Flog #5

Balancing Hack and writing isn’t easy. It feels natural to focus on finishing the Hack before starting the Artist Statement. If the project isn’t finalized, writing about it might feel vague or incomplete. But the problem is, by the time the Hack is done, there might not be enough time left for writing, leading to a rushed and shallow Artist Statement that doesn’t fully reflect the thought process behind the project. Another issue is that sometimes while writing new ideas emerge that could improve the Hack, but if the project is already “locked in,” making changes becomes difficult.

The best approach is to work on both simultaneously rather than treating them as separate, linear tasks. A good way to start is by outlining the key points early on, even before the Hack is fully developed. I started by thinking questions like: What are the rule changes? Why were these changes made? (What effect or message are they meant to convey?) How do these changes impact the gameplay? At first, the answers don’t need to be detailed—just having a rough framework helps. Then, throughout the Hack process, keeping track of important decisions, like “Will adding this rule make the game too complex?” or “If I remove this element, will the social meaning still come across?” can be incredibly useful. Taking notes along the way ensures that by the time the Artist Statement needs to be written, there’s already a solid foundation instead of having to recall everything from memory. As the Hack reaches its final stage, the Artist Statement can also be refined, turning those earlier notes into a more structured and polished explanation. One of the biggest advantages of this approach is that Hack and writing can influence each other. This way, instead of treating them as two separate tasks, they work together, making both the project and the writing stronger.