I actually don't remember how I got started in to roleplaying. As far as roleplaying online, I've been doing that since I was about... 10-12, on Neopets. The guild I was/am in is a roleplaying guild for Spirited Away. And part of what we'd do besides basic contests, was roleplay on the message board.
But certainly, like every kid, I also played make-believe games in real life, running around pretending and using our imaginations. I did that for years - though high school too, because of all the baby sitting I did. It was a way for me to use my imagination and be in a far off land like Harry Potter, Teen Titans, The X-Men, and various other universes from my childhood (Boxcar Children being the major one in my primary school days).
With my second family, we would play such games using our Lego characters, in a basic tabletop gaming format. However online roleplaying was something I slowly grew into, which of course everyone does. A friend finally recommended Gaia Online - although I had been roleplaying via instant messenger for a few years with a friend from school.
The other day, Lolo and I were catching up and attempting to get onto Pottermore (more on that later), when she asked me what my "draw" was in roleplaying. And that got me to thinking. Why had I stuck with roleplaying for so long? Certainly not all writers did it, and not everyone found purposes for it like I had/have. So, I decided to try and answer her question the best I could now that I've had a few days to think about it. With that in mind:
My Reasons as to Why I Roleplay by Dominic Knight
1) Roleplaying can aid in character creation. This is one of the best reasons why I think roleplaying is great for an aspiring writer/author. Characters are important in a story. They need to be well-rounded as a protagonist, have room for growth and development, and not just be someone that is overall, perfect aka a "Mary-Sue." When I say well-rounded, I mean they have their faults, their triumphs, their struggles, and perhaps ruts in their life. Not everyone lives a perfect life and neither should your character. But at the same time, their life shouldn't be so packed full of bad luck, or trials and tribulations, that they just seem to be one giant karmic screw up. Crafting a character or characters for a roleplay requires some thought; specifically in how you want this person to fill the role needed, how they are in relationships with other characters, and various other pieces of personality, like morals, values, and the basics. You have to think about all of these things when creating your person and how they entwine with the overall story.
2) Roleplaying can provide experience into other genres. It's tough to find the right genre that suits you when you're first starting out as a writer. How do you know if you enjoy writing Sci-Fi, or RomComs, or General Fiction? You don't until you try. And roleplaying is a great way to try out those genres by doing reason 1, and seeing if you like working in the types of universes that are created or can be created in any genre. I certainly wouldn't have tried to write a science fiction story, but after trying out a few roleplays, I've been working on a Space Cowboy/Pirate Romantic Comedy. Certainly it's not a genre I saw myself delving into. I've written quite a few romantic comedies, but never anything that had a Sci-Fi aspect to it.
3) Roleplaying can provide improvement in writing. I don't actually write everyday. Some of it is because I'm not in the right mood, and others is because I don't have any ideas as to what I want to write. But roleplaying gives me opportunities to write everyday (if posts are consistent). I'm able to improve my writing by seeing how other roleplayers write their posts. Not to mention I can also see how not to write my posts when I roleplay and see someone that struggles with syntax and punctuation.
--------------------
Sea Fair is my favorite time of year in Seattle. Generally it's at the height of outstanding weather, and brings in some of the best entertainment on the water.
A part of fleet week, this was Sea Fair's 100th year of being a Seattle tradition.
Not only do we have Hydro-Plane races, but the Blue Angels fly in for a high flying performance. I've always been fascinated with flying, so of course, I'm all over the Blue Angels and their stunts.
--------------------
For those of you that got onto Pottermore, I did too!
And I'm FireboltAsphodel199.
No comments:
Post a Comment