This forum is home to a type of roleplay (RP) unique to YWS: the storybook (SB). What makes it stand out is that it's a lot longer than most RPs, and it generally has a much slower pace — in fact, it's more like a novel than a traditional RP. This means the scope of the story being told is often bigger too, allowing for things like grand fantasy adventures and intricate social dramas.
The SB format is meant to appeal to roleplayers who enjoy world-building and rich, immersive storytelling. The creator often does a lot of planning beforehand, which almost always includes providing a character template (CT) to fill out and a profile for their own character (CP) as an example. For this reason, characters are usually created anew to match the setting and plot. Communication among the writers is essential to cohesion and progress, so the out-of-character (OOC) threads are used very often.
A key aspect of roleplaying in SBs (also called "storybooking"; these roleplayers are then known as "storybookers") is controlling the other writers' characters. This isn't normally allowed in the roleplays of the Roleplay Realm and Roleplay Hollow, but because SBs are so intricate and labour-intensive, writing for other characters is necessary for the SB's survival. That doesn't mean you don't get a say for how your character acts in someone else's post, though! There are two predominant styles in storybooking, and how you interact with the other writers depends on which style the SB creator prefers:
- Collaborative Storybooking:
- This style emphasises cooperation and coordination among the different storybookers. More than one person may write for a post, often using either WriterFeedPad or Google Documents. In these cases, the person who will submit the post writes the majority of it, and then one or more of the other storybookers contribute dialogue for their characters (or even additional descriptions, if the main writer welcomes it). This style is excellent for maximising the collaborative experience and encouraging personal interaction among the storybookers, but the main drawback is that it slows down the pace of the story, especially if writers become unavailable or live in different time zones.
- Improvised Storybooking:
- This style emphasises creativity and adaptation among the different storybookers. Each person typically writes their own posts without direct input from anyone else, and though the other storybookers may request an edit if they see an uncharacteristic portrayal, the norm is to find a reason to justify (in their own posts) why their characters behaved the way they did. This style is excellent for accelerating the pace of the story and encouraging storybookers to learn how to accurately depict the other writers' characters, but the main drawback is that it limits any given writer's control over the plot and their own character.
Storybooking used to be exclusively improvised for many years, but collaborative storybooking has since become the more prevalant style. However, both styles are entirely valid, and both are still being used! And what's more, you can blend the styles as you like. For example, some SB creators prefer a slower pace and longer posts, yet everyone still writes their posts on their own, whereas other SB creators prefer a faster pace and shorter posts, yet posts are almost always written by two or more people. If you don't know which style you prefer, try them both and experiment as you like. If you're ever unsure about which style someone else prefers, go ahead and ask them!
Of course, it might be that the expanded depth and breadth of storybooks makes them seem intimidating and too advanced for your taste. That's okay! If you want to create a more casual SB with a plot closer to the roleplays of the RP Realm, that's totally fine; you'll probably end up seeing a few SBs like that anyway. Storybooks can be amazingly diverse, so keep exploring until you find what you like.
As a final note, don't be too discouraged if you're in a storybook you really like and it ends up being archived. Sometimes, people just lose interest in a story, or the commitment becomes too great. It happens. Similarly, if you ever feel a storybook is becoming too much for you, don't feel bad if you need to drop out. Just inform the other writers and be considerate about it.
Reading a storybook at bedtime is supposed to be fun and exciting, and writing a storybook with friends is too! We hope you discover all the joys and wonders this roleplaying format has to offer.
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