How do you write about the internet?

A nonfiction forum?

If fiction or RPG based it'd be something like Ready Player One or litrpg type stuff.

If nonfiction and short story, it could maybe be almost epistolary, but it depends how much content takes place "in text".

If it's primarily their " dialogue" (posts) and interactions, Kiss Of The Spider woman (Manual Prig) might give you some ideas.

Otherwise it needs a framing narrative I feel, or an added dimension. Things the characters are doing/saying in real lives around their forum posting.

I've read a few graphic novels (online ones) which centre entirely on the interactions of people in a chatroom.

A chatroom is easier than a forum as it is real time, less disjointed, and you could have that tight cast if you want it, plus the opportunity to log off and follow different people.

Depends how married you are to the idea of a forum versus a chatroom I guess! Personally I think chatrooms are good fodder for writing. Lots of drama.

It may help if your forums or chatroom has a very driven focus. Not just "we're here to talk about politics or whatever" but, we're here to raid/roleplay/debate/plan protests etc.

YMMV. *throws ideas at you *

You are approaching virtual reality. How will you retain reader interest in such an unchanging environment?

I am a big believer in plot, characters, and setting, all as tools to help keep readers immersed in the experience of reading your work.

Virtual reality can have a totally fluid reality but it depends how crazy you want to go with representing it.

If you do thrash out a full ms at some point I'd be interested to read. It does sound challenging but could b really interesting. I guessing you will have to rely a lot on interiority and/or writing reactions to posts.

flowerburgers said:

Enlightened, why couldn't a story set online have plot, characters, and setting...?

Click to expand...

If your story takes place strictly on a forum, there is a potential of losing readers (immersion in the story), due to things like boredom. You can have very interesting plots and characters, but I think the setting element (if strictly doing a story in an online forum) might be hindered. You can have all three elements, but can you have a setting that immerses people into the story (leaving them a strong desire to read through till the end)?

Enlightened said:

flowerburgers said:

Enlightened, why couldn't a story set online have plot, characters, and setting...?

Click to expand...

If your story takes place strictly on a forum, there is a potential of losing readers (immersion in the story), due to things like boredom. You can have very interesting plots and characters, but I think the setting element (if strictly doing a story in an online forum) might be hindered. You can have all three elements, but can you have a setting that immerses people into the story (leaving them a strong desire to read through till the end)?

Click to expand...

It would be a challenge, but if the writer has a vision and the skill to manifest it, there's no reason it couldn't be done effectively. (Just my opinion. )

Stephen King's Mr Mercedes has some of the action happening online, including in an online forum.

I don't see how online conversations/interaction would be any less interesting or immersive than any other dialogue. Whether it's engaging or not depends on how well it's written and how interesting you can make it. Lots of people enjoy reading online conversations and interaction in real life. It can be entertaining in a soap opera/fly on the wall kind of a way. There's no reason why you can't recreate that in fiction.

As online forums etc are a written media, IMO it lends itself to epistolary novels, but as all novels are a written media, you can easily switch between online and face to face interactions. It's just a matter of formatting it so it's clear (there are other threads in here on that).