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 and narrative studies, I draw bold 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.
My personal projects tend to be contemplative, but I’m always experimenting with other styles. Horror, wholesome slice-of-life, campy bombast — each story demands its own approach. Why don’t we figure out what’s right for yours?
Contact
➤ LOCATION
Edmonton, Alberta
☎ CONTACT
eliotmbhoward@gmail.com
Narrative Design and Interactivity
We’ve still barely scratched the surface of what games can be — I’m constantly digging for what’s next and what’s new. My best-known work is with Double Blit Games on Game Director Story, a “razor sharp” ensemble dramedy about the game industry. At IFComp my interactive Prism placed in the top ten and won Best Setting from the 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, and Time Hoppers.
The human condition
There’s pain behind most every mask. My work explores the complex motives in everyone from the beggar to the politician, inspired by the wide spectrum of places I’ve walked.
Though the path is often crooked, I craft catharsis for the players in my care.
Musicality
Rhythm and tonality are important in any medium; as a singer and cymbal-crasher (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 alongside evocative hooks to make disbelief impossible. I reflect each 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. When I don’t know how something might be read, I do the work to find out.