Heart and Good Humour
But not, like, humours. We’re not dealing in black bile here. Though we do occasionally get melancholic.
Working from a basis in psychology, social work, and comparative literature, I focus on boldly-drawn characters and vivid, imaginative settings. Transforming layers of context and conflict in our own world, I aim to enchant and challenge you while never losing sight of our shared humanity.
Though my personal projects tend towards contemplative genre fiction, I’m always experimenting with other styles — horror, wholesome slice-of-life, campy bombast — each story demands its own approach. But the best thing about working in fiction is collaboration across disciplines; there’s nothing like winnowing the perfect idea with an engaged, enthusiastic team. Need of any of the qualities below for yours? Get in touch.
Contact
➤ LOCATION
Edinburgh, Scotland
☎ CONTACT
eliotmbhoward@gmail.com
Narrative Design and Interactivity
A passion of mine since I came into contact with BioWare’s Knights of the Old Republic at age twelve, I think we’ve still barely scratched the surface of what games can be. My best-known work is with Double Blit Games on Game Director Story, a “razor sharp” depiction of labour and the games industry. My interactive Prism won Best Setting from the IFComp-derived XYZZY awards. I’ve developed narrative geocaching for Story City and worked with Mint in Box Digital Games on the early stages of Velocity Loop. I also contributed to Invisible Hand, an experimental game on homelessness.
The human condition
There’s pain behind most every conflict. My work explores complex motives inspired by what I’ve witnessed in street-level social work and glitzy corporate events alike. I craft catharsis for the characters and readers in my care, though the path isn’t always linear. Healing and growing, as in all resolution, is bittersweet.
Musicality
Rhythm and tonality are important in any medium; as a singer and pots-banger (don’t check out my old band weirdmilkiconic), I always think about the way dialogue sounds and the rhythm of how it reads. Swing by my apartment on a writing day and find me talking as imaginary people, to imaginary people, in the most sane way possible.
WorldBuilding
Genre fiction relies on consistent rules to ground the audience, as well as evocative hooks and images to suspend their disbelief. I use every tool to reflect a story’s themes through the texture of its setting, from speech to architecture. Check out the community-award-winning world of Conduin here — and there’s plenty more where that came from. Ask me about migrating oceans!
Social Consciousness
No story is apolitical. The question is: what will your story mean, and to whom? I strive to make my work accessible and thoughtful in every possible way, and when I don’t know, I do the work to find out.