being a dm is such a labor of love <3
i have a lot of dm opinions, so hang with me.
it's also hard! i adore dm'ing for so many reasons, but it can be a real challenge to balance the feeling of being a player (which is critical for everyone at the table, physical or virtual, to remember) and being "The DM" who has to make calls and shift and react as the environment you've set the characters down in who are free to go genuinely wherever they choose, whether that's a path you've prepared extensively for or not (as far as planning goes. less is Much more). at the end of the day, if you go into a session or campaign or what have you thinking of it as your story, there is going to be disappointment along that road when characters don't make every choice you thought or wanted them to. it's not wrong of you to feel that way! there's just a learning curve to this type of storytelling from the dm's seat (i know it took me a while to get used to it when i started out). at the end of the day when you realize the joy and love in the medium is that of building up an environment and collaborating on the tale that occurs within it, you are ten times better off. you're making something with your friends, and that means everyone's hands wind up in the clay!
i also think it is NOT for everybody, and that's okay! there are so many moving parts to keep track of in the narrative and the meta. i've been running games for 6 years at this point and still pick up things everytime i play. i personally think that everyone should try dm'ing once just to give it a go, if not to develop a different appreciation for their dm's but just to see if they like it. dm'ing overall is a much different look at the game, and i think people are more intimidated by it than they should be.
a good dm looks so different depending on the table you're at! everyone has their own style, and i really believe the only thing that makes a dm good is facilitating a story that is fun for everyone involved at the table, whatever that looks like for the group, while having fun themselves.
finally, it's just the best, and there's absolutely nothing like it. forget any amount of work or stress or the insane improvised decisions i have to make because it is all immensely outweighed by the excitement and engagement of my players after i have worked hard on something to put in front of them. i've always loved lore, and whether i am running a homebrew game or adjusting a module to more my speed, prep is genuinely so enjoyable for me. admittedly, i am prone to many a contingency in my documents because it makes me feel more secure heading into my sessions, but i'm trying to loosen up a little bit in terms of my a million thought process moving forward. i find it to be one of the most fulfilling creative atmospheres because of how alive and involved it is, and i owe that mostly to my players (you know who you are <3).
tl;dr it's great and i love it dearly! dm'ing is genuinely one of the best parts of my life, and i love making up little guys and places to interact with my friend's little guys.
