Let's Play A Game

#FreeWriterFriday

Writing the middle of your story can feel like your sinking in quick sand.

Your characters sound like they're all the same person with different names

And somehow, writing your fantasy world feels less fun than.

Prompted by AJ Louis with Midjourney AI

Cool.

Now that we’ve acknowledged the funk, let’s talk about flipping the script—literally.

I’m gonna show you how turning your story into an RPG can help you see it with fresh eyes, break through creative block, and even finish the damn thing.

This isn’t theory.

I’ve done it.

I built a card game for it.

I ran sessions.

I turned gameplay into a story arc.

And…It worked.

Let’s break it down.

What You’ll Find in This Article:

• Why stories fall apart in the middle

• How role-playing helps you find momentum again

• My “Make-As-You-Play” method explained

• Behind the scenes of Paper Play Arcade and The Grand Arcade

• How to convert gameplay into a written story

• What’s coming next (hint: GPT-powered story building)

• Sign-up links if you’re stuck and ready to move

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🎲 Wanna Build Your Story in Real-Time?

If you’re struggling to bring your story together, I’m creating a course for that.

But first, I want to talk to people like you…folks who are stuck but serious.

Story Sprints & Jams are coming soon.

Live co-writing games.

Think narrative improv meets group therapy.

You’ll leave with actual story progress, not just vibes.

Drop your info HERE

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🎭 The Curse of the Middle

Prompted by AJ Louis with Midjourney AI

Let’s be real: the beginning of a story is all spark.

And sometimes the ending comes to us first…

We all see how our story starts and ends…

But the middle is where most of us lose steam.

Here’s what usually kills it:

• You’re bored of your own plot

• The stakes feel muddy

• All your characters sound alike

• Dialogue turns into filler instead of fire

• You can’t tell if your pacing is too fast, too slow, or just flat

This is where most drafts go to die.

♟️ Play Your Story Instead of Just Writing It

When I hit that wall, I didn’t outline harder.

I didn’t go reread Save the Cat.

I turned my story into a role-playing game.

I dealt cards.

Assigned roles.

Framed a world.

Then I let people play.

I watched them make decisions, clash, surprise me.

I recorded it all and that became the story.

Here’s the breakdown of what I now call the Make-As-You-Play method:

1. Start with a loose prompt.

   Use a world, a conflict, or a question.

   Don’t over-plan.

2. Invite players.

   Let them choose characters, abilities, inner flaws, goals, and stakes.

   Let them shape the tone.

3. Frame the story.

   Set the scene like a Game Master would.

   No exposition dump.

   Just a problem, an environment, and a vibe.

4. Let them play.

   Decisions, dialogue, and dynamics.

   Don’t interrupt.

   Don’t control.

   Record everything.

5. Write from the logs.

   Take the best parts; the tension, the humor, the unexpected…and build your narrative on that foundation.

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🕹️ The Grand Arcadia Was Born This Way

Prompted By AJ Louis with Midjourney AI

I tested this out with a card game I built called Paper Play Arcade.

We launched into a story I named The Grand Arcadia—a cosmic train that carried passengers from different timelines, all stuck in narrative limbo. Each player embodied a character, picked a struggle, and dove in.

I framed the world.

They filled it in.

I gave stakes.

They made moves.

And their choices shaped everything.

That story…every twist, every piece of dialogue, every reveal…was powered by play.

It wasn’t perfect.

But it was alive.

And that’s the point.

Catch it here: THE GRAND ARCADIA

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🔁 From Game to Draft

Once you’ve got game logs, it’s like having a rough draft full of unexpected gold.

You’ve got:

• Realistic dialogue from actual people speaking as characters

• Tangible stakes based on in-game consequences

• Organic pacing, because scenes unfold in real-time

• Unique voices, because everyone brings their own flavor

• Surprise plot twists, because even you didn’t plan them

All you gotta do is shape it.

Tweak the tone.

Layer in prose.

And suddenly, you’ve got something richer than anything you could’ve over-planned.

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🧠 A GPT That Plays With You

For subscribers only: I’ve built a GPT that helps you create your world, build characters, then lets you play it out as a game.

Not a passive writing tool.

A partner.

You’ll:

• Create arcs and dilemmas

• Play out conversations

• Make decisions

• Get instant feedback

• And when you’re done, it turns it into a written narrative you can revise

I’ve been building it in the background for months.

If you’re not subscribed yet, now’s the time.