[SIFR]

Alright. Here's a theoretical question for you. I'll explain my reasoning behind asking it and then follow up with the question.

Back when I was about... mmm... I'd say 12 or 13 (so about a decade ago), I ran a Freewebs website called Magical Realms of Lore. It was an organization of roleplayers who wrote out their roleplays, and then published them as novels to the general public. We made quite a hit in the writing community in Isle of Wight, if memory recalls. We didn't make it huge though. The two of our members who were in the Isle, as I recall, were recognized by name in their town, but that's about it.

Anyway, we used these roleplays to write novels. Novels about magic, mystery, guardian angels, etcetera etcetera.

I was thinking back to that website today, and now I want to pose a few questions.

1. Have you ever thought of taking the characters that you roleplay with, and incorporating them into a novel?
2. If one of your admins were to come up to you, as a forum, and say, "Okay. We have an original concept going here. Would anyone like to take this and actually write novels with it?", what would you say?
3. Have you ever thought of taking one of the plots from your websites and writing a novel around it, but with entirely different characters for a controlled scenario?

Food for thought.

[Kodiak]

One of my rp ocs started out as a novel character, but i was so young and silly at the time i felt like the story i was going for wasn't as original, at least i thought so. But i wouldn't mind putting him back into a novel if i could ever come up with something original. I know a guy who is/attempting to turn an old rp of his into a sort of published work, not sure on the status, i just know he's doing something like that.

[CRANE]

Oh, I have! Especially since thinking up plots for sites takes up a great deal of detail, most of which may go unnoticed because it's a big role play community and not everybody is going to notice the little bits you put in that might be interesting. So a novel would sound like an ideal place to put it. The number 3 you mentioned is where it's at. The controlled setting and the limitations presented by writing a novel. And as to number 1, it would make sense to think that way about a character, given that you've invested a lot of time and effort into developing them. Role playing kind of gives you that window/leverage to see them in several angles.

[Zozma]

No, I've so far kept my novels and my roleplaying apart. I think some of the story lines I've run or am currently playing would make good novels but I'm way too lazy to do the necessary editing and I think it would be way too weird to ask my partners if they would like to publish. I don't really care if nobody else reads my writing. I just need to write so if I don't make much money off my writing, I don't sweat it.

[pascaline]

I would love to write a book series one day based on one of my site ideas, particularly The Blue. I even wrote a first chapter but I'm not sure how well it'd "sell", especially in today's market. Then again a lot of new authors are doing the whole self-publishing thing using amazon, so that's always a possibility. I also like to make characters that I would like to read about. Though other times when I think of writing a novel, I try to think of a new hero and/or heroine and have my normal RP characters be side characters.

One of my exes actually stole the plot of a site I had ran many years ago, took the entire world concept and some characters from the RPG, wrote his own story for it based on some of the threads and almost got it published. When I found out I threatened to sue, but at least I know my world-building skills are good enough to warrant interest. And that I was right to break up with him :'D

[Zozma]

Sept 7, 2013 7:52:36 GMT -8 pascaline said:

I even wrote a first chapter but I'm not sure how well it'd "sell", especially in today's market. Then again a lot of new authors are doing the whole self-publishing thing using amazon, so that's always a possibility.

That's how I publish. It so far hasn't made me a lot of money but I've had people wondering when the next installment is coming out. I don't personally do it for the money, though, so the "sale value" matters very little to me. I just write because I need to. I wouldn't feel complete without it. So I wouldn't really worry too much about that. If you think you have a story to tell and that people will read it, you should try it.

[pascaline]

Sept 7, 2013 16:39:27 GMT -8 Zozma said:

That's how I publish. It so far hasn't made me a lot of money but I've had people wondering when the next installment is coming out. I don't personally do it for the money, though, so the "sale value" matters very little to me. I just write because I need to. I wouldn't feel complete without it. So I wouldn't really worry too much about that. If you think you have a story to tell and that people will read it, you should try it.

I know it sounds bad OTL I just have a lot of debt so I'm always dreaming of my writing helping me getting out of the hole. But you're right, the writing itself and telling the story is the most important and most respectful thing. I'd like to read your story, by the way!

