thumbnail image
The Narrative Department
  • Home
  • About
  • How We Help Studios
  • How We Help Writers
  • Interviews
  • Blog
The Narrative Department
  • Players want great stories...
    stories they can play

    Discover the ins-and-outs of game writing,
    from a best-selling, award-winning game writer

    Press Start
  • Want to ship your best work yet?

    Let's make it happen.

    I help writers, studios and publishers create stories that win awards, break sales records, and keep players coming back for more.

  • Career Stats

    30 million

    games sold

    24

    titles shipped

    $ 500 million

    in sales

  • Leah Hoyer

    "The lady knows her stuff"

    "And she's so generous with her knowledge, it's ridiculous. If you want to get better at telling stories that really connect with your audience, listen to what she has to say."

     

    Leah Hoyer, GM & VP of Creative, New IP Studio at Wizards of the Coast; formerly VP of Creative, Telltale Games

    Lucas Loredo

    "So glad I took her class"

    "The amount I’ve learned from Susan about interactive writing is staggering. Her incredible good humor only adds to the cocktail that makes her one of the best writing instructors I’ve ever had."

     

    Lucas Loredo, Narrative Designer, Wolfeye Games

    Stephen McManus

    "Amazing writer"

    "Susan is an amazing writer who's able to challenge the tired cliches of video game narrative while still accommodating the demands of gameplay. Her style is sharp and creative. She's got great instincts for genre and character motivation. Working with her was a great privilege."

     

    Stephen McManus, Senior Experience Designer, ILMxLAB

    Kavita Appachu

    "Master storyteller"

    "Susan is truly a master storyteller. She makes learning & working with her fun. I find myself applying everything I learned from her almost every day."
     

    Kavita Appachu, Consultant & Experience Designer

    John Stafford

    "Destroyer of work (but in a good way)"

    "Susan is a true mentor and master structuralist who taught me the painful lesson of destroying my work to make it better. I often hear her voice in my head when I’m preparing to cut a character or break some story bones. “There’s no crying in baseball, son.” Ain’t that the truth."

     

    John Stafford, Narrative Director, Crystal Dynamics

    Greg Lanier

    "She has a gift for connecting the dots"

    "Susan has one of the fastest brains in the business. She has a gift for connecting the dots and bringing big ideas to life. She has helped me get to the emotional heart of the matter in my work more than I can say. She's a gem!"

     

    Greg Lanier, VP, Strategic Communications at University of Chicago

  • Portfolio

    For years, I worked in the trenches as a game writer.
    I've contributed to 24 projects, including these franchises:

    Tomb Raider

    Tomb Raider

    Crystal Dynamics

    Nominee, Outstanding Achievement in Story, AIAS

    Nominee, Best Narrative, GDC

    Over 8 million copies sold worldwide

    Far Cry 2

    Far Cry 2

    Ubisoft Montreal

    Nominee, Best Writing, GDC

    Nominee, Game of the Year, AIAS

    BioShock

    BioShock

    2K Games

    Winner, Game of the Year, AIAS

    Winner, Best Writing, GDC

    Over 4 million units sold

    Launched a franchise

  • Hi, I'm Susan

    Susan O'Connor

    For over 15 years, I’ve been writing scripts for award-winning, multi-million-dollar franchises.

     

    Now I'm taking everything I've learned and sharing that knowledge with studios, publishers, and people like you.

  • Clients

    Monolith Productions
    Crystal Dynamics
    XBox
    EA
    Ubisoft
    2K Games
    WB Games
    Telltale Games
    LucasArts
    Epic Games
    Relic Games
    Netflix
  • SXSW speaker
    Game Developers Conference speaker
    University of Texas at Austin lecturer
    TEDx speaker
    Austin Film Festival speaker
  • Contact

    Send

Copyright 2022

Terms & Conditions
Privacy Policy
    Home
    Contact
    Posts
Cookie Use
We use cookies to ensure a smooth browsing experience. By continuing we assume you accept the use of cookies.
Learn More