AMANDA LYNN

Lil Bits (of writing)

It can be frustrating to put together a public portfolio as a game dev, even if you’ve been in the industry for decades — NDAs often prevent sharing any work produced for hire, even as portfolio pieces. And that’s not mentioning the problem of how often folks are left out of game credits (if your game has credits at all, which is not the case with many live games).

So, to spruce up Ye Olde Portfolioe, I decided to add a section of creative writing bits that I've authored in response to 30-minute writing prompts.

This is a practice I do at least weekly, if not more often. I've also instilled this practice among every writing team I've led, as it's a super helpful way to flex creative muscles and escape ruts.

@MagicRealismBot is one of my go-tos for prompts, so you’ll find rather a lot of that in these samples.

It might seem counterintuitive to the goal of a portfolio for me to present you with writing that a) was done quickly and with zero preparation, b) is unedited, and c) is likely incomplete, stopped by the bell of the 30-minute timer.

But hear me out. This work showcases:

• …what you get out of me when I’m given a prompt and 30 minutes of uninterrupted writing time.
• …what I can do on my feet given little notice — and how many times have you asked your narrative development partner for “just a quick _____”?
• …my ability to generate ideas and worldbuild on the fly.
• …my ability to create compelling connections to characters in just a few moments of meeting them.
• …my flexibility with genre, style, and voice.
• …my raw output — something my peers have lauded, insofar as how easy I am to edit.

Is it the best work I’ve ever done? Highly likely not. But it’s demonstrable of the best things about working with me, and that, I think, is what makes for impactful portfolio pieces.

Read on (you crazy diamond) 👇