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<blockquote data-quote="Sam Witt" data-source="post: 417188" data-attributes="member: 1449"><p>Ah, for the glory days of my youth, when the world was magical and anything was possible . . .</p><p></p><p><em>Cue harp strumming flashback sequence music</em></p><p></p><p>In the early, early 90s, I decided I really needed to stop just playing games and writing for my personal amusment, and <strong>do something</strong>, already. At the time, I was really digging a game called Nightlife, which was basically Vampire with lots more killin' and tons of different kinds of monsters. The emphasis was more splatterpunk than goth, and the book was teensy and easily digested.</p><p></p><p>So, I called the people at Stellar Games and said, "Hey, I want to write a post-apocalypse sourcebook for NightLife." And so it began.</p><p></p><p>Now, once I had a published credit under my belt, I became delusional. I called the TSR offices and asked to speak to someone in their creative department about possible freelance work. They patched me through to Bruce Heard.</p><p></p><p><strong>I have a really important aside to make here - if you are considering doing anything in this industry, for the love of all that you find holy, do not do this. We have email now, it is fast and less invasive than a phone call. Use email. Do not call. Honestly. </strong></p><p></p><p>The conversation went something like this:</p><p><strong>Bruce Heard</strong>: Hello?</p><p></p><p><strong>Me</strong>: This is Sam Witt. I'd really, really like to do some work for Dark Sun. I just finished a book for Stellar Games.</p><p></p><p><strong>BH</strong>: Yeah? You have an opening in your schedule right now? I've got a Dark Sun adventure you can write for me.</p><p></p><p><strong>Me</strong>: I WIN!</p><p></p><p>At this point, my head became so swollen that it actually eclipsed the sun in most of Central Washington State and the UN's peacekeeping forces were called out to protect the populace. When I was working at the gold mine, I would say, "Man, I'm a writer. I oughta quit this job." Which was true, but it was a GOLD MINE. You don't just quit a job like that.</p><p></p><p>Anyway, it wasn't until later that I discovered that my getting that Dark Sun gig was a result of a very fortuitous error in naming. Turns out there was another guy with a name very similar to my own AND a much longer list of credits. Fortunately, I didn't completely suck at writing for games, and everyone was well-pleased.</p><p></p><p><em>Cue strummy harp music</em></p><p></p><p>And, by the way, I'm a big fan of d20 and love writing for it. While I do plan on doing some non-d20 writing next year, just because, I don't have any plans on stopping with the d20 anytime soon. </p><p></p><p>So, that's my story. Whatever you do, do not attempt to emulate my antics. It is almost certain to end poorly for you.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Sam Witt, post: 417188, member: 1449"] Ah, for the glory days of my youth, when the world was magical and anything was possible . . . [i]Cue harp strumming flashback sequence music[/i] In the early, early 90s, I decided I really needed to stop just playing games and writing for my personal amusment, and [b]do something[/b], already. At the time, I was really digging a game called Nightlife, which was basically Vampire with lots more killin' and tons of different kinds of monsters. The emphasis was more splatterpunk than goth, and the book was teensy and easily digested. So, I called the people at Stellar Games and said, "Hey, I want to write a post-apocalypse sourcebook for NightLife." And so it began. Now, once I had a published credit under my belt, I became delusional. I called the TSR offices and asked to speak to someone in their creative department about possible freelance work. They patched me through to Bruce Heard. [b]I have a really important aside to make here - if you are considering doing anything in this industry, for the love of all that you find holy, do not do this. We have email now, it is fast and less invasive than a phone call. Use email. Do not call. Honestly. [/b] The conversation went something like this: [b]Bruce Heard[/b]: Hello? [b]Me[/b]: This is Sam Witt. I'd really, really like to do some work for Dark Sun. I just finished a book for Stellar Games. [b]BH[/b]: Yeah? You have an opening in your schedule right now? I've got a Dark Sun adventure you can write for me. [b]Me[/b]: I WIN! At this point, my head became so swollen that it actually eclipsed the sun in most of Central Washington State and the UN's peacekeeping forces were called out to protect the populace. When I was working at the gold mine, I would say, "Man, I'm a writer. I oughta quit this job." Which was true, but it was a GOLD MINE. You don't just quit a job like that. Anyway, it wasn't until later that I discovered that my getting that Dark Sun gig was a result of a very fortuitous error in naming. Turns out there was another guy with a name very similar to my own AND a much longer list of credits. Fortunately, I didn't completely suck at writing for games, and everyone was well-pleased. [i]Cue strummy harp music[/i] And, by the way, I'm a big fan of d20 and love writing for it. While I do plan on doing some non-d20 writing next year, just because, I don't have any plans on stopping with the d20 anytime soon. So, that's my story. Whatever you do, do not attempt to emulate my antics. It is almost certain to end poorly for you. [/QUOTE]
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