Narrative Design

A good writer who knows their characters can feel like they just let the characters act on their own. They’re not writing them; they’re just cataloging their experiences. When a writer tries to force a character to do something the character doesn’t want to do, everything becomes harder.

~ Natsuko Ishikawa Lead Writer on Final Fantasy XIV Shadowbringers (Square Enix)

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Narrative Design Workflow

Narrative Planning & Free Custom Templates

How I plan and organize Narrative Design for projects.

Feel free to use these Example Limited empty templatesand expand upon it if you want. My normal empty templates are drastically bigger and varied depending on project and genre. These are just what start with.

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Writing Samples

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Writing Style

My writing style is primarily geared toward systemic, linear, character-driven storytelling with meticulously layered worldbuilding, where political intrigue, class dynamics, and historical conflict are deeply embedded in both the narrative and the game systems. From a postmortem standpoint, my narrative work could best be described as blending emotionally resonant arcs with expansive, deep dive worldbuilding.

I often practice going overboard when crafting detailed nation histories, mythological frameworks, and evolving factional conflicts, all presented through tightly structured, lore rich plots that reward attentive engagement. I aim to create narratives that evolve over time, encouraging long-term investment in the arcs of characters, nations, and the world itself. As such, I tend to have a long preproduction phase.

I also would say I gravitate toward creating explorative stories where identity is fluid, whether shaped by gender, role, belief, or duty. I am drawn to characters who are reshaped by magic, politics, sex, or responsibility, often all at once. I have a tendency to try to build worlds that do not merely react to those changes but create entire systems to ritualize and sustain them.

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Currently updating Web Page

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