Using Dungeons & Dragons to Help Write Your Novel: an Interview with Evan Fleischer
by Writing Workshops Staff
A week ago
Evan Fleischer, a contributor to The New Yorker and The New York Times, is about to take you on an unexpected journey—one where the magic of Dungeons & Dragons meets the art of novel writing. In his 15-week workshop, Using Dungeons & Dragons to Help Write Your Novel, Fleischer invites you to step into a world of creative collaboration where your novel's characters, plot, and worldbuilding come to life with the same thrilling unpredictability as a D&D campaign.
For writers who crave immersive storytelling and dynamic character development, this class offers a groundbreaking approach. Fleischer will guide you in using the structured gameplay of Dungeons & Dragons to explore your novel in real-time, creating characters as real as your party members and plots with twists that feel both organic and surprising. You'll leave this workshop with a world that feels richer, characters more layered, and a novel well underway.
Whether you're a seasoned fiction writer or a D&D enthusiast looking to harness that narrative magic, this workshop is your chance to bring your story to life like never before.
Writing Workshops: What inspired you to create a writing workshop that combines the elements of Dungeons & Dragons with novel writing? How do you see the game enhancing the creative process for fiction writers?
Evan Fleisher: The inspiration came from realizing an intuitive truth: a 'traditional' MFA workshop prioritizes silence and critique. Like I said last time: this demands experimentation. It does not feel counterintuitive to build a class that enables storytellers to build a story in real time with each other, together. Just as a 'traditional' writing workshop -- at its best -- enhances one's critical abilities, a workshop like this enhances one's ability to listen to the vast array of particulars that comprise a fictional world and then act.
WW: In your experience, what unique storytelling lessons can fiction writers learn from the structure and gameplay of Dungeons & Dragons that they might not get from traditional writing methods?
EF: One thing that's unique to D&D is the fact that it places the emphasis on 'listening' to the characters and to have the honestly heard character's choices be the thing that drives the story forward, subsequently creating the 'plot.'
WW: Can you give us a glimpse into how the Dungeons & Dragons sessions will be integrated into the class? How will they help participants develop their characters and storylines?
EF: Here's the thing: D&D is the class. We take a half-hour break to write after a certain point in every session -- maybe a writer wants to explore something they didn't have a chance to in the flow of the game -- and it's that writing that is then filtered back into the 'adventure' through a combination of oral feedback, written notes, and good-old-fashion 'yes-anding.'
WW: Worldbuilding is a significant aspect of Dungeons & Dragons and novel writing. How does the game help writers think more deeply about the worlds they are creating in their fiction?
EF: Worlds frequently fracture a storytelling frame. Being mindful of worldbuilding means being mindful of the world -- and, therefore -- of what might constitute the most 'honest' telling of a story.
WW: What challenges do you anticipate for students new to Dungeons & Dragons? How will the class accommodate both experienced players and beginners?
EF: I am always open as a teacher, but I am confident in the abilities of whoever sits down at my table. Dungeons & Dragons is collective storytelling with friends with dice that tell us what we can or can't do. We have all told a story to someone. The dice, the rules, and the character sheet are things we learn with time. Any good table is interested in collective success and a positive experience; it's not interested in 'who knows the game the best.'
WW: You’ve written for prestigious publications like The New Yorker and The New York Times. How has your experience in journalism and literary writing influenced the design of this unique course?
EF: Art is just as much yours as it is mine. Knowledge is just as much yours as it is mine.
WW: By the end of the 15 weeks, what do you hope students will have achieved with their novels? What kind of growth and progress should they expect from this blend of gaming and writing?
EF: Ideally, I'd like to see maybe 40-50 pages of bulletproof prose and for each student to have a decent plan as to where their books are going to go.
Evan's Using Dungeons & Dragons to Help Write Your Novel starts soon!
Instructor Evan Fleischer is a writer, editor, and recent MFA graduate. He has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Guardian, The New Republic, Slate, The Washington Post, Vice, and numerous other publications.
