Posted by David Artstone on May 27, 2010
Advances in communication technologies have opened the door to a whole host of innovative new forms of creativity. Concepts such as social networking, twittering, texting, and even chat are giving us new ways to talk to one another. In so doing, they are also giving us new ways to tell stories to one another, or to create stories with others from around the world.
The first innovation is the delivery method. With applications such as twitter, or texting, or even to some extent Facebook and social network status updates, the nature of communication has been fundamentally altered. The world wide web is a glut of words, and so these services have forced us to edit ourselves, fashioning our long and windy thoughts into succinct packets of information, which we then transmit into the world.
When it comes to telling a story, trying to fit all of your concepts into short discrete chunks of verbiage can be difficult. However, like writing a haiku, there is a certain beauty to it that elevates your spirit, as well as your writing ability. It also gives you a whole new voice with which to weave the tapestry of your tale.
However the impact of social networking technology on storytelling is far more dramatic. Just look at the major social networking players. Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, they are all set up so that people can tell one another the story of their lives. However it is a seamless storytelling, not merely of words, but also of pictures, preferences, quizzes, connections, and brief momentary thoughts, all collaborating to describe a very personal tale.
When applied to fiction, these concepts can get really interesting. Suddenly your story is no longer the single litany of a stranded soul expressed on parchment. It can become more than just a written description; it can take on a life of its own. You now have the ability to create a multimedia experience, more subtle than the cinema, but much richer than a simple book, which plays itself out in real time as you conceive of each plot twist and post it online.
But the potential doesn’t end there, because these technologies do not exist in a void. Their very reason for existing is to help foster communication. That means that the virtual story you are telling, the life you are breathing into your characters, is automatically connected to millions of people around the world.
Further, these people can do more than just passively view your work. They can actually participate in its creation. They can write comments, or challenge you with blogs. They can create characters within your story, and twist the universe in directions you would have never thought possible.
As more people become comfortable with these technologies, you will see an evolution in the nature of storytelling. It will happen gradually, with brave artists pioneering the outskirts of creativity. But eventually, the nature of the story will become more collaborative, more dynamic, and more engaging for the artist and their audience.
Jim Slate is one of the many artistic pioneers pursuing new forms of storytelling on http://www.RolePages.com – An in character fictional social network, where you can create a profile as any person, or creature, that you can imagine. Then engage in interactive storytelling with a wide variety of creative individuals, all of whom are also operating under the guise of their own imaginative character.
Posted by David Artstone on May 9, 2010
Empathy is a powerful tool for understanding the world around you. It opens you up to a whole new realm of possibility in expressing artistic expressions.
In order to write any decent piece of literature you have to start with character. Compelling individuals are the most important part of any tale. They are the reason for the story and the vehicle for the action. When writing about vampires, it is important for the author to try and get inside of the psychology of these creatures. You have to understand the mind of immortality, the soul of the killer, and the lust for blood.
The vampire is a dichotomy of elegance and danger. They are born in violence, being taken into the dark covenant by another of their kind. Whatever particular details may exist, the vampire’s birth is always painful, and it always involves blood.
Yet this birth is the gateway to a whole new world; a world of power and immortality. One thing that almost all vampire tales have in common is the power of the beast.
So the birth of this creature is the death of the prone mortal, the weakness, the overpowering by a greater being. And yet in this process the person is reborn into a new, much more powerful existence.
In some vampires this could cause them to reject their old humanity, to hate it, to turn away from all things mortal. This is a rejection of weakness. When coupled with the vampires need for blood, it can lead to a violent reaction to humans in general.
On the other hand, many vampires go through a second emotional rejection, hating what they have become and longing for the simple life of mortality that they have left behind. The dichotomy of these two desires can tear apart a vampires soul, if they still possess one.
This article was written by Jim Slate on behalf of RolePages.com – in character vampire roleplaying. RolePages is a social network where you can be anyone that you want. Sign up as a vampire, werewolf, demon, psychic, barbarian, elf, wizard, or any crazy thing you can imagine.
Posted by David Artstone on March 27, 2010
The world is a very pretty place. Beauty sits above everything, with colors, lights, and magic everywhere. On top of this, human’s have created an even more perfect world, less beautiful, but more orderly. But this is all just one aspect of reality. When you get beyond the beauty, you see a savagery, a powerful and undeniable nature to the world which is still… attractive, but is not the simple perfection that we see all around us.
The werewolf is a creature of the inherent chaos in the world. It is a human, but one that has gone back, back beyond even the days of the caveman. The werewolf is an instinctual creature, one that runs with the pack simply because it feels right to do so.
This can lead to dangerous consequences. We can’t forget that in history, the werewolf is a monster, an enemy, a creature to be feared and killed. And yet we can understand them according to a different light. We can see within the idea of the werewolf, the idea of our own primal spirit.
We are animals, bound by our own sensibilities. Just beyond civilization is a mad crazy world of passion and power. This strange universe exists within each of us; it is our heritage, the nature that drives us on.
We can see this most clearly in art, which actually makes the werewolf an expression of the human condition. As people we are controlled in every situation. We have to restrain ourselves, hold on to the primitive passions which build up in us. Yet, this need has to be expressed. Art allows us to let the beast run free without having to worry about damage and trouble. It is catharsis for the beast within.
When you watch or read about these creatures, don’t merely accept them as evil. Instead understand the part of them that exists within you. Learn, grow, and become better, by using this cathartic agent, to allow your own spirit to roam the world, at least in this limited form.
This article was written by Jim Slate, a man who has written on a very broad series of topics. This particular article was been written for http://www.RolePages.com – a werewolf role playing community where you can sign up as anything that you can imagine, and can participate in expansive multiplayer ongoing storylines.
