I was recently promoted to Lead Writer (and later Creative Director) at Rogue Dao Studios, a position that requires a great deal of management and organizational skills – skills I wasn’t really aware I had until I began using them. The writing team has always suffered from a lack of organization and clear direction, and I feel I have started the ball rolling on a process that will help the team be more productive, utilize each individual’s talents, bring everyone closer together, and promote better writing overall.

So over the next few posts I would like to share some of the ideas I have put into practice with my team. The first of these is the most recent tool I have used: Google Documents.

In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last several years, Google is more than just a search engine. They have integrated software for email, photos, blogging, groups, websites, documents, and many other features. If you haven’t looked into these features I would highly recommend doing so. But for the purposes of this article I am only going to describe the functionality of Google Documents and why it is useful to you as a Game Writer.

From the Google Documents site:

• Create, edit and upload quickly
  Import your existing documents, spreadsheets and presentations, or create new ones from scratch.
• Access and edit from anywhere
  All you need is a Web browser. Your documents are stored securely online.
• Share changes in real time
  Invite people to your documents and make changes together, at the same time.
• It’s free — you don’t pay a nickel

So what does this mean for you as a writer or writing team lead?

• Create and upload documents that can be easily organized and backed up. In Google Docs you can create Documents, Spreadsheets, and Presentations. You will find that the interface for each of these options resembles a watered-down version of its Microsoft Office counterpart. If you can’t afford a full-access version of Microsoft Office this is as close as it’s going to get.
• Access and edit your files from a permanent web host. Once you create or upload a file to your Google Docs interface, you can access it from anywhere. Work, home, remote locations – anywhere with an internet connection. And your files are stored online permanently. It’s like having a free web hosting solution. Speaking as someone who has recently had to endure the loss of several files due to a hard-drive wipe, this is an absolutely invaluable asset for any writer.
• Share and edit files on a team-wide level. On each document there is a Share tab in which you can enter email addresses of people you want to share the file with. They can either be readers, or collaborators. Collabs can edit the file. Whenever my team members upload a new file I have them share it with my personal address as more of a notification than anything. I have built a separate Google account for all of the team to log into and use so that all files can be stored in one organized location. This also permits the editing of files on a local level rather than across different Google accounts.
• It’s free — you don’t pay a nickel. This one doesn’t even need to be altered, and it barely needs an explanation. Consider that, at best, you’d be paying $50/year for web hosting to store your files. And you wouldn’t be able to edit them or share them in ‘real-time’. You could use versioning, but that’s rather bulky for writing purposes. You could buy some pricey management software for anywhere from $50-$200, and you still wouldn’t get exactly what you want. But Google Docs is 100% free with tons of functionality right at your fingertips – and the fingertips of everyone on your team.

Convinced yet? You certainly should be! There are two ways in which you can utilize a Google Docs account for your team:

Every team member can sign up for a Google account and create their personal Docs interface with proper folders and labels. You can then attempt to juggle files through the Share tab and every person will get a copy in their personal docset.

OR

You can sign up for a new Google account that your entire team will use. Not only does this give you access to Google Docs but also to Gmail, Blogger, a calendar, a photo album, a mailing list, and several other features – all for free. And with a shared account your team needs only think about creating and/or uploading their files and then exporting them back to their PC once the lead has edited them. You can create the folders and any additional organization so that everyone can focus on what they do best – writing.

You certainly don’t need Google Docs to run a successful team, but I have made it part of my team’s workflow and I believe it has made the process of getting from rough draft to release-ready a far less painful – and far more organized – experience.