[Zozma]

EBOOK VERSION is much cheaper than the paperback. It's very short because it's a 60k novel split into 3 parts. I planned to market it as an ebook for a buck each but there was pretty much no profit that way. I don't do it just to make money but... if there's no profit at all, what's the point, right? So I hope it didn't sound like I was bagging on people who want to make money off their books. That's not a bad thing. In fact, for a while, I also didn't want to publish anything I didn't think would sell but... I think it's important to write something you love and you're passionate about. Even if it doesn't seem like it fits in a current trend because somebody has to start those trends! That's the part I was trying to say doesn't matter. Just write what you want to read and what you love. And once you make a name for yourself, it's likely that people will want to buy other works by you so even if you're not raking in bucks at first, just keep marching forward.

[Elena]

1.Have you ever thought of taking the characters that you roleplay with, and incorporating them into a novel?

Yes, I have, even if actually three of my characters (or maybe more than three, if we count those on an unopened site) do come from novels I have written before discovering RPGs. So, yes, both ways.

I have been thinking that some day, if my site dies (nothing lasts eternally. It is alive for 3 years already and I have no intention to close it down while I have at least one writing partner - and now I have many more than only one - but I know that some day it would reach its end, be it in one year or more)I'll write the story how it should have been if everything went how I wanted it. Not how it ended in the RPG, no matter that it is interesting in its own way, but another version.

2.If one of your admins were to come up to you, as a forum, and say, "Okay. We have an original concept going here. Would anyone like to take this and actually write novels with it?", what would you say?

I love it, let's start!

3.Have you ever thought of taking one of the plots from your websites and writing a novel around it, but with entirely different characters for a controlled scenario?

My characters would be the same. Other characters which weren't mine in the RPG, yes, they will be different, entirely mine, even if keeping one or another stray characteristics (ie a little street rat, an Irish red-haired pirate girl, etc.)

[darth vader]

i have no interest in rping any of my serious original fiction chars lmao so they've never seen the light of proboards day

i have considered time to time involving some of my favorite rp chars in stories or novels tho. they'd probably only get cameos w/ altered names but it would be amusing 4 me. they feel a lot weaker than my novel chars tho.

[redox-kun]

huh. now i'm kind of thinking about it

ngl fanfiction was actually my gateway into fiction writing in general. i tried noveling in 6th grade but HAHA MIDDLE SCHOOL FICTION i deleted all dat shit. still too embarrassing to think about.

i tried nano a couple of times. gave up after a few thousand. honestly at this point i question whether i'd be able to write anything longer than rp posts

i think the rp to novel format might be better for me. my problem with writing fiction is that i'll have to write individual scenes or dialogues separately before figuring out how they all connect to form coherent fiction. my fiction never goes from beginning to end, but in small fragments sewn together.

hence why i used to drabble a lot tbh

[SIFR]

Sept 12, 2013 0:13:55 GMT -8 redox-kun said:

i tried noveling in 6th grade but HAHA MIDDLE SCHOOL FICTION i deleted all dat shit. still too embarrassing to think about.

I'll drink to that. -toasts- To burying horrible preteen attempts!

[Zozma]

Sept 12, 2013 20:49:07 GMT -8 SIFR said:

Sept 12, 2013 0:13:55 GMT -8 redox-kun said:

i tried noveling in 6th grade but HAHA MIDDLE SCHOOL FICTION i deleted all dat shit. still too embarrassing to think about.

I'll drink to that. -toasts- To burying horrible preteen attempts!

Agreed. Even thinking about the things I wrote back then... CRINGE.

[Egao, Egao Everywhere]

Sept 21, 2013 21:32:38 GMT -8 Zozma said:

Sept 12, 2013 20:49:07 GMT -8 SIFR said:

I'll drink to that. -toasts- To burying horrible preteen attempts!

Agreed. Even thinking about the things I wrote back then... CRINGE.

you should always save your old works to improved

but then again, that's exactly what I did

but oh my god I just saw this thread. I'd totally write a novel based from a thread. In fact I feel like the things I come up with (site concepts) are better off as fiction/fanfiction but the other way around is GREAT. My plots tend to be pretty big so I think they could fit more than a short story. I feel kind of bad though if it stars my character? It feels like I'm thinking the world revolves around me, just using others to fill the spot.