Posted by David Artstone on March 8, 2010
Slate and Artstone – Role playing is the act of assuming an imaginary identity, along with others, in order to act out a story in real time. There are a wide variety of mediums that can be used to engage in these activities, ranging from real life costume play, to internet based interactive technologies. Roleplaying in a chat room is a unique experience because it provides the mental stimulus of writing a book, but in real time, with others participating in the writing of that book. In this way, it’s a truly improvisational act of creative acting, done in the form of characters on a screen, and visions in the mind.
With nothing but imagination and descriptions to work on, it can be difficult to imagine a scene, especially when action happens in real time, with other living people shooting ideas, actions, and story plot twists at you in real time. Engaging in this type of activity helps to increase your ability to think on your feet, while also teaching you to be a better writer, both in form, and in story creation.
The writing of a book is actually a very isolating experience. You have to work entirely on your own. Even when collaborating with another author, the actual writing is a singular process that can in extremes cut you off from external reality.
Chat roleplaying is a writing process that actually connects you with other people. It’s creative, without being isolating. It is actually an evolution of the old game, where a story is written one line at a time, each line being written by the next person in a circle. However in roleplaying through chat, you can actually assume the role of a character, allowing you to get emotionally invested in the story you are creating.
After the chat is over, a good roleplay site will provide a transcript of the action. This allows players, and those who were not present at the time, to read over the written actions of the characters who participated, much like reading a novel written by a variety of hands.
RolePages is the world’s first roleplaying chat room and social network. Designed much like other popular social networks, on RolePages you sign up for an account as a fictional character, creating a profile, and uploading pictures and videos to express who your character is.
Posted by David Artstone on December 18, 2009
Slate and Artstone – I met this one at an elegant and formal party. I had slipped into silk, he was dressed in something more complex.
I long ago lost the need to feed, so now I feed my faded lust. He was pretty, and haughty, just the way I like them.
It did not take long to make her leave his side. One thing leads to another, which leads to another which causes this one to fall, which makes that one back up, which cases the table to shake, the cup to spill, the dress to stain.
And she’s off in a huff, not a terribly attractive way to make an exit. Plenty of room for me to slide in
Men believe anything when their hard. The first part was easy, the second was easier. Before he knew it we were walking out back, innocent enough.
I never make the first move. I don’t have to. All I have to do is wiggle the worm, present it out there, ripe and juicy.
He was a good roll, not that I feel it anymore. At least in that lust I got to take a sip of his soul, that is always sweet ecstasy. Of course that’s not why I do it.
The look on her face was even better. Everyone had seen us wander out back. I know how to be conspicuous when I want to be, and every man and woman’s eyes were on me, even as were his own, glued, locked onto me. It was a simple thing for her to ask around
and to be answered
out back…
with some woman…
But she was only gone a minute!
And then, stained, soiled, and sundered, humiliation and rage, pain, sorrow, loss, the air rushes from her lungs, the blood from her heart.
I nudge him, even as I rise, magnificent in my naked splendor. I want her to see me, to see not only what has been taken, but also that which took it, to know that I am better
Then I take my leave, and even as I go, I can feel the glow rising from them. A real, true moment, an instant of perfection, locked forever in time, crafted by my design
This story was written by Jim Slate on behalf of http://www.RolePages.com – a chat / forum roleplaying community built around a social networking dynamic, to allow you to interact with people as anything that you want.
Posted by Jim Slate on November 30, 2009
Social networking technology has changed the way communication works. There are a variety of new levels of interaction that are possible. This is not only connecting people in new and unique ways, but it is also allowing people to tell stories across a whole new range of media. On the cutting edge of this new technology, creative individuals are experimenting with the basic elements of the story itself.
Roleplay is an act of imagination, where you gather a group of people together, and each one assumes the role of a character. Then they act as that character, in order to further the story. Everyone adds their own perspective to the piece, and the resulting story is made up of the whole.
Social networks such as facebook were created to allow people to tell stories. You are supposed to use them to tell the story of you real life, through the use of pictures, videos, and written submissions in a variety of forms.
This ability to tell stories can, with a little tweaking, be used to tell fictional stories. You don;t necessarily have to talk about yourself on these networks, you could sign up as just about anyone or anything you can imagine.
The story can then be told and expanded on through a series of interactions with others on the site. These can be other fictional characters, or they can be real people. The addition of extra people to the story breathes new life and energy into the tale, invigorating it.
The problem is that most of the big social networking sites expressly forbid their members from creating fictional characters. They want the site to remain a haven for real people to interact. This is often stated in their terms of service,a nd violation can result in your character being banned from the site. While this rule is usually not strictly enforced, its presence alone is enough to hamper most roleplaying endeavors.
http://www.RolePages.com is a community that was created to fill the void in creative social networking. Similar in structure to facebook, the site describes itself as being a social network for fictional characters. Members are encouraged to sign up as anyone that they can imagine, and then to tell the story of their character through a series of forums, blogs, chat rooms, as well as through the submission of pictures, videos, and audio files.
Social networks are a new frontier in the art of communication. Using them as a medium for telling stories is a trend that is just starting to catch on. As the sophistication of the technology increases the ability to create fictional works using these tools is only going to improve.
To read more about this subject visit RolePages.com an in character roleplaying social network where you can sign up as anyone or anything that you can imagine. There you will find more information on facebook roleplaying, as well as an eclectic cast of members including werewolves, vampires, fairies, psychics, aliens, madmen, monsters, demons, and anyone else that you can imagine.
