A poll to my friends list: HP_Dungeon readers and not.

[icarus]

Are you reading hp_dungeons?

Here's what I'm finding in the RPG madness:

- It breaks inertia with fresh insights, input.
- It gives you the chance to work with many excellent writers, all at once.
- It is a like a movie set. Hurry up and wait, completely messes with your schedule.
- It is a tremendous time-sink.
- It develops some bad writing habits, dependency, and breaks down story structure as the story is pulled between several people.
- It is addictive.
- It concentrates your energy for a small readership; everyone else is left out in the cold.
- It's ephemeral. Once you write it, it's gone. People don't look back and read it later.
- It reduces your story to 'attention grabbers', there's a flattening that happens over time that I can't explain, except it seems to be related to the story structure being pulled in many directions.
- It has politics behind the scenes.
- It is well-nigh impossible to write your own fanfic while you're doing an RPG (at least that's what I find).

What do you think?

Are you waiting for stories that don't seem to be coming?

Are your RPG experiences similar? Different?

Comments

[femmequixotic]

It is for me. You guys are just amazing writers. I never know what you're going to do next, and you have the voices of the characters... just - oh. I am so impressed, and it is such a joy to work with you guys.

As it is for me as well...God, I can't tell you how incredible it is to write with you and Isolde. I've adored your work as it is, and to be able to collaborate like this just blows me away.

Oh yeah. Remember that Halloween conversation with Snape, Draco, Percy and Lucius (and Rita, even though she was only there for the beginning)? Awesome.

Unbelievable. God that was so much fun.

I don't know how you and isolde9 are doing it, I really don't.

It's hard sometimes. Especially with both of us having two characters. Frankly, I'm really glad that our primary interactions stay between those four. We've got Snape/Draco down to where we can add bits and pieces of the other's character without feeling like we have to check every single thing. Harry and Ron are starting to get to the same point, I think.

But it's a lot of work at times.

Naturally, Harry is the lynchpin on how many plots?

Oh, Jesus. Everyone's? *wry grin* I know of at least five off the top of my head other than his own. And I'm positive I'm overlooking one or two.

But the collaboration has been the best part, especially when I don't know what the other character is going to do or say. That's something you don't find in fanfic.

Yeah, that's one of the things I've loved about it. Because you have that opportunity to play the characters off someone else. It's fascinating. You get such interesting insights. (For example...Percy? God, you've given me such a different take on him...one that I just love.)

I confess, my addiction has impacted my life very badly, and it hasn't improved since I quit work to focus on school. I think I'm going to have to wrap up our story lines in HP_Dungeons after all.

Oh, God...I hope not. I'd hate that, really I would. I mean, I understand completely. I really do. But still. *sniffs*

I opened up a post on the author's LJ about this. So far seems like everyone has the same opinion...that we definitely need to slow things down. Significantly. For our own sanities. *wry smile*

I'm thinking calendarize the plots so that we rotate and give everyone a break when needed. Plus that would give us all breathing room to prepare. I'm looking at scribbulus_ink's serialization and wondering how we could implement something along those lines...

Quite frankly, compared to other RPGs this is going really, really well (knock wood). You've done a terrific job of handling what comes up, and you deserve the credit for how little in the way of politics there has been.

*blush* Aw, thanks... So far everyone's been really great.

So far this week I've had three requests for updates on Snape Manor, one request for the next chapter of Beg Me For It, one request for another part of First Signs of Magic....

I know. I've gotten requests this week for a sequel to Whence All Good Things, a continuation of Moon in Aquarius and the sequel for PSRT. *sighs* And I have two, three other fics that I really would like to finish up.

And I haven't read anything major in weeks. Just snippets here and there. Had to force myself the other day to take time to read the latest two chapters of Procul His...

I'm really, really going to have to slow things down a bit on my end once the Harry/Ron/Hermione kerfuffle calms down. If I don't...argh. I worry about that, since Harry is involved in so many plots...but that's precisely the reason I'll have to. He'll be spread way too thin and I think it will end up hurting everyone's end result.