Since the pandemic, we’ve all been kind of isolated. Our inability to regain footing with the easy socialization from before the pandemic has hit hard, and nowhere is this more visible than in the production of fiction. I don’t know if any of you reading this are writers, but for me, the pandemic drained the motivation out of me and gave me writer’s block strong enough to be a vaccine. Since then, I’ve been trying to find a way to motivate myself to write fiction again. I keep starting to write a story, envisioning that perfect climactic moment in my mind, getting lost in the idea. I think to myself, “Yeah, I’ve got this, I can start writing again,” but I never do. I keep on trying to put pen to paper, but find nothing for me to fill in the blanks I’ve left between my perfect scene and the roots of the plot. Creative writing isn’t easy. It requires commitment and passion to finish writing a story.
Earlier this semester, my brain finally kicked into gear for a rewrite I had to do of a fairytale for one of my classes. Starting a completely original story is already tough in and of itself, but honestly, fanfiction and other forms of derivative fiction are really tough too. In a desperate bid to push past writer’s block, I pulled out fresh Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) character sheets and started rolling for stats. Full disclosure — despite my apparent passion for D&D, I’ve yet to scrounge up enough friends to play an actual campaign with me. So, going off nothing but the 5e rulebook and prayers, I created my main character, and every time I came across a tough decision, I put faith in my dice.
For those who aren’t aware, in D&D, every player character has a character sheet. On the sheet are stats like Charisma, Wisdom, Strength, etc. These stats are given a numerical value corresponding to dice rolls and, occasionally, campaign-specific limits. Through these stats, characters can perform different rolls and checks, such as constitution saves (not getting sick/poisoned) and strength checks (can your character move this item?). For someone lost in their plot or indecisive about points in a story, rolling these checks can be the quick and easy solution. To my eternal gratitude (I managed to submit the assignment on time), this method saved me hours of deliberation and put the fun spark of risk that motivated my brain and kept me writing.
“But so what?” you might be asking yourself. Well, given how useful this idea was for me, I thought I’d share. D&D being used as a tool for creative writing isn’t a new idea. And honestly, I don’t have too much to add to existing articles that have already argued this point. The important part of this idea is not just the improvement of your writing, but the social aspect of D&D. D&D, like many other tabletop role-playing games (TTRPG), is built on collaboration and improvisation. While the game’s uses and base materials, such as classes, backgrounds, species and locations, can help jumpstart a story, the real selling point is when you bring in the magic of chance! Every time you don’t know how to progress a story? Roll some dice! Roll initiative and let those combat scenarios simulate themselves with the power of addition. When in doubt, leave the result up to fate! It keeps stories interesting and unpredictable, but thanks to the power of character stats, it remains within acceptable logical bounds.
Storytelling is all about balancing the fantastical and the logical, and nothing balances those two elements more finely than a dice roll’s success when calculated within the bounds of known statistics. Listen, I’m as bad at math as a fish trying to walk, so take it from me: the math is pretty chill. The core strength of D&D, when used as a writing tool, is improvisation. Particularly for high fantasy or sci-fi, in worlds where the hardest part of world-building can be power-scaling characters to the world they live in. TTRPGs push players to improvise and adapt to their circumstances, producing more authentic interactions with power, failure and success. A good conflict goes a long way in stories, and there’s nothing more authentic than an actual conflict in the writing process.
D&D is all about building on each other’s ideas and working with others (and their dice) to make a campaign work. In our current political climate, nothing is more important than clear communication and teamwork. Using D&D in writing will support the development of stories, allow for a quicker turnaround (if that’s what you desire) and encourage working with others and collaborative storytelling. Through building upon other players’ ideas and plot points, the story develops more naturally, and players can find more common ground to socialize on. Collaborative creation is a joy I want everyone to experience at least once in their life, and incorporating TTRPGs like D&D not only assists in the creative writing process but also encourages collaboration. As overused as the phrase is, humans are social creatures. Our capacity to share and build upon each others’ ideas is what sets us apart and encourages success. By including more collaborative elements to creative writing, more people will be encouraged to take up writing and making stories of their own. I hope we all find our communities somewhere, and more people may find theirs here.
Contact Levi Lee at leev@oxy.edu
