5 Tips on Writing: With Erika Reynolds
Hi, I’m Erika, a combat veteran turned author. I’ve published two books and three RPGs and am writing my first visual novel. I’ve recently taken up blogging to increase my virtual presence.
Hooking Your Audience
Being a veteran, I like to have an example to follow. I bought the scripts for season 1 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and studied the teasers. I used their pacing to create my hook.
Mastering Plot Development
Study fairytales and try to structure your story according to the same beats. For example, I wrote the Twist Tale, The Eldritch Orb, based on Hansel and Gretel. I followed the action of the original tale but made it more dystopian.
Effective World-Building Strategies
For me, world-building depends on the type of story I’m writing. If I write a dystopian story, I immediately think of Blade Runner. I’ll go to Pinterest and search for Bladerunner, Cyber Punk, and Dystopian pins to get a clearer picture of the world I’m trying to create. I fine-tune the images with words and make them my own.
Techniques for Character Development
I do a character sheet before I even begin writing my story. I have to know who this person is inside and out. What are their hobbies, political stances, and religious affiliations? What are their strengths, weaknesses, fatal flaws, etc? You can find character templates on Pinterest. Understanding the character’s psychology helps to know how to develop them after introducing the problem. I know who they are before the problem, how they’ll react to it, and how they respond after the issue is resolved.
Crafting Meaningful Decisions
I like having a mystical element to my stories. I use Tarot cards to help create meaningful choices. I shuffle my deck, pull a card, and research its meaning. I try to incorporate the “negative” aspects of the card to integrate conflict for my character to respond to. You don’t necessarily have to have a deck to do this. You can just Google “single tarot pull” and go from there.
What are your strengths in writing and narrative design?
My organizational skills are my greatest strengths in writing and narrative design. I take the time to delve into the world, characters, and to write an extensive outline. I use templates to help me expedite and standardize the process. Plotting the story out can be a grind. But it is necessary to have a solid foundation before moving forward.
Which games or stories have you worked on?
My first game is a sci-fi text-based game called Mother’s Little Helper. You play Melanie, a wealthy woman who married a “regular” guy for love but lacks domestic skills. You are frustrated and overwhelmed when one of your gal pals saves the day by providing you a clone of your childhood maid, Ethel. Is she the answer to your problems? Or is she responsible for more domestic chaos?
Then I found a community with Twist Tales and wrote The Eldritch Orb. In this game, Addy and Cynth must rush home from their factory jobs to avoid deadly Ursawraiths and the anger of their guardians. On their way, they discover the Eldritch Orb, which grants them mysterious abilities. Amidst the danger, they must unravel the mystery of their vanishing fellow wards. Will they make it home in time, or will the night consume them?
I wrote a solo-RPG called Noble Without a Soul. It was illustrated by my friend Mone Jimenez. Noble Without a Soul is a solo journaling RPG. You play a noble who loses their soul in a card game to a mysterious hooded stranger and must travel through various landscapes to get it back. NWOAS game offers a rich storytelling experience with replay ability and personal discovery.
Exploring Favorites
My favorite story is Matilda by Roald Dahl. I love that Dahl understands that parents can be antagonists. Matilda’s horror was her home, and she escaped hell by reading. She was so brilliant that she could carve out the life she wanted for herself. There’s so much value to this story. Matilda never gave up. She did her research, and she got even.
A Wish for Interactive Audio Stories
I want an interactive audio story for The Witch’s House. It’s a horror RPG in which most action is based on solving puzzles. The main character, Viola, wakes up in the woods and finds a note telling her to go into the Witch’s house. She’s dazed and determined to find out what happened. Fortunately, she has a talking cat to guide her.
It would be neat to add choices to her interactions with the cat and other characters in the house. There would be endless possibilities for side quests.
I’d play the hell out of that game!
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