Write Your Characters Into Different Worlds

Why limit yourself to one world for your character when you could write them into dozens? Today we invite you and your novel’s characters to enter into the wondrous world of online roleplay with YWP participant Nova as your guide!

Roleplaying is a very ambiguous form of collaborative writing that a lot of Wrimos really appreciate. It allows us to create any character we want in any universe with anyone. I mean, what could allow more literary freedom than that? Many see it as an escape route from reality, similar to reading a good fantasy novel, but it can actually help hone your writing skills. 

Even if the setting is completely different than the novel you’re working on, submitting a character that you want to develop into a roleplay that mirrors one of your own stories can really further that character’s interactions and history inside your novel. Roleplays can provide some clever inspiration in ways you could never expect until you face them in a story navigated by many people working together (or quarreling, which makes things exciting) to form one plotline. It is a very sporadic and reactive type of writing, so if you know how to handle yourself well in a roleplay, you can conquer the age-old writer’s block that everyone seems to hit in the middle of a chapter.

If your novel is extremely specific in its setting, so you can’t possibly fit your characters into a different environment, starting your own roleplay with a few friends to expand the visualization of your universe is a terrific idea! You can brainstorm your own story in a controlled space where you can even receive critique from others. 

Inside your roleplay, if other players are not understanding the plot or setting, then it might be a good idea to fit in additional details throughout your writing or simplify the concept. Whenever humans work with others, we receive more motivation to continue our intentions. It’s instilled into our framework as a species to collaborate. Especially in the terms of writing a novel — it’s important to have someone to bounce ideas off, because as much as you may want to believe it, you are not your own best editor. Getting advice from multiple points of view is critical when you’re considering that your story will (hopefully) be read by others at some point in time.

Roleplaying does jog the creative mind, as well. An author who only writes realistic fiction might feel out of place in a fantasy roleplay, but that “fish out of water” feeling is exactly what you need to erase to become a well-balanced writer! Sure, maybe having your characters battle monsters isn’t your usual choice, but covering all your bases in terms of character and plot visualization is important in all genres. Different roleplays can help expand your horizons and make you realize that a particular time period or concept could be your next big break.

Trust me, roleplaying doesn’t come easy if you’ve never done it before — you might start out posting “[insert name] wandered around,” (I know for sure that I’ve seen this many times before, even in my own posts) but it’s okay to start simple! We can learn from our old mistakes as well as others enlightening us to those mistakes. Mistakes aren’t the only rewards you reap out of roleplaying — you can create some valuable writing content that you might find life-saving in a future project. Becoming your character is basically what you’re doing, and I’m certain every author has had a point in their lives when they’ve acted out one of their favorite scenes to capture the emotions in an accurate sense (you know you’ve done it). 

You’ll never know what could happen in a roleplay until you participate. So, next time you’re considering a new character, an unfamiliar setting, or just want to have fun, check out a roleplay! You might be pleasantly surprised with the fruits of your labor.

Nova is an aspiring activist with big dreams — though those dreams will forever accommodate the insane amount of books they hold near and dear. They hope to kick off their campaign for the environment with their website, supernovaearth.org. When they’re not helping small ants cross the street, they indulge their passion for writing though the beginnings of their realistic fiction novel about LGBTQ+ teens. They’re determined to make their future bright and make a difference as a conservationist.

Top photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash.