Roleplaying

dpaterso said:

Yes.

-Derek

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Yes.

When all is said and done, the only way to become a better writer is to write.

Write and post in SYW.

Mel...

dgiharris said:

Write, edit, and post in SYW.

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Fixed it for you.

Could I watch you do it?

*walks into thread in wench costume, reads posts, and quickly backs out*

som1luvsmi said:

*walks into thread in wench costume, reads posts, and quickly backs out*

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now *I* want to watch

DwayneA said:

I came up with an idea to help me improve my abilities to put myself in another character's shoes. Then I can get in his/her head, put his/her thoughts into words, and place him/her in a situation that has great impact on his/her life. I'll use real life people at one important moment in their lives. I can post these works in the SYW forum.

Does this sound like a good idea? Will it help my skills?

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I would suggest that eventually you should take it one step farther, to where instead of using RL people - which, as an exercise has merits but might eventually cause certain issues down the line - you create your own characters.

Or, if you prefer to keep it grounded, use RL archetypes instead of specific individuals. You might run the risk of stereotyping, so I would suggest mixing it up, but I think this will give your writer's imagination more of a work-out.

and as always, writing more is better

Ironically, my current story stems from a role-play character I have played for a couple of years now. Not quite the same thing but the game I play on is pure text, no graphics (Mud, a free one), and I am restricted to writing out every word she says and every action she takes. I find this has been an excellent way to get in her head. As I write the story, I know her and I know how she would react to situations, it feels very natural

She is my main character in the game and in the story and I have a handful of secondary characters who have made it into the story as well and the same benefits apply to them. I don't have to spend time to get to know them or feel them, it's established.

It also allows outside plots/characters/players to influence her/me and I get to know more about her than I could by my thoughts alone.

So yes, I think role-playing is a fantastical way to click with a character

I'll second that. I roleplay all the time on other forums. Some use official RPG rules and some don't, but it's still focused on character. As you do it, you'll slowly find out what makes a character tick, and you can make on-the-fly decisions on how someone will act. It's pretty fun.

OK, here's my pathetic, lonely confession.

I'll actually act out my characters/stories sometimes. Sometimes alone, sometimes with a friend who's known me since 8th grade. It helps me see the flow of a scene or idea. I haven't done it in quite a while, but only did it when alone at home with the doors all locked. I imagine it comes from making up playmates when I was a kid. I'm an only child.

jodiodi said:

OK, here's my pathetic, lonely confession.

I'll actually act out my characters/stories sometimes. Sometimes alone, sometimes with a friend who's known me since 8th grade. It helps me see the flow of a scene or idea. I haven't done it in quite a while, but only did it when alone at home with the doors all locked. I imagine it comes from making up playmates when I was a kid. I'm an only child.

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I act out random scenes in the bathroom out of pure habit. My sister has walked into my room twice and heard me talking to myself like that. It's pretty embarassing XD

Matt Willard said:

I act out random scenes in the bathroom out of pure habit. My sister has walked into my room twice and heard me talking to myself like that. It's pretty embarassing XD

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You nailed it on the embarassing part. When I had long commutes to school or work, or on solo trips, I would 'act out scenes' in the car. At least no one could hear me. If they saw me, they (hopefully) thought I was on my cell or bluetooth.

jodiodi said:

You nailed it on the embarassing part. When I had long commutes to school or work, or on solo trips, I would 'act out scenes' in the car. At least no one could hear me. If they saw me, they (hopefully) thought I was on my cell or bluetooth.

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Well, for those cases, I usually just think about fight scenes set to whatever music I'm listening to :V

Yep. Roleplaying will definitely help you with writing and creating characters as well as thinking about how the characters interact with each other. I've roleplayed for years although now I LARP which is still roleplaying but doing it live. (LARP = Live Action Role Playing)

My current WIP was originally based on a role-playing character that I wrote up as part of a class exercise. Then it sort of stewed in the back of my mind for years until I finally started writing it.