What You'll Get
An 8-week intensive that gives you the skills, feedback, and community to fast-track your game writing career
Industry-Tested Curriculum
We didn't just guess what game writers need to know—we asked the people who hire them.
This curriculum was built with input from game developers and studio leads who told us exactly what problems they see when writers join their teams. You know that frustrating feeling of not knowing what you don't know? We've solved that problem.
You'll learn the fundamentals that matter: how story and gameplay work together (and when they don't), how to write for different game genres, and how to collaborate with designers, programmers, and artists who think about narrative very differently than you do.
Most importantly, you'll understand how writing fits into the bigger picture of game development—because the best game writers aren't just good with words, they're good teammates who understand how their work affects everyone else's.
This isn't theory. It's the real-world knowledge that studio leads wish every writer walked in the door already knowing.
Career-Focused Training
It's tough out there right now. We know it, you know it, and we're not going to pretend otherwise.
That's exactly why this course is laser-focused on making you hireable. We're not just teaching you to be a better writer—we're teaching you to be the kind of writer studios actually want to work with.
You'll walk away with portfolio pieces that showcase the specific skills game companies are looking for. You'll learn how to talk about your work in ways that make sense to hiring managers. It will be so much easier to show your worth when you understand what they're really looking for.
We'll also give you the networking strategies that work (it's not just "meet people at conferences"), plus insider knowledge about how hiring really happens in this industry. Because knowing how to write is only half the battle—you also need to know how to get your foot in the door (or in a new door, if you're already in the industry).
The game industry is contracting right now, which means the writers who do get hired are the ones who come prepared. That's going to be you.
Weekly Writing Exercises & Personalized Feedback
When it comes to learning to write for games, you can't just read about it. You need to actually do it. That's why every week, you'll get a new writing challenge explicitly designed for game writers—the kind of work you'd actually be doing in a studio.
And, you'll get feedback. Lots and lots of feedback.
You have two options for how you'll get feedback on your work:
If you register for Main Tier: You'll be paired with fellow writers each week to review each other's exercises. This isn't just "hey, good job!" feedback—you'll learn to give and receive the kind of constructive critiques that make you a stronger writer. Plus, reviewing other people's work? That's how you really start to see what works and what doesn't.
If you register for Pro Tier: You get all of that peer feedback plus reviews from working game writers at places like Disney, Paradox, and Jam City. Each week, a different industry professional looks at your work and tells you exactly how it would function in a real game. It's like having a mentor in the industry—the kind of guidance that used to happen naturally when studios were smaller and writers learned directly from senior team members.
Every exercise you complete becomes a potential portfolio piece, and every round of feedback makes you better at both writing and collaborating—which, let's be honest, is half the job.
Your Game-Writing Community
Game writing can be a lonely pursuit. You're often the only writer at your company, or maybe you're still trying to break in and don't know anyone else who "gets it."
That used to be me. And I built The Narrative Department to solve that problem.
At TND, you'll be joining a community of writers who understand exactly what you're going through—the excitement of crafting the perfect dialogue tree, the frustration of having your beautiful cutscene cut for budget reasons, the weird joy of writing death barks for the fifteenth enemy type.
Here's what makes this community special: it doesn't end when the class does. Our alumni stay connected, sharing job opportunities, celebrating wins, and offering advice when someone's stuck on a tricky narrative problem. They meet up at industry events, collaborate on projects, and genuinely root for each other's success.
(This is a picture from one of our TND alumni picnics at GDC in San Francisco. Look at all those friendly faces!)
These aren't just your classmates—they're your future colleagues, collaborators, and friends. In an industry where who you know often matters as much as what you know, you'll be part of a network that spans studios, genres, and career levels.
Learn from an Award-Winning Game Writer
Susan O'Connor has worked on over 24 titles across every major game genre—
from first-person shooters to RPGs to action-adventure games.
Award-winning titles
20+ years of experience
Game of the Year recognition
She's taken everything learned from two decades in the industry
and distilled it into this intensive 8-week program.
This isn't just her expertise—it's her roadmap for your success.
A class for writers who love video games
