Tim Moungey
Wolverine Studios Community Manager

We continue our dynasty writing advice series this week. Last time, I discussed the most common mistakes that beginning dynasty writers make. Today I’ll be talking about how you get started with writing a text sports sim dynasty/AAR.

Decide what type of dynasty it's going to be

You might think the most important decision is whatteam you’re going to play as and write about. It’s not - in fact, that’sactually one of the least important choices you’ll make. Rather, it’s choosingthe type of dynasty that will inform everything else.

Generally speaking, there’s four main types ofdynasties/AARs

GAMEPLAY

This is the most common one. You play the game, reportthe results, and talk about what decisions you’re making and the strategies youpursue. This is exclusively first-person (I), with you as the narrator. Everystreaming dynasty falls into this category, though some might combine elementsof later type.

In many ways, this is also the easiest one to write.You don’t have to think about characters, there’s no need to be concerned withhow the story is progressing - you simply just write down your thoughts,commentary, and how the game is going.

What appeals to readers about gameplay dynasties/AARsis seeing the mechanics of the game and witnessing the thought process of thedecisions you’re weighing - for example, do I keep my star PF and SG together,or do I trade the PF for an older elite C and draft picks that can be used toboth win now and have the assets to try and lengthen my window?

NARRATIVE

The second most frequent dynasty/AAR type isnarrative. Here, you’re telling a story built around a cast of characters inthe game universe and the events that happen while you play. This can be anypoint of view - although first and third will appear the most often.

Here, you have the greatest freedom in terms ofstructure. For example, many of my dynasties/AARs over the years have used aframing narrative that surrounds the game’s story, which ends up giving readerstwo main stories to follow - the framing narrative and the one within theactual game itself. Sometimes, they even get more interested in the framingnarrative than the game’s! Another example: Tiger Fan’s excellent OOTPnarrative dynasty set in the late 1800s/early 1900s that makes heavy use of theepistolary device (i.e. telling the story in letters).

As you might guess, readers are most interested in thecharacters and story with a narrative dynasty/AAR. The game results and thestrategy take a back seat to the drama (or comedy) that’s playing out in thewriting.

HISTORICAL / JOURNALISTIC

With a historical/journalistic approach, you’replaying the game and reporting the results without discussion of yourdecision-making and strategy options. You’re also not putting a spotlight onthe story or characters, because they’ll emerge through your reporting.

Examples of this include the History Book genre of AARs of Paradox Interactive games and the newspaper articles that Point Guard uses in many of his Draft Day Sports: College Basketball dynasties (note: he uses a blend of narrative and journalistic, so it’s possible to combine genres).

For fans of this genre, it’s the feeling you get ofreading a really well-written textbook, reading a newspaper, or following alongwith your favorite blog. The story develops organically and you become investedin tracking the results - cheering for a team or player, or getting mad whenit’s suddenly reported that the team’s star QB has signed with a divisionrival.

INTERACTIVE

These dynasties are all about collaboration. It’s notjust you who are the creator of this work - it’s the input of others. I’ve seendifferent takes on this - the most common for sports sims is having otherpeople create players, inserting the players into the game, and reporting howtheir career develops - and if there’s choices to be made about an insertedplayer’s career - such as should the player demand a trade? - the decision ismade by that player’s creator, not you as a writer.

Other variants - the collaborative gameplay dynasty/AAR, where the writer takes volunteers for different areas of decision-making/strategy choices, or makes the choices a groupthink project, wherepeople vote on which route to take. A classic example of this is Bryan Swartz’sdynasties for different games over the years.

The draw with interactive dynasties is that your readers are able to take active part in the game experience with you. Be forewarned, however: While interactive dynasties obviously have the highest rate of reader participation and comments, you need to be organized and absolutely commit to a timetable to keep things moving.

Pick your team and set a writing schedule for yourself

Okay, so you’ve got your dynasty typein mind. You’ve probably already picked your team, but if you haven’t, go aheadand do that. Now comes the other important part of ensuring you have along-lasting dynasty/AAR - setting a writing schedule.

This can be as loosely defined as“once a day” or “once a week” or as specific as “Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7pm to 9 pm”. But you need to set a schedule, and here’s why: The key tocreating a readership and making sure you’ll write is to do so consistently.

I’ve worn a lot of hats in my career- teaching, writing, public relations, social media marketing, etc. And the onething I’ve found is with anything that involves serial writing - whether it’s adynasty/AAR, a blog, or a social media campaign - is that consistency matters.Stick to the schedule you create and readers will know that, “Hey, it’s 9:30 pmon Tuesday night. Mike Inkwell will have a new post on his Milwaukee Bucksdynasty to go read!”

If readership is your goal, I can not stress the importance of consistency enough. It’s one of the ways I’ve been very successful at helping clients and employers break their website and social media traffic metrics.

Remember, this is for fun and enjoyment

I realize I’m getting heavy into theexplanation of theory and craft here, so let me step back a bit and point outthat no one is getting paid for their dynasties/AARs (with the exception ofstreamers who have a large enough subscriber base to rake in advertising andsponsorship dollars). It’s an exercise in fun and writing development - achance to escape into the world and story you’ve created and share it withfellow game lovers.

We’re out of time for today, so next week I’ll conclude thisseries with a FAQ and/or discussion of common issues that come up in dynastyand AAR writing. If you have something you’d like to see me address in thatpost, feel free to leave a comment.