THE GAME WITHIN - HOW TO PLAY

Part II of Our Narrative Games Series

Oldest chess piece on record, a possible rook, discovered in Jordan.

See: Part One Of The Game Within

Fortunately, most writers have absorbed the laws of deepening and gamemaking through reading and by emulating the stories they love — the same way so many of us speak high-level grammar, but would be hard pressed to diagram the rules behind the excellence we spit.  As usual, a strong share of what makes our writing wondrous is installed through our implicit learning.   

But even if you’ve absorbed the laws of deepening and gamemaking into your bones, that doesn't mean you won’t write play-less work. And, as I've said earlier, play-less stories are ultimately dead stories.

Which is why we should always, being mindful of these matters cannot but help the work. Same way learning grammar cannot but help one write and speak. in our rewrites and critiques, attend to and encourage the Deep Game within.    

2

I've addressed what Deep Game is and why it matters, but now it's time to discuss the best ways to put Deep Game into practice: