You can read my full breakdown, including my thought processes while working and a moment where I find a dialogue contradiction, in the newsletter.

This is the "behind-the-scenes" craft I'll be sharing every week.

open.substack.com/pub/joeywork...

This week, I mapped the first 10 chapters.

My biggest process insight this week: It's tempting to jump around, but doing one column at a time (e.g., all 'Summaries' first, then all 'Functions') keeps my focus and speed the fastest. Flipping between tasks just causes brain lag.

This is everything I learned from The Forbidden Cellar. Now, I have closure.

I'll rework and release it on Steam in the future. For now, I'm done.

Thanks for reading! I hope you got something out of it.

Now, onto my next project.
15/15

Compress lessons into Tweets.

This thread forced me to extract the value from my messy postmortems and share the value in as few characters as possible. It's tough.

Cutting filler makes you sharper. You become a better writer.

Long-form is easy. Short-form is hard.
14/15

Reflect on your projects.

When writing reflections, I saw things I missed in the moment. Now I find them in real-time. Don't learn from mistakes, learn during them. Adapt on the fly.

Future collaborators see your process.

And of course, more content out of projects.
13/15

Share your game.

I've never been one to share. Work silently. Move on. It's isolating. Who cares? I don't know.

I decided to be more active within communities. It makes you feel like you exist. You aren't creating in the void.

Share progress. You didn't waste your time.
12/15

Make the minimum viable product first.

I tried to make a long, ambitious jam entry. The result: unpolished game and deadline stress. Successful games start with a polished demo. Proof of concept.

Game jams aren't friendly to scale.

Ambition is great. Start small. Finish.
11/15

Be swift with your communication.

When teammates sent messages, I responded slowly, worried about saying something useful. Delays create anxiety on both sides.

Always acknowledge. Don't have a full response? Say that.

You're not the only awkward one. Be the relief. Lead.
10/15

Don't push through burnout.

I tried to push myself through the wall. It sucks. It kills speed, quality, and mind.

Two things helped:
- Stand up. Go outside. It clears the fog.
- Tiny goals. One little thing. Momentum.

Just take a break. You don't lose time, it buys speed.
9/15

Have a work schedule.

In the beginning, I couldn't start. I was drained. No motivation. But I had to work.

My solution: time blocks. Set a timer. Work. Stop. One hour, break, repeat. Four blocks max.

One hour feels long? Ten minutes.

Motivation is weak. Build structure.
8/15

Stay up to date on everyone's work.

I didn't always know where people were at, or if they even knew what to do. That uncertainty builds anxiety.

Scheduled check-ins would cure that entirely.

I didn't want to feel overbearing, but it's not. It's leadership.

Communicate.
7/15

Be confident in your ideas.

It was my first time as a creative lead. I believed in them internally, but insecurity hits when it's time to share.

Failing to express them is lonelier than being alone.

They reached out. They like your idea.

You're in charge. Act like it.
6/15

Don't turn down help from those who want in.

I said no because I thought roles were filled or they wouldn’t fit. Later, I needed them.

There's no such thing as too much help. There's always more to do. People drop out.

They want to help. Accept enthusiasm. Filter later.
5/15

Original stories are more satisfying than fanfiction.

I started there because borrowing characters felt easier. When you create your own and bond with them, it becomes the same. Push past the fear. It disappears.

Writing gets more fulfilling. Your character. Your world.
4/15

Stressing over success drains you.

I did the jam partly to see if people would like my writing and follow my next project. It burned me out before day one.

Chasing validation kills joy.

Build what feels right, trust your plan, trust yourself, finishing feels good again.
3/15

I'm sharing everything I learned making The Forbidden Cellar as project lead, writer, and programmer during a month-long game jam.

This thread pulls the most valuable parts of my Itch reflection so you don't have to dig through the full story.

For me, it's closure.

Enjoy!
2/15

Link to the second part of my devlog:

For more details, check out the devlog on itch: