I’m slowly easing my way back into some roleplay at another writing site. It’s all right, but it’s tough finding a place that really grabs the imagination. It’s also tough in that the guidelines for writers are a lot more stringent than what I began with some six years ago.
Roleplaying is such a strong facet everywhere you look on the internet and roleplayers (writers and gamers alike) are very serious in their craft and about their characters. It is difficult and daunting to step into a “work” or “game” in progress. You must be cognizant not just of the basic guidelines, but you must adhere to the instructions of the one running the story/game. If you’re stepping into a strongly established world, it can be no different than if you were suddenly lifted from your comfy home and dropped into a part of the world whose culture, people, and lives were completely alien to your own.
Mistakes made by roleplayers, whether they are novices or seasoned veterans, are often dealt with by warnings. Such warnings can be polite, but on the internet there is that unspoken “tone of voice” which you can never be sure is nice or mean. Some warnings can also be as brutal as a hammer to your skull. It can leave the new arrival feeling bruised, on uncertain ground, or in some cases the newbie will just choose to leave.
In the area of roleplay writing, the effort to find a group of writers that one can connect with is a journey of obstacles. You have to deal with so many factors, from personalities behind the characters, to clique-like behavior. Yet, when you find that perfect group, it’s something worth holding on to.
Roleplaying communities are like any community you’ll find whether it’s one on the internet or your own neighborhood. There have been times when I’ve been part of a writing community that has forgotten this. Roleplayers cannot forget that there are real people behind the characters. Unfortunately, there are some that do.
I’ve now been a part of four roleplaying writing communities that have all fallen apart. I don’t mean the sites, I mean groups of writers that were roleplaying and writing stories. In each case we forgot there were people behind the characters. Many of us became too wrapped up in the personalities of our characters. All the things that can break a community, jealousy, deception, gossip, apathy, etc., were what broke those past groups.
These days I approach roleplay (also called group or round table writing) with caution. It’s difficult these days to put your heart and soul into something that could turn on you. It’s the same reason I’ve withdrawn from a social life for so long and I’m still not eager to return.
Roleplay, for me these days, is pleasant and a good diversion, but I doubt I’ll ever be as involved as I once was.
