Forums » Writing Workshop » Read Thread

As part of an, ahem... personal psychological study, I was wondering why do you write storygames in first place, I mean something more complex than "because I like to", thanks :)

Just moved this to the Writing Workshop for you.

I don't really write much so my answer would be "nothing". In the rare instance I am motivated to write it's because of an influx of new ideas.

I can't offer up anything else other than this: I just like to.

I don't get paid to do it nor do I want too. I don't want to make a career out of it either because I know I'm not near as good as the professionals and I have no desire to be a writer.

Sorry. I just write this stuff for fun. I think a lot of people on this site will give you the same answers but that's just my opinion.

I'm more inclined to playing storygames. I see that there are lots of wonderful stories in here, so I'd like to test how my ideas and writing skills as a whole will measure up against a few of here.Though I haven't published my own stories YET.

Also, there are just these times where inspiration comes flooding in, giving me lots of ideas for a story. Usually this happens when I go home from work lol. Maybe because I was tired, so creating stories [in my mind] is some kind of release. Then when I get home, that's the time I write down some parts of the story. So yeah, more like a daydream put into words.

I think a lot of people just want to play the story games, which is why we should make them. So basically, when someone makes a storygame, someone plays it, and if it's a good one, they get motivated to write one, which someone then plays, who gets motivated, etc. This is just my opinion and its why I make storygames-but I havent published yet so I cant really say too much.

I've always had a need to express my creativity, my ideas. I often resolve my own problems by writing about a character with similar problems (usually in the form of ideas he/she isn't quite certain of). 

I also find that everytime I write something, I make it better, so I often try to write and therefore develop my ideas as much as I can. 

I've always read a lot of books, since I can remember I was being read too or reading. So for me it became a way to express ideas or thought. Or a form or escapism- anyone who loves to read should know the feeling of just getting into the world described in a good book and just being sucked in then realize hours have passed while you were reading or imagining the world the author was trying to create.

So from there if I had an idea of a world I would try to put it into writing and try to find a way of getting the world I imagined across to a reader. I began writing in school and even began a fantasy novel at one stage but it unfortunately got shelved due to life and only got a few chapters and backstories/histories written. I started writing on here because I found the site while looking for something to read on my weekly 14 hour shifts and remembered how much I love choose your own adventures. So I must have done 40ish games a a guest then joined the site and did more under my account then decided to give it a go myself. I began writing just bits at a time when I was working late shifts then finished it off over holidays (now editing with help from Aman who is better at finding my myriad of grammatical and punctuation errors than I am.)

When I was a kid I read one of these types of books and got hooked. After that got a ton of ideas and when I found this site started writing them. Yeah that's about it

Well it's mostly like someone here already said - having new ideas, liking them, putting them on the paper/computer.

I guess it's also a bit of power fantasy, escapism and challenging myself. I do tend to read/watch movies, mangas and books with a lot of... 'taking in'. I sometimes refuse to watch/read anymore when the character I'm attached dies or something bad happens to him. It fascinated me. That power to create world, create people, to make something, a curious story, a love story, a horror story, happen.

And since I was writing before, but only on the paper I jumped the horse. It does suck down a bit of my free time, but at least the ideas I get either from other works (movies, books) or just life tend to fuel my writing rage. The only problem is that I can't focus - there are so many interesting things that I can write about. Because it's about it for me - surprising the reader, making him think 'I didn't thought he will do that'.

Well, I don't write storygames, but I can tell you what motivates me to make Forum Games!

I have heaps of ideas for situations, but the characters I used for them started becoming... same-y. So it's good to have other people come up with characters and how they would react. The new characters are refreshing.

There's just something that draws you in about the idea of creating your own world, with its own characters, backgrounds, storylines, beginnings and endings, and then sharing it with another person. I enjoy writing, period, I've been a fanfiction writer for years. But this, this is a little different. It's an interactive world. There's something more personal about that, I've enjoyed playing around in game worlds and story worlds for years, just as I've enjoyed creating them.

One reason I could cite is the characters. When I truly put my heart and soul into their creation, it feels like there's almost a little... life in them. Sharing them with others continues that life, and at times, even allows them to grow (did I mention that I roleplay?) and change and become more... real.

But even simpler than the characters... the feelings. Maybe I want to create the same level of emotion in others that these stories, these games, have brought out in me. Whether it's tears or laughter, the deep sigh of relief or smile of triumph when a likeable character -finally- reaches their goal, or the sympathetic pangs when a would-be hero falls flat on his face... that quiet, reflective, solemn pause you have when you realize you've just read something profound.... or just the simple sense of wonder at vicariously experiencing something new and unlike our own, real world. 

I have enjoyed the human experience with these things, and I want to pass it on... after all, misery loves company, happiness celebrates it, but true joy demands it.

Well considering I have yet to write a storygame, I will transfer this over to writing in general for my case.

Usually whenever I write it is because I feel a story needs to be put down for others to read. Sometimes there is an idea that I have in my head that I just can't seem to get out of it until I write it down, even if I never publish it anywhere. It's also a good stress reliever.

I make storygames off my books so that I can give myself and readers a clearer vision of how my characters think. Plus, it gives me a chance to get creative with possibilties that veer away from the normal plotline.

Weird, I know, but it actually really helps...

I base my storygames off of various things in my head. My best quality one so far has been inspired by my mythos, and my lesser quality one is a fanfic of a storygame so bad that it's amazing. sometimes I write just to put down an idea before my pre-adulthood senility causes me to forget it.

I remember reading the old Goosebumps c.y.o.a. books. Those were the most fun I've ever had when reading. That's what got me into the idea of writing one or more of my own.

Thinking about how exciting it was to actually be able to choose the direction I went in the story, it only makes sense to want to recreate that for other readers.

Besides being able to do what you want to do with a story, the only thing that could make those old stories better is giving more than two options. Which is why writing them is so much fun. You can literally take the story in any direction you want, and that's one of the best parts about it.