writing samples
Dialogue
VOICEOVER: Outer Worlds DLC sample reel
Selected lines from characters whose profiles and branching dialogues I created for the two Outer Worlds DLCs, Peril on Gorgon and Murder on Eridanos.
BRANCHING DIALOGUE: Gossan (zero-g coach)
An optional conversation between the player and Gossan, the spaceflight coach and head of safety at Outer Wilds Ventures, that occurs before liftoff from the player’s home planet on their first solo journey.
Outer Wilds
BRANCHING DIALOGUE: Sedrick Kincannon
Both a charismatic crime boss and a successful corporate executive, Sedrick is the head of SubLight Underground (SLUG) and runs the Piraeus Spaceport on Eridanos as smoothly as he runs his smuggling operation. His unsavory side makes him a prime suspect in the murder of Halcyon Helen, a popular serial star, and the player has been tasked with acquiring his alibi.
The Outer Worlds: Murder on Eridanos
FOUND TEXT AND EXAMINABLES
JOURNAL: Riebeck
Some of the astronauts in Outer Wilds leave behind journals (framed as audio recordings) that aid the player in their exploration of the solar system. This journal from astronaut and anthropologist Riebeck helps the player navigate Brittle Hollow, the planet Riebeck is exploring in pursuit of answers to an ancient alien civilization called the Nomai.
Outer Wilds
FLAVOR TEXT: Museum plaques
Text from the various plaques in the museum that briefly convey an event or key information about the accompanying item.
Outer Wilds
FOUND TEXT: The Nomai
I wrote Outer Wilds’ in-game text to fulfill highly specific design needs and support nonlinear narrative progression. Every piece of found text
communicates a clue,
sets up an important piece of world lore or rules, and
builds on themes, story arcs, and characterization.
By finding these pieces of text and following their clues, the player can uncover the mysteries of the cosmos and piece together the story of the Nomai, the ancient aliens who lived in the solar system long before the player’s species.
I developed a nonlinear style of branching dialogue as part of the Nomai’s unique voice, then worked with the creative director and lead designer to create a translator tool that the player uses to interact with found text in 3-D space. Not only was this more fun for players, it also increased information retention. (See video for an example of how the translator tool is used in-game to interact with found Nomai text.)
DESIGN DOCUMENTS
CHARACTER PROFILE: Rook Vandless
I wrote this character profile for a hero in a hypothetical battle royale game. The visual prompt was an image of a young woman in a jumpsuit posed back-to-back with a robot, and the requested tone was a cross between Guardians of the Galaxy and The Office.
SCREENPLAYS
CINEMATIC SCRIPT: Bike chase
This script is for a dystopian cyberpunk quest set in a post-apocalyptic version of Japan. It includes an action scene from roughly the middle of the quest and a subsequent scene where the quest is wrapped up. (8 pages.)
CINEMATIC SCRIPT: Resurrection machine
I wrote this script based on a brief sci-fi prompt to demonstrate my screenwriting capabilities. (5 pages.)
Looking for something specific?
If you’d like to see work that demonstrates a particular skill, voice, or genre and can’t find it here — or if you’d simply like to see more of what I’ve written — please don’t hesitate to let me know!