Roleplaying Can Improve Your Writing
Every writer will find themselves procrastinating, getting bored, or hitting a mental wall. Like everyone says, the only way you can get through it is to sit your ass down and actually write. However, when you’re feeling insecure with your story or your capabilities, that can be a lot harder than it sounds.
The only advice I will give other than “go read a book” or “go look at art” is sign up for a forum and join or start a roleplay. Some writers are hesitant to roleplay, and of course they have legitimate reasons, but roleplaying (or “RPing”) has a lot of positive aspects.
1. It keeps you writing through your rough period, even if it’s just 400 words per day (it also keeps you away from self-help sheets like this).
2. You don’t have to take it seriously. Don’t be an asshole and make it a miserable experience for the other people in your RP, but this is an excellent opportunity to write without the nag of “this would never get published…”
3. The roleplay can end whenever you want it to, whether it’s reached its end or not. You can permanently leave at any time and not have to give a shit. It might annoy the people you were RPing with, but leave them a little excuse and just log out.
5. Having other people posting will keep you from hitting a wall. Even if you can’t find a way to carry on the story from your POV, tell them you’ll pass your turn, wait for someone else to post, or ask for them to edit in something you can respond to.
6. It’s perfect for developing an elusive character that you just can’t connect with. Use them as your MC and take some time to get to know them personally, with new challenges thrown in their face.
7. You can make writing friends who may also be working on their own private projects, who feel fine giving you advice for yours or editing it.
8. It’s perfect for developing your weak spots. Terrible at fight scenes? Join a violent RP. Terrible at romance? Make your character a love interest. Terrible at antagonists? Play one. Terrible at distinct dialogue? Practice it. Etc.
9. Experimentation. You want to write a child, but you’re not sure how to go about it? Add a child into the RP. Give yourself room to stretch and test things out. The other RP-ers won’t care, unless it severely gets in the way of the plot.
10. Writing with other people will inspire things that can be modified and applied to your private works. I’m not saying steal other people’s characters, but perhaps a trait that one of their characters has is particularly interesting and you’d like to use it again. Maybe one of your characters uses some secret camera device that you can change around and put to work in your story.
Of course, roleplaying isn’t going to be for everyone, nor is every RP experience going to be superb. But if you find yourself stuck, it is one of the only things I would advertise as always helpful.
