Experiences Does writing calm you or stress you out?

[Celestial Water]

I think it depends on the roleplay and the partner.

I tend to be pretty laidback and versatile with my style. I am happy to exchange short sharp regular messages but also do long multi para.

for short sharp message and/or with laidback partners, I find it calming. with roleplays whereas if i'm writing in more detail or with partners who have higher standards, I find it a bit more stressful as it takes up more mental energy to create.

Very true for me too! Or trying to change writing styles is hard too. I prefer introspective and if I’m with a highly descriptive writer (which is rare these days) I burn out quick in the RP! It just doesn’t feed my muse like introspection does. I like to leave some things up to the imagination when it comes to description.

 

[StuartAnderson]

Very true for me too! Or trying to change writing styles is hard too. I prefer introspective and if I’m with a highly descriptive writer (which is rare these days) I burn out quick in the RP! It just doesn’t feed my muse like introspection does. I like to leave some things up to the imagination when it comes to description.

Yes! I'm naturally very intropsective too. I've tried writing more descriptive styles but i'm not particulary good ad it.

 

[Dreamtique]

Writing, like all other things, produces stress. It is in my nature to be stressed, and seldom relieved of it; I rarely relieve myself of stress, finding difficulty in such processes. Stress is productive, simply a shame that I have to deal with it to the point of psychosis with intermediate regularity.

Hm, I guess no one dares to claim to be truly free from stress, it's something intrinsic. If we can't escape it, having a healthy relationship with stress, in general, could really help you out and gives you 'the push'. But then again, each person tolerates and responds to stress differently, the key is finding the optimal dose for yourself and don't be too greedy with it subconsciously, I suppose.

Both. It’s not so much the writing as it is trying to figure out the course of action my character is supposed to take. I’m a recluse and yes I do separate myself from my characters but that also means I don’t have a whole lot of worldly experience. So I do get caught up in myself trying to stay true to canon or trying to make my original characters’ actions align with what’s happening. This is the part of the writing process that causes me the most stress. There are rare instances where I may ask my writing partner for advice but I hate doing this bc I don’t want to feel like someone’s holding my hand in the RP…I just cringe and hope it works but I have had to do rewrites before. Which I’m okay with bc writing to me is therapeutic.

Edit: Thinking about it. I do get writers block when life is really stressing me out. So, I’ll stop writing to decompress.

Yes! I'm naturally very intropsective too. I've tried writing more descriptive styles but i'm not particulary good ad it.

I can relate to the 'lack of worldly experience' part. That affected my ability to do highly interesting worldbuilding, descriptive writing, or even portray some characters that are supposed to be more 'street smart'. But that's not so much of a source of frustration for me, I just avoid those, although I wish I can try them.
I greatly admire people that can do interesting worldbuilding and portray fun, street-smart characters.

 

[StuartAnderson]

Hm, I guess no one dares to claim to be truly free from stress, it's something intrinsic. If we can't escape it, having a healthy relationship with stress, in general, could really help you out and gives you 'the push'. But then again, each person tolerates and responds to stress differently, the key is finding the optimal dose for yourself and don't be too greedy with it subconsciously, I suppose.




I can relate to the 'lack of worldly experience' part. That affected my ability to do highly interesting worldbuilding, descriptive writing, or even portray some characters that are supposed to be more 'street smart'. But that's not so much of a source of frustration for me, I just avoid those, although I wish I can try them.
I greatly admire people that can do interesting worldbuilding and portray fun, street-smart characters.

Yeah I 'm not really into that so I am happy to avoid them. I'm more than happy for people to get to the point lol.
I think I have it in my head it's 'better' so I should do it, so I try but it never sounds as good lol

 

[Celestial Water]

I admire those writers that can portray street-smart characters too. That’s why you’ll see me stalking crime or gang RPs on here bc I just can’t RP those types of people. But it doesn’t help that I don’t watch or read crime media so how would I even start to understand it. For now, I’m just content reading peoples’ stuff on here. Hehe.

 

[Chroma Doll]

Both, and it really depends what I'm trying to achieve or what the topic of the rp is.

Writing has been one of my main hobbies, something I have loved to do for YEARS. But there have always been walls I run into repeatedly.

For example; not knowing where to take the rp next. This may not necessarily fall under a writer's block (where I don't know what to write at all anymore/not feeling inspired), but I am often given too many options to the point I just don't know what the best option is.
Or the feeling that I really want to write, but that writer's block is breathing down my neck. And I always fear asking my writing partner(s) for help, because otherwise it just feels like I am incapable of coming up with things on my own all the time. While in fact, I am perfectly capable of coming up with new ideas, just not in those moments.

Another thing that stresses me out is when someone continuously asks me when I'm gonna post. My interests, along with my mental health and energy, fluctuate quite a lot. And I genuinely can't stand it when someone expects me to write a 9-paragraph post every day as soon as I get back home from college or work.
The latter itself is another problem, the demand for long posts all the time. I refuse to write with anyone who expects novella-style posts from me anyway, and I find it ridiculous how some novella authors mock those who are "not on the same level" as they are when it comes to literacy.

I write to have fun, not to be stressed out while doing so. It's a hobby, not a job.

 

[Vafhudr]

It kind of works both ways. When a wave of thoughts fill up my mind I feel overwhelmed and feel the need to make write ups. But midway through typing, I'll hit a bump or wall, and feel stressed out when I can't express the ideas that I come up with.

