I'm a fiction writer and narrative designer focused on character-driven stories, interactive dialogue/text systems, and worldbuilding for games and print. I enjoy shaping narrative structures from pitch to script, collaborating closely with designers, programmers, and artists to make stories feel alive and playable. My background spans narrative and level design, freelance writing, and editorial roles in literary publishing. I'm also an English instructor at the university level. As an award-supported creative, my work connects craft to player experience, with an emphasis on inclusive storytelling.…

Issa Marc Shulman

I'm a fiction writer and narrative designer focused on character-driven stories, interactive dialogue/text systems, and worldbuilding for games and print. I enjoy shaping narrative structures from pitch to script, collaborating closely with designers, programmers, and artists to make stories feel alive and playable. My background spans narrative and level design, freelance writing, and editorial roles in literary publishing. I'm also an English instructor at the university level. As an award-supported creative, my work connects craft to player experience, with an emphasis on inclusive storytelling.…

Available to hire

I’m a fiction writer and narrative designer focused on character-driven stories, interactive dialogue/text systems, and worldbuilding for games and print. I enjoy shaping narrative structures from pitch to script, collaborating closely with designers, programmers, and artists to make stories feel alive and playable.

My background spans narrative and level design, freelance writing, and editorial roles in literary publishing. I’m also an English instructor at the university level. As an award-supported creative, my work connects craft to player experience, with an emphasis on inclusive storytelling.

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Skills

Experience Level

Game Design
Expert
Script
Expert
Unity
Intermediate
Unreal Engine 4
Intermediate
Reaper
Intermediate
Soundtrack
Intermediate
Narrative Illustration
Intermediate

Language

English
Fluent

Work Experience

Associate Editor at Beneath Ceaseless Skies
January 1, 2025 - Present
Read 15 submissions per week and provided feedback on all rejected pieces with constructive critique and rationale. Discussed promising submissions with the editor-in-chief.
Faculty Associate — English 102 (Instructor of Record) at Arizona State University
December 31, 2024 - Present
Developed, delivered, and assessed English 102 curriculum as instructor of record, including lecture materials, course work, and class projects; assisted students with essays, process work, and projects.
Managing Editor at Hayden’s Ferry Review
January 1, 2024 - January 1, 2025
Managed and participated in production of 2 print issues, 2 web issues, a poetry & fiction contest, and 7 online and in-person events. Coordinated editorial timeline with editor-in-chief, managed magazine calendar, conducted editorial review, and maintained communication across an editorial team. Fulfilled journal mission by adapting the VIDA Project for HFR to create a database of gender identities represented in the journal; developed and delivered curriculum for the HFR course for undergraduate and graduate interns and editors.
Associate Editor & Intern at Hayden’s Ferry Review
January 1, 2023 - January 1, 2024
Read, voted on, and commented on 15 fiction and art submissions weekly. Collaborated with the Genre Editor and other Associate Editors on final fiction selections. Worked with the editorial team on copy edits, art selections, event planning and execution, and group-level decisions.
Graduate Teaching Assistant — First Year Writing at Arizona State University
August 1, 2022 - January 1, 2025
Developed and delivered curriculum for English 101, English 102, and Introductory Creative Writing courses as instructor of record, including lecture materials, course work, and class projects; assisted students with essays, process work, and projects.
Contributing Writer at Golden Mart
January 1, 2021 - December 31, 2022
Wrote original short story for a single-player tabletop RPG encounter. Collaborated with employer to edit and revise the encounter.
Writer, Level Design at A Private Affair
January 1, 2020 - December 31, 2020
Collaborated with a partner to create a story-driven level in Unreal Engine. Formulated characters and backstory. Assisted in the level design process. Wrote all dialogue and text discovered through the game (letters, notes, news clippings, diaries) and created additional drawings. Grey-boxed, textured, decorated, and created lighting for final versions.
Lead Writer, Level Design, Audio Design at Buri​​ed Voices
January 1, 2020 - January 1, 2021
Created and presented an original pitch for a game concept; collaborated with teammates to further develop the pitch. Worked closely with programmers and artists through the writing process to create characters, world, setting, and dialogue/text for the experience. Assisted with level and audio design.
Project Lead, Narrative and Design Lead, Writer at Ash Garden
December 31, 2019 - December 30, 2020
Created and presented an original game concept pitch; led narrative and design decisions and wrote character monologues; assisted producer in leading team meetings; provided art and environmental design support for Unity-based implementation as necessary.
Teaching Assistant — IMGD Writing at Worcester Polytechnic Institute
January 1, 2019 - January 1, 2020
Assisted the professor with course work and classroom management across two classes; supported students with writing and provided technical support for scriptwriting programs.
Writer at Elliie’s Spirit
December 31, 2017 - December 30, 2019
Provided additional writing for a team; wrote all dialogue and text in the game. Collaborated with artists and a project lead to adapt their intentions into writing. Transposed writing into Inky script and enabled integration into Ren’Py by the programming team.
Project Lead, Lead Writer at Dysphoria
December 30, 2017 - December 30, 2018
Created and pitched an original game concept. Led all narrative and design decisions. Worked with an assistant writer on necessary writing; helped programmers integrate script using Twine. Created a comprehensive game document for an updated version of Dysphoria, adapting the concept for an engine beyond Twine.

Education

Master of Fine Arts, Fiction at Arizona State University (ASU)
August 1, 2022 - May 31, 2025
Clarion West Writers Workshop at Clarion West
June 1, 2022 - July 31, 2022
Bachelor of Arts (BA), Interactive Media and Game Development at Worcester Polytechnic Institute
August 1, 2017 - May 1, 2021

Qualifications

University Graduate Fellowship
January 1, 2021 - January 1, 2023
Michael & Elliot Alexander Memorial Scholarship
January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2022
WPI Presidential Scholarship
January 1, 2017 - January 1, 2021
WPI Dean’s List
January 1, 2017 - January 1, 2021

Industry Experience

Education, Media & Entertainment, Gaming, Non-Profit Organization, Professional Services
    You Are in the Well (Demo)

    A vertical slide of a longer solo project. To summarize:

    You are in the Well. You wake up on the 300th Floor, of its known 500 and unknown thousands. You have limited recollection of your past. What matters is: you are in the Well, and the Well is Opening. It Opens very rarely; few can predict when it will Open again. This is your only chance to escape – for anyone to escape. And everyone will try. No matter the cost.

    Demo: https://www.twine.net/signin

    Golden Mart

    I was a contributing writer to the game Golden Mart: a “single-player tabletop role-playing game set in a neighborhood convenience store. The Rats out back are a power, the dog out front is an oracle, and you, our valued employee, just need to get through your shift.” I contributed an original adventure to the RPG, in which players must contend with a new neighborhood cult–the nefarious “Cult of the Consumer” that seems to be turning Golden Mart’s shelved items sentient (and cantankerous).

    Check out the Kickstarter page here: https://www.twine.net/signin