Hello, Lovely Soul Drop! I'm delighted to show you my first guest on this blog. I loved reading his words and I hope you enjoy them too! Here it goes:
Writingriting is never an easy task. I still shiver at just the thought of a blank Google Doc. But you know what is easy? Playing a tabletop game with your friends. Okay, maybe not easy. You still have to build a character, roleplay, and make decisions with the rest of your adventuring party. That's not even the responsibility of being the Game Master. But it is a great hobby to improve your writing. Here are 3 amazing reasons tabletop gaming has helped me become a better writer. #1: Worldbuilding Worldbuilding is one of the most important parts of writing. A novel is only as good as the engaging world in which it takes place. Even if you're writing something nonfiction, like an article or blog, you still have to tell a story to captivate your audience and hold their attention. Tabletop games thrive on their worldbuilding. Having been a Game Master in more than one campaign now, I realize this firsthand. You need to make complex societies, diverse belief systems, characters with unique and interesting motivations, and more! Planning for a campaign is a lot like planning for a novel, but with added pressure. What do you do when your characters do something unexpected? Now, I know writers often talk of their characters having minds of their own and this is true. But your friends are a different ballgame. I've had to create entire locations on the spot (I'm looking at you, Reef Town) and the elements I improvise usually end up being better than I planned. I once invented a magic punk band called Death Blood whose songs drove people to mind-controlled violence. My players loved it. I never could have made it up without the energy that a tabletop game provides in the moment. This is why it's so good for writing. Not only do you get to flex your creative muscles like writing a novel, but you also have to improvise as a Game Master or a player. This will teach you how to always get your stories back on track and how to always tie things back to your main point. You'll be prepared for anything. #2: Making Connections Connections are another important element of writing that tabletop games demand of you. What do I mean by that? Well, tabletop games are a group activity. If you're the Game Master, you need to draw common lines between your group and their dynamic while also connecting them to your greater world. If you're a regular player, you need to understand how your character fits in the group and their world, drawing lines from your backstory to the present day of the game. Oftentimes, this pressure makes for unexpected greatness. In all my campaigns, I ensure all my characters and their pasts connect to the main goal of the game's story. Maybe defeating the bad guy involves a fetch quest of objects from the players' hometowns. Maybe one player's estranged family member went missing and unknowingly mentored another one of the players. The possibilities are endless and this applies to regular writing. When I write essays in university, my professors often praise me for connecting works in unforeseen ways. Believe me, people need to see something new and fresh after a long day, even if it's an interesting article. Without tabletop gaming, I wouldn't have as much experience connecting complex thematic and logical dots. #3: Understanding Different Worldviews Ah, to see the world through the eyes of someone else. To love thy enemy. We certainly need a little more of that in the world, don't we? Tabletop games have you covered there too! That's not to say that all worldviews are perfect or good, but writing makes it necessary to at least understand those you don't agree with. Like I always say, every antagonist thinks they're the hero. And every story needs a great antagonist. Just like in writing, a tabletop campaign needs an awesome villain. We call them the Big Bad Evil Guy or BBEG. So how do you make a good one? Well, the best villains aren't unnecessarily opposed to the heroes for no reason. Often, the hero and the villain want the same goal through different means. Batman and the Joker want what's best for Gotham. Iron Man and Thanos want what's best for the universe. Politicians (usually) want what's best for their country. They all have different means to the same goal. Similarly, the adventuring party and the BBEG have different means of accomplishing what's best for their world. It's your job to understand both perspectives to accurately pit them against each other if you're the Game Master or defeat the BBEG if you're the party. Of course, this is going to dramatically improve your writing. You will be able to better understand other writers' works and your own work in a way you never have before. So if you're stuck in a writing rut, get your friends together (online until after Covid!!!) and try out a tabletop roleplaying game today!
Writing is never an easy task. I still shiver at just the thought of a blank Google Doc. But you know what is easy?