 

[Fortuna]

It depends. I’m really laid back most of the time so it’s more of a fun, creative activity. It can get stressful when I’m trying to push my limits (vocabulary, word count, etc.) or just get overwhelmed with trying to keep up with my partner.

If I’m looking for calm writing activities, I usually journal or write freeform poems. I think it’s just more personal than rp without the added pressure about thinking of a symbolic narrative/allegory.

 

[Walliver]

It’s a mix of both. If it has been a long day, and I’m itching for something to do, then roleplaying/writing definitely calms me down. It gives me something to do and allows me to focus my energy towards something enjoyable.

But if the person/people I’m writing with have an aggressive post schedule or pester me for more writing, it definitely stresses me out.

I don’t like having a rushed schedule, but I’m good to write on my own time.

 

[Eviexe]

Writing for me is a process which calms me down; gets me to focus on something that is a singular entity. It allows me to hone my focus and have a creative space where I can be fixated on something. I appreciate the writing process and the cataclysm of having one thing to do. Can writing be anxiety-inducing? Oh, hell yes. RPing is unique, and the variables depend on the partners, nature, structure & how you feel. It’s never a straight road that can be travelled and if some RPs are stressing you out — it’s okay to say — no, I am not good with this right now and step back.

Time constraints can certainly be a telling factor in panic, more so when people want daily posting. I almost try exclusively never to join RPs which want or have that requirement. Weekly posting is fine for me, monthly posting perhaps makes me feel the‘ safest’ in an RP. Not to say that an RP is bad for having expectations. You need to keep things moving & rolling, the best way is to create some curve for all those to abide too. Interest is fickle, and you want to stoke those flames for as long as you can.

But life gets on top of me more than I can expect and extensions are a wondrous thing.

 

[GrumpySwallow]

I have a very active imagination. Writing it all down, even if I don't do anything with my ideas, gets it out of my brain. However, RPs with very high standards, such as post length requirements, stress me out. I won't join RPs with heavy post requirements. I want RP to be a calming and fun activity I engage in after getting home from work and the gym, not a second job.

 

[Steve Jobs]

Writing in it of itself is neither stressful nor relaxing. Deadlines however, can be very stressful. Aside from having horrible time management a busy schedule, I've found that writing with too strict of a time constraint exacerbates my writer's block so I try to avoid any RPs that require overly frequent replies.

 

[rueberry]

Writing for me feels like a good kind of stress! It's similar to the feeling I get when trying to get past a hard level in video games but I wouldn't mind it that much because I am enjoying my time as a player. It feels good to try to figure things out, whether its writing out a character's actions and going about how they would get past certain conflicts or arcs or whether it's completing a boss level in a video game- I find both something worth putting my time into. It's frustrating at times when I can't seem to find the right phrases or seam of sentences to perfectly transfer the vision I have for the characters & plot in my mind onto paper but I definitely enjoy the process and just trying to figure out how to make things work. If I can't seem to figure things out in the moment, I take that as a signal to take a breather and come back to it later with a fresh mind and perspective. I find that writing helps me turn any excess energy I have at the moment into creative means instead of just letting it build up inside of me which ends up making me feel stifled.

 

[Marzopup]

Writing in an RP setting is relaxing. I've found RP/character creating to be probably one of the most effective ways of managing my anxiety; I'm a naturally anxious person, and while I've been fortunate enough that I'm normally able to manage it without needing outside help, RPing definitely helps when it gets especially uncomfortable for me. A lot of my partners are shocked by how quickly I reply to threads, but it's because I feel more stressed by just having an unreplied thing just sitting there. xD

Partially, I also RP fandoms because I find that less stressful than my other writing, too. I'm not making a living anytime soon, but I have been published in a few places, and there's just way less pressure in an RP. I feel less pressure to edit--it isn't that I'm not trying as hard to have good writing, but there is less pressure when it's something only shared between two people in an already made world.

 

[BackSet]

Writing can be stressful sometimes but mostly it just gets me excited. I love writing a lot which is why I want to get into screenwriting.

 

[Calyx]

Both.

I think those that claim writing is stressful tend to take on more than they can handle or set unrealistic expectations for themselves. I've been there, I know what it's like, and sometimes it's trial and error until we learn our limits. Writing is supposed to be a hobby, not a job, so it SHOULD be a way to relax. That said, Roleplaying is a little trickier as you're not only committing to yourself, but to others as well, and I think most have that empathy of feeling kinda crummy when they can't deliver to their partner(s). For me, though, I've been striving to make it more and more of something I can relax to by setting realistic limits only for myself, but also for the folks I write with as well.

 

[Murdergurl]

Unfortunately, it's both. I love to create characters and plot and worldbuild. But oftentimes, once I get myself involved in an RP, it very quickly begins to stress me out as I suddenly feel obligated to write instead of just casually creating what I want and when I want. It is very much a cathartic experience for me to sort out my character(s) and their background and attach all kinds of lore and supplemental sheets and artwork to them. But once the ball gets rolling, I find that my fun muse has now taken on the role of a chore. Between having a busy home life and a hectic work schedule, finding regular time to interact in-character posts is a pain in the ass and often kills my mood to write. It's a vicious cycle.

 

[threetoads]

Writing in general is either pretty relaxing or a satisfying problem solving exercise for me. It's the act of actually showing that writing to someone else that's stressful and no matter how confident I am in an idea as I write it, the moment it's done is the moment I feel like scrapping it all.