Hi, I'm Susan
For over 15 years, I’ve been writing scripts for award-winning, multimillion-dollar franchises.
Now I'm taking what I've learned about storytelling and psychology and human behavior,
and sharing it with people like you.
Who do I work with?
People like these:
Creative Directors | Showrunners
Studios | Muppets | Entrepreneurs
Brand Storytellers | Dorks | Speechwriters
Content Strategists | Political Activists
Game Developers | Journalists | You
- What if this is your year?Join my personal email list to receive an insider's guide on how to grow - and thrive - as a writer in the digital age.You'll also receive an email from me twice a month, with:
New articles I haven't shared anywhere else
Access to the archive with all my articles
Exclusive updates on projects I'm working on
Personal book & reading recommendations
Tools and tactics and maybe some flying kittens too
Lucas Loredo
MFA Student, Michener Center For Writers
"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."
Leah Hoyer
VP Creative, Telltale Games
"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."
Greg Lanier
VP, Strategic Communications at University of Chicago
"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!"
Portfolio
I've worked on over 25 projects, including -
Tomb Raider
Crystal Dynamics
Nominee, Outstanding Achievement in Story, AIAS
Nominee, Best Narrative, GDC
Over 8 million copies sold worldwide
Far Cry 2
Ubisoft Montreal
Nominee, Best Writing, GDC
Nominee, Game of the Year, AIAS
BioShock
2K Games
Winner, Game of the Year, AIAS
Winner, Best Writing, GDC
Over 4 million units sold
Launched a franchise
Speaking
As a speaker, I offer presentations, seminars, and workshops worldwide.
I help creatives find their voices and tell their stories.
Past venues include TEDx, New York University, The Kennedy Center, and SxSW.
"Your masterclass was on another level! Your experiences and your passion for storytelling
made your talk outshine all the others."
- Dominic C, 3D animator, Montreal"I had a great time in your masterclass...it was inspiring."
- Arne, level designer, MontrealWhat They're Saying
"Amazing writer"
Stephen McManus, Narrative Designer, Telltale Games
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.
"Master storyteller"
Kavita Appachu, Consultant & Experience Designer
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.
"Destroyer of work" (but in a good way)
John Stafford, Narrative Director, Crystal Dynamics
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.
Selected Projects
Story Consultant
Netflix
"Netflix’s latest episode of television is an experiment in storytelling that will be familiar to people who are familiar with video games (or Choose Your Own Adventure books). The company launched an interactive TV show today, the first in a series of efforts that will allow viewers to decide which turns a story takes." - Polygon
Watch this space for an announcement in 2019!
Lead Writer
Torn, for PlayStation VR
Torn takes place in the mansion of a physicist who disappeared 64 years ago. The mansion brims with strange, Willy Wonka-like machines haphazardly installed into its walls and floors. What are they for? And what happened to the people who built them?
If you are a Twilight Zone or Black Mirror fan, this one's for you.
Adjunct Professor
The University of Texas at Austin
I LOVE TEACHING. And it's so nice to be back at my alma mater. Here's the description for the class I teach in the Radio-Television-Film department at UT: "Interactive storytelling is a form of dramatic writing, just like theater or television. What makes the medium unique is that the author does not control the story; the audience does. Creatives have only just begun to explore the storytelling possibilities of this field." Fun
Communications Consultant
Intuit
When the client first reached out, I thought "uh oh, these people have called the wrong person." The subject matter was taxes, and nobody would ever mistake me for an accountant. But this project was a revelation. We went beyond the numbers, and thought hard about the EMOTIONAL relationship people have with their money. We crafted a new experience for the users, one that stayed connected with them every step of the way. It changed the way the team thought about their mission, and it changed me, too. One of the best projects I've ever worked on. My client loved it, too, and he'll tell you all about it here.
Interactive Playwright
Shakespeare at Hamlet's Castle
"We want you to develop a script, retelling the moment Hamlet meets his father’s ghost. Our actors will be wearing motion-capture suits behind screens to create fantastical virtual puppets. This script must not use any words because it is for an international audience. And it will need to have an interactive component! Can you do it?" !! For this project, we found new ways to bring interactive storytelling techniques to the stage and reinterpreted Hamlet for a modern audience in a way that connects his dilemma with life in the 21st century. The play was performed at Hamlet’s castle in Elsinore, Denmark.
Lead Writer
LucasArts
The studio was ready to bring Star Wars to an adult audience, with a grittier, darker environment and storyline. This was a soup-to-nuts project: in collaboration with the design team, we developed new playable characters, along with the game's narrative design, storyline, and script. The story development process focused heavily on understanding players’ love for Star Wars and finding ways to deepen that connection in new and surprising ways. The final product received an enthusiastic stamp of approval from the executive team, and the team was deep into production. Then the game’s entire design was revamped, and the project storyline required a reboot. But this remains one of my favorite projects.
Script Doctor
Project X
The project was deep into production, and the original writer's story was testing poorly with testers and users alike. The team was under intense pressure to make significant narrative changes within tight time and budget constraints. They brought me in to take a look at the script. Together with the narrative designer, we did a deep dive on the script and identified where changes to story structure, character motivation and dialog would solve the story’s problems. The project went on to receive multiple nominations for storytelling awards. Hooray!
Stay In Touch
susan [at] susanoconnorwriter [dot] com
@
bluepuma susanoconnor
