Writing and Roleplay

Well, I've gotten bitten by the roleplay bug again. It was a solid hobby of mine for about a decade, starting in the mid-90s until about the mid-2000s. In college I was introduced to MUSHes -- shared text-based online games that were like being inside a novel with a host of other characters and writing it all as you went. I was hooked immediately. So much so that I eventually created my own game, which ran for four years and attracted players from all over the globe. I still have many fond memories of that time.

But gradually, life happened and I drifted away. I missed the collaborative nature of that kind of writing, though. Roleplaying was set up to where you'd operate your character, and the other player would operate theirs, and you'd volley back and forth. Like being in a novel where you're writing half the action. I didn't have time to dedicate to the games anymore, but I missed the immediate gratification of writing with a partner, so recently I discovered Reddit forums like Roleplay and Write With Me where folks could advertise for writing partners. There are even some dedicated sites like Barbermonger with more of the same.

So it wasn't long before I answered a few ads and posted some of my own, and found myself dipping back into that old pasttime. Except now there's even more freedom to it -- you're not tethered to a specific game or theme. You can just make up whatever storyline you want and dive right in. There's a whole wealth of possibilities at your fingertips!

I'm like a kid in a candy-store. Goggle-eyed and greedy at all the rich variety. Of course, there are downsides. Not many of these potential storylines "stick." Typically you'll exchange a few e-mails with a prospective partner and start brainstorming characters and scenarios, but most of them seem to die on the vine before you even get to the writing part. Or, you might start and be truckin' along, only for the momentum to fizzle out, or they (or you) get busy with life and the storyline comes to a screeching halt.

Or sometimes you just don't mesh. Your writing styles differ, or your ways of collaborating don't quite click. I suppose as with any partnership, there are a million reasons why it might not work out. That seems to be just part of the gig, and I'm trying to just roll with it and not take anything personally.

When it does work out though, oh, then it's just intoxicating! Think of the most compelling novel you've ever read, and then imagine getting to read it only in tiny installments, a few paragraphs at a time. Then imagine that you've got to write half those paragraphs yourself. There's definite work involved -- it's a challenge. You've got to muster your creativity and try to keep up, hold up your end of the bargain. It takes two to tango, as they say. You've both got to be committed to keep it going forward.

So far, I've managed to find a couple of steady partners. At best, we'll manage maybe 3 or 4 updates a day. Maybe just 1 if we're busy. I find myself on tenterhooks, checking my e-mail frequently to see if there's a new post for me to read. If I can time it right, I'll save my response for work, so I have something creative to focus on in the wee hours of my overnight shift. It gives me something to look forward to. A little creative "oomph" when I'm burning the midnight oil.

It's a fun and familiar creative challenge that I'm enjoying. At the very least, it's getting me back in the habit of writing regularly, which is exactly what I was looking for. I even enjoy the process of brainstorming and coming up with characters and plotlines, even when over half of them don't seem to work out. I figure nothing's wasted. Maybe those ideas could pan out down the line, somewhere else. I can squirrel those characters and ideas away for some future story. Like a hoarder, never knowing when something could come in handy. I'll just tuck those characters and stories away into my neverending cache of mental pockets and hope they might one day bear fruit.

So yeah, that's what I've been up to lately. Getting my writing on through roleplay!