Do you keep a journal for your character? If you do, what do/don't you write in it? Does it enhance immersion for you? On the other hand, do you ever find that taking the time to write entries breaks immersion or gets in the way of enjoying the game?

[blockquote][b][url=/profile/mitchblatt]mitch blatt[/url] said:[/b]

Do you keep a journal for your character? If you do, what do/don't you write in it? Does it enhance immersion for you? On the other hand, do you ever find that taking the time to write entries breaks immersion or gets in the way of enjoying the game?

[/blockquote]

I've personally always enjoyed journaling my adventures in the TES games I play. To me it was probably the best way of roleplaying; after you play through the events, it is now your character's turn to process them and put them to paper. I think it helps settling on what kind of person your character ends up being.

Despite this, I did encounter a small more personal problem whenever I did this and this eventually brought me to stop journalling completely. I can't start journalling without then wanting to share the story; elaborate upon it and make it mine completely (aka adapting it into a setting I own instead of it remaining pure fanfic). It's a writer's tic I guess, but it's one that gets you an awful great heap of extra work if you're not careful.

I have the problem of planning ahead a bit too much. A week ago, my plan was "do this quest, go here, do this, then this, in this exact order. Be sure to write this, this, and this in my character's journal, cuz it'd make a good story", but then I decided to do something more freeform where I just plop my character in Skyrim with a goal and see what happens.

Lovely discussion, mitch!

I used to do this a lot, not so much anymore, but I still think it has great potential for RP use and is one of the easiest ways for someone to get really invested in their character.

Back when I first started roleplaying I really struggled seeing from my character's POV while playing - it was always just me controlling a character and thinking about what they would think. Journaling helped me interpret what I did after I played, because I found it easier to get into their head when I was writing from their perspective instead of playing (guess thats just a personal thing).

But then again I almost exclusively journaled after a session is over, not during, because I needed to keep a constant train of thought to propery get into characters heads. The exception to this would be when the character would be journaling as well as me - so like a scholar, adventurer or spy type who would want to document their deeds. I'd also always do this at an inn or when resting for the night so it'd feel like it's after a 'session' for the character as well.

What style do you use when you journal? First person? Or is it more of a list? Do you insert opinions or just keep it facts? I'd be interested to know people's different styles.

I'm gonna have to start doing this. Looks really fun.

[blockquote][b][url=/profile/Zonnonn]Zonnonn[/url] said:[/b]

Lovely discussion, mitch!

I used to do this a lot, not so much anymore, but I still think it has great potential for RP use and is one of the easiest ways for someone to get really invested in their character.

Back when I first started roleplaying I really struggled seeing from my character's POV while playing - it was always just me controlling a character and thinking about what they would think. Journaling helped me interpret what I did after I played, because I found it easier to get into their head when I was writing from their perspective instead of playing (guess thats just a personal thing).

But then again I almost exclusively journaled after a session is over, not during, because I needed to keep a constant train of thought to propery get into characters heads. The exception to this would be when the character would be journaling as well as me - so like a scholar, adventurer or spy type who would want to document their deeds. I'd also always do this at an inn or when resting for the night so it'd feel like it's after a 'session' for the character as well.

What style do you use when you journal? First person? Or is it more of a list? Do you insert opinions or just keep it facts? I'd be interested to know people's different styles.

[/blockquote]

I do first person, and try to include opinions. Do you pause, write the journal, then wait to make time pass in-game?

[blockquote][b][url=/profile/mitchblatt]mitch blatt[/url] said:[/b]

I do first person, and try to include opinions. Do you pause, write the journal, then wait to make time pass in-game?

[/blockquote]

A lot of the time I like to hear the ambient noise of the tavern, so I'll leave the game on while writing. But I exclusively write when I finish playing, so next time when I start playing I can just wait to an appropriate time. Doing this in the middle of a session might be tricky as in-game time is so much faster.

[blockquote][b][url=/profile/RogueSilver]Rogue[/url] said:[/b]

I'm gonna have to start doing this. Looks really fun.

[/blockquote]

Do it! It's one of the simplest and most effective ways to get into your character's head, in my opinion of course.

I've always wanted to do this, but never had the patience. Sometimes writing up builds ends up being a rushed playthrough as I'm trying to push to high level to see if everything works. With my latest Skyrim playthrough I want to slow down, and reallly feel like it's the character's journey, so I'm jotting down a few notes after each session. Then I'll have the material to write it up later if I have time.