Interactive Writing

[Nessa-Ciryatan]

I was just wondering if there is any Interactive Writing here at ChristianWriters.com. Interactive Writing is also called Role-play writing by some, and it involves a story, overseen and plotted (loosely) by a Game Master (GM) and a bunch of miscellaneous writers (whoever wants to join) who write up character profiles for the characters they'll be writing for in the story. Basically, you all write the story together, with one person (the GM) keeping an eye on things to make sure the story goes the way it's supposed to. It is a great way to get better at writing, because it teaches you how to write on demand.

Usually there are two threads involved in Interactive Writing: The OOC, or Out of Character thread where the writers can discuss the story and what they want to do next, chat about the way things are going so far, and so the Game Master can tell them of any particular things they need to know about upcoming events in the story, or if something has happened that shouldn't have. The other thread involved is the ASC, or Actual Story Content thread, where the actual story gets written by everyone.

For those who aren't sure what I mean:

THIS is an example of an OOC (http://www.arcane-artistry.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=20)


And THIS is an example of an ASC (http://www.arcane-artistry.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=21)
So are any CW members interested in such a thing? The usual genres for Interactive Writing are fantasy and science-fiction, but there's no reason why other genres couldn't be involved, too.

Cheers,

Nessa-C

[Turtle]

Hello,


Sure, I wouldn't mind at all.

[Rebecca]

Hi Nessa-C,

This is a great idea! :) I love Role-Playing writing, and like you said, it's an excellent way to practice writing on demand. I'm willing to set it up if we have a volunteer for GM. Are you interested in the job?

Bekka

[ProfessorAlan]

Never done it, but I like the concept, and those I know who have done it love it.

[Nessa-Ciryatan]

Yes, I'd be interested in the job, but I'm currently the GM for the Elirian Quest, which is the IW thread I linked to for the examples of an OOC and ASC. I don't want really want to GM two threads at once, plus I'll have to come up with a story/adventure. If all those who are interested could use this thread to tell me what you would want. I'll probably make it a fantasy thread, so are there things you would either REALLY like to have (like good/evil dragons, magic-users of some sort, etc), or if there are things you really really do NOT wish to have, like stereotypical elves/dwarves/ogres etc. I would tend to shy away from the things that are too generic, but I like having dragons, so I can say now they'll probably play a part. :p

I'm not sure when the Elirian Quest will be finished. It's moving kind of slow at the moment, but I'll let you all know when the time is right. Hopefully you'll still be interested.

Question for Rebecca: Which forum would you want to host the OOC and ASC threads?

Cheers everyone, and thanks for your interest! :D

Nessa-C

[Rebecca]

Nessa-C,

I completely understand about needing to wait until the Elirian Quest is complete. That's a lot to take on! :) As for characters, various creature races or all human characters work equally well for me. This is a Christian site, so I would recommend staying away from anti-Biblical supernatural type behaviors for the good guys. I would think the good guys could have spiritual gifts of some sort - like prophesy, discernment, etc. With the bad guys, I suppose all bets are off - witchcraft and other sorts of magic could be brought in, as long as it's not glorified.

I've only done some very small-scale role-playing adventures, so I'm sure you know much more about this than I do. You'll have to determine whether that sort of thing would work. ;)

As for setup - I would likely create a new forum for the threads, because they don't seem to fit into any other category.

Is arcane-artistry.net your site? Would you mind if I added it to the resource directory?

Thanks! :)
Bekka

[FireFeet]

Oh....this is marvelous...I love this stuff! I've done a lot of fantasy RPing...dragons and ogres and the like. What I really like though is a quirky kind of sci-fi...not futuristic space-ship stuff...but time travel dimensional stuff. (Anyone heard of GURPS?...that's the RPG I'm most familiar with.) I sure hope we get this started soon...it sounds FUN. :D

[Merry]

Yeah, FireFeet knows her way around RPG's better than most....

[Merry]

My kid, Timmy, says we should do a role playing game about NASCAR...but he's not a member... :D

[FireFeet]

FireFeet tells Merry to tell Timmy that Zylphia thinks race cars are smelly and noisy and kinna skeery.

:D

[FireFeet]

Yeah, FireFeet knows her way around RPG's better than most....

I wish I knew as much about cyber RPing as I do about doing it in "real life"....then I could volunteer to GM.

[Merry]

Timmy asks Merry to ask Fire Feet if helicopters are more to her liking.

[FireFeet]

Hrrmm...are they helicopters capable of time travel?

[Nessa-Ciryatan]

This is a Christian site, so I would recommend staying away from anti-Biblical supernatural type behaviors for the good guys. I would think the good guys could have spiritual gifts of some sort - like prophesy, discernment, etc. With the bad guys, I suppose all bets are off - witchcraft and other sorts of magic could be brought in, as long as it's not glorified.
Indeed. I take that part of this very seriously. I don't agree with all 'role-playing' and I don't play any sort or 'real life' games, like DnD or anything else, I think there can be a real spiritual danger in those games if one's not careful or spiritually discrerning enough. Interactive Writing, or RP writing to me is like writing a novel. There's no personal taking on of the character you're 'playing' (or there shouldn't be IMO). Some may disagree with that, but I suppose it's one of those things that one has to decide for oneself whether it has a place in the lives that they've given over to glorify God.

It will certianly be a relief to me, though, to write one of these with a bunch of other Christians (less chance of something weird and non-likeable popping up). <_<

Is arcane-artistry.net your site? Would you mind if I added it to the resource directory?
No, it's not my site, but I'm a moderator there. The site is Achithyn's. What exactly will having it in the resource directory entail? Would it just be listed there for others to find if they're interested in other good sites? I wouldn't imagine Achithyn would object that. !thumbsup! :D

Cheers,

Nessa-C