Playing a tabletop game with your friends.
Okay, maybe not easy. You still have to build a character, roleplay, and make decisions with the rest of your adventuring party. That's not even the responsibility of being the Game Master.
But it is a great hobby to improve your writing. Here are 3 amazing reasons tabletop gaming has helped me become a better writer.
#1: Worldbuilding
Worldbuilding is one of the most important parts of writing. A novel is only as good as the engaging world in which it takes place. Even if you're writing something nonfiction, like an article or blog, you still have to tell a story to captivate your audience and hold their attention.
Tabletop games thrive on their worldbuilding. Having been a Game Master in more than one campaign now, I realize this firsthand.
You need to make complex societies, diverse belief systems, characters with unique and interesting motivations, and more! Planning for a campaign is a lot like planning for a novel, but with added pressure. What do you do when your characters do something unexpected?
Now, I know writers often talk of their characters having minds of their own and this is true. But your friends are a different ballgame. I've had to create entire locations on the spot (I'm looking at you, Reef Town) and the elements I improvise usually end up being better than I planned.
I once invented a magic punk band called Death Blood whose songs drove people to mind-controlled violence. My players loved it. I never could have made it up without the energy that a tabletop game provides in the moment.
This is why it's so good for writing.
Not only do you get to flex your creative muscles like writing a novel, but you also have to improvise as a Game Master or a player. This will teach you how to always get your stories back on track and how to always tie things back to your main point. You'll be prepared for anything.
#2: Making Connections
Connections are another important element of writing that tabletop games demand of you.
What do I mean by that?
Well, tabletop games are a group activity. If you're the Game Master, you need to draw common lines between your group and their dynamic while also connecting them to your greater world. If you're a regular player, you need to understand how your character fits in the group and their world, drawing lines from your backstory to the present day of the game.
Oftentimes, this pressure makes for unexpected greatness.
In all my campaigns, I ensure all my characters and their pasts connect to the main goal of the game's story. Maybe defeating the bad guy involves a fetch quest of objects from the players' hometowns. Maybe one player's estranged family member went missing and unknowingly mentored another one of the players.
The possibilities are endless and this applies to regular writing. When I write essays in university, my professors often praise me for connecting works in unforeseen ways. Believe me, people need to see something new and fresh after a long day, even if it's an interesting article.
Without tabletop gaming, I wouldn't have as much experience connecting complex thematic and logical dots.
#3: Understanding Different Worldviews
Ah, to see the world through the eyes of someone else. To love thy enemy. We certainly need a little more of that in the world, don't we?
Tabletop games have you covered there too!
That's not to say that all worldviews are perfect or good, but writing makes it necessary to at least understand those you don't agree with. Like I always say, every antagonist thinks they're the hero. And every story needs a great antagonist.
Just like in writing, a tabletop campaign needs an awesome villain. We call them the Big Bad Evil Guy or BBEG.
So how do you make a good one?
Well, the best villains aren't unnecessarily opposed to the heroes for no reason. Often, the hero and the villain want the same goal through different means.
Batman and the Joker want what's best for Gotham. Iron Man and Thanos want what's best for the universe. Politicians (usually) want what's best for their country.
They all have different means to the same goal.
Similarly, the adventuring party and the BBEG have different means of accomplishing what's best for their world. It's your job to understand both perspectives to accurately pit them against each other if you're the Game Master or defeat the BBEG if you're the party.
Of course, this is going to dramatically improve your writing. You will be able to better understand other writers' works and your own work in a way you never have before.
So if you're stuck in a writing rut, get your friends together (online until after Covid!!!) and try out a tabletop roleplaying game today!
Isn't he amazing? Follow him on Instagram @domisanerd
The latest episodes of my podcast:
Let's Connect Monday: https://anchor.fm/bellemoon99/episodes/Lets-Connect-Monday-39---Prompts-ep4icu
Let's Be Kind Thursday: