Heyrist

Heyrist is a fictional term used to describe practitioners of a collaborative storytelling approach, primarily in speculative fiction and online role-playing communities. The heyrist method centers on shared world-building, consensus-based narrative governance, and transparent record-keeping of decisions.

Etymology: The word is a coinage combining the interjection “hey”—often used to call attention in online chats—with the agentive suffix “-rist” borrowed from words