by Rikijeanne

Created on: August 03, 2009

Role playing not only provides value to literature, it is used in the business world on a daily basis. While some may acquaint role playing only to literature or games and such, it has always been an essential tool in strategic successful marketing. If you can't assume the role of the people who are going to buy your product, then your product will more than likely fail. In literature, a successful writer must be all things, to all people.

It's similar to how role playing is used in customer service relations. In order to understand why the customer has the attitude he or she when calling, the customer service representative must first and foremost, listen. If a customer is angry or annoyed, the best chance you have at pacifying the customer, is to mirror their feelings. If they are mad, be mad for them, play the role that brings their temperament into a more passive state. Most customers just want someone to listen to their problems, then sympathise with them. If you try to pacify an angry person with a defensive attitude, chances are they will either become more hostile, possibly asking for your supervisor, or even hanging up on you. You might think that's alright, but the results could be devastating. What happens when they bad mouth the company or the product, or you, all over town, to anyone who will listen; will you still have a job?

In literature, the writer has to not only become the good guy, he also has to become the villain, the hero, or the one who needs saving. He literally has to mirror each and every other characters responses, including their attitude and the tone in which the words are related. This is no easy task. In order for a well written piece of literature to become well received, each individual character has to be understood and validated in their role. As an example, supposed the hero is speaking to the villain, who is threatening the poor frightened damsel in distress. The writer not only has to take on the character of the hero, and the villain, but he also has to mirror the feelings of the damsel in distress. The writer has to chose his words carefully, taking into consideration, that what he says may frighten the damsel even more.

Some may think that all it takes for a well written piece of literature is words on paper, that couldn't be further from the truth. Consider what you would do in certain situations such as, when one of your family members is sad and crying. Would you walk quickly up to them laughing? Probably not. Hopefully you would stop and think about how they feel, and about what you would say and how you would say it. When you understand how they feel, you might realize that you too would feel the same way in that situation. Knowing and feeling their feelings, helps you to better comfort them; this is a form of real life role playing. If someone you love was scared or frightened, wouldn't you approach them quietly, so as to not frighten them more? Wouldn't you speak softly, using words of encouragement like, you can do this, I know you can? We do real life role playing everyday, that is where most well written literature comes from, real life.

The best literature I've ever read, was nothing more than a well told story or event, that happened in the writer's life, or in the life of someone they knew. Some of the best fiction literature and yes, even game ideas, come straight from the imagination of someone who has mastered the art of role playing. By understanding and applying this principle to any writing, you can make that piece of work more personal and interesting to the reader; a genuine work of art.

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