.