THE WORD GAME
Want to play the writing game? Take your chances against other players? Write to win? Sharpen your tactics as you make your way through the rules laid down by Scott Kershaw, author of high concept thriller The Game.
Scott Kershaw
The Game, my debut novel, takes the well-worn trope of the ‘death game’ and twists it into a murky exploration of exploitation and audience expectations. In it, total strangers are forced to compete with one another in increasingly violent circumstances to save the lives of their abducted loved ones. There can only be one winner, and to lose The Game is to lose the person you cherish most.
To celebrate the launch of The Game in paperback, Writing Magazine has invited me to come up with something that you can play along with yourselves… Kind of. This is The Word Game, and it mirrors my own writing process from start to completion. You may follow these instructions to pen a story of your own, but player beware: the path to finishing a piece of writing is long, arduous and filled with fatal distractions that can be the difference between completed manuscript and permanent desk drawer clutter. I should know, as I have several novels buried away that were started but will never see the light of day. The process, though creative, is not all fun and games.
Think you have what it takes to make it to the finish line? I wish you the best of luck.