Consulting Sessions
One of the hardships of working in video games is that, often times, "general" information isn't helpful. What we make is so specific, so individual, most advice doesn't apply across the board.
As an example, you wouldn't pace the story of a 60+ hour JRPG the same as you would pace the story of a 2 hour indie platformer. And your dialogue wouldn't work the same in both a bullet-hell shooter and an endless runner. And you'd need a different story structure depending on your platform - you don't always have room for a lot of dialogue if you're working on a mobile device.
The point is that sometimes you need advice and information that's specific to you and the game you're making. And that doesn't necessarily mean that you need a full time writer, you might just need a little bit of special attention.
So, in the spirit of that, about half of my work as an educator happens in individual consulting sessions. The idea is that, a couple of days beforehand, you send me any documents, prototypes, and questions that you'd like me to take a look at. I prepare a few recommendations on my own time, and then we sit down, either in person or via video chat, and talk about strategies that could make your game more fun and story more compelling. I do two different types of sessions:
As an example, you wouldn't pace the story of a 60+ hour JRPG the same as you would pace the story of a 2 hour indie platformer. And your dialogue wouldn't work the same in both a bullet-hell shooter and an endless runner. And you'd need a different story structure depending on your platform - you don't always have room for a lot of dialogue if you're working on a mobile device.
The point is that sometimes you need advice and information that's specific to you and the game you're making. And that doesn't necessarily mean that you need a full time writer, you might just need a little bit of special attention.
So, in the spirit of that, about half of my work as an educator happens in individual consulting sessions. The idea is that, a couple of days beforehand, you send me any documents, prototypes, and questions that you'd like me to take a look at. I prepare a few recommendations on my own time, and then we sit down, either in person or via video chat, and talk about strategies that could make your game more fun and story more compelling. I do two different types of sessions:
1 Hour Session - $125
This is a good fit if you're just looking for some advice - you have a problem that you need solved, or you don't know what you should do next. If your goal with the session is just to have your questions answered, then an hour is generally more than enough.
4 Hour Session - $325
This is a better fit if you're looking to actually make something with me. Maybe you're looking to come up with a solid plot outline, or you want to flesh out your characters a bit. Maybe you have the gameplay conceptualized, but you're struggling to get solid characters that go with it. Either way, you're looking to get something built. More often than not, you're going to want a four hour session so we have time to buckle down and talk through the merits of multiple different approaches.
Long Term Consulting
An individual session or two is enough for most people, but I can also stick around and consult with you for a longer period. My rates differ depending on how long you want me to stick around and how much time you need from me every day, but don't be afraid to approach me so we can talk about it.