Erik Sherman's WriterBiz

A spot about the business of writing as seen by a freelance writer. That includes marketing, sales, contracts, copyright, planning, research - in short, the business end of writing.

Name: Erik Sherman
Location: Massachusetts, United States

I'm an independent writer and photographer who covers business, food, technology, books, media, general features, and pretty much anything appealing that results in a signed check. My work has appeared in such places as the New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, Newsweek Japan, Fortune, Inc, Fortune Small Business, the Financial Times, Advertising Age, Saveur, US News & World Report, and Continental

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

A Writer's Online Game

I tend toward serious topics here, but I had to share this. I've become a fan of a site called Pastel Games. These flash games are produced by some of the most creative graphic designing talent I've seen, with evocative and stylish use of drawing, cartooning, photography, and design. They just came out with a game that I think is a must if you need a time waster. It's called Calligraphic and uses typography creatively to create a Hero and more than one Enemy, all formed by stacking the letters. There are Platforms and Bombs and Springs, with the aim to add to your score by navigating the Hero through numbers that represent points and eventually getting to the Exit from that level to the next. Here's a screen shot of a level:


What you don't see is that you must find ways through Switches to remove Obstacles and set Moving Platforms free, which are necessary to get you to where you ultimately need to go. This is a great example of what can be done when creatives focus on a new way of looking at an old topic. Plus, it's fun, albeit frustrating.

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