I was recently asked for examples of my writing to showcase my style and also, I suppose, my grasp of the language. This got me thinking — what have I written throughout my life, even when writing wasn’t something I needed to succeed?
Childhood
When I was a child, I loved writing fictional stories (many a Harry Potter fan fiction were forced upon family members) and the delicacy of creating love poems — two of which were published and now sit in pride of place on my mum’s bookshelf. So I think, although writing has never been required of me, it has always been a part of me and the love I have of shaping a narrative with impact – finding the right rhythm, the right tone, the right turn of phrase that makes something click.
That early love for storytelling never really left. These days, I channel it in many forms — from this very blog to strategic documents, style guides, and game scripts. Writing has threaded its way through every chapter of my career, often without me even realising it.
Blogging and Idea Sharing
I think first and foremost, I have to include this blog. It’s become a space where I can share ideas, reflections, and things I find interesting (mostly my journey with games), while hopefully helping others who might be walking a similar path. If what I’ve learned along the way helps even one person — then it’s all been worth it.
Creating a Brand from the Ground Up
One of my proudest writing challenges was creating an entire brand for a digital course suite including taglines that aligned with the company’s overarching identity. This meant understanding the products (which was easy, since I was also building them!), the audience we were speaking to, and the company’s established voice.
It became a careful balancing act, finding the right tone so it felt like a complementary part of the wider brand journey, rather than something that left them feeling like they’d left the station and boarded the wrong train.
Writing for Games and Interactive Experiences
Another creative challenge I’ve thoroughly enjoyed has been writing story arcs and scripts for games. My role in this space has grown significantly in recent years, and I’ve found it deeply rewarding.
As a key contributor to the concept, story arc, and dialogue for our “AI” character in FutureSCAPE, I had to fully understand both the game’s learning goals and its players. It wasn’t just about writing engaging dialogue, it was about designing a voice that could teach, challenge, and connect with the player at just the right moments.
It was both creative and strategic — the kind of writing I find most fulfilling.
Writing the Rules (Literally)
Then there’s writing the game rules themselves. These range from child-friendly versions that use simple, encouraging language, through to executive-level versions that demand clarity without oversimplifying.
Writing for such different audiences has taught me how to adapt my tone while keeping people engaged – whether they’re ten years old or ten years into a leadership career.
It’s also forced me to zoom out from my own deep understanding of a game and view it through fresh eyes — translating complexity into something clear, welcoming, and intuitive.
Style Guides, Manuals, and Briefs
I’ve written detailed style guides for both our digital course suites and FutureSCAPE, covering everything from font sizes and colour use to how much Gaussian blur to add to a studio green screen background.
I’ve also written creative, project, and strategy briefs to help a growing team transition into an Agile workflow, staying on top of multiple large-scale projects without letting client communication slip through the cracks.
As my managerial career grew, I also wrote a 112-page manual for managing my new photography team (which I still have if anyone is interested!). When I took them on, they were using multiple paper binders that often fell out of sync. There was no single, accurate source of truth. So, I digitised the whole process, introduced automated workflows, and wrote detailed guidance to keep everyone aligned. (Also: saved a lot of paper!)
There’s something deeply satisfying about creating clarity out of complexity — especially when it helps a team move faster and with more confidence.
Presentations, Papers, and Long-Form Writing
I’ve written and presented numerous talks on gamification at both national and international conferences. One conference even required me to write an academic paper abstract — and so began my foray into a whole new style of writing.
It stretched me creatively and intellectually, but I enjoyed the challenge of switching tone and audience again — proof that good communication really can cross any context when you understand who you’re speaking to.
Wordsmithing and Collaboration
My colleague at Little Spark Learning and I often wordsmith together, and it’s usually my role to succintitise (yes, that’s our own made-up word) the content. I’ve always loved keeping things short, sharp, and snappy — especially when the material we’re given is verbose or overly academic.
It’s become one of my favourite collaborative processes — finding the balance between precision and personality.
Final Chapter
So while writing has never been an explicit requirement for me, it’s actually shaped almost everything I’ve done. From childhood poems to professional strategies, it’s been the invisible thread that ties together creativity, clarity, and communication.
And really, I wouldn’t have my story unfold in any other way.
Leave a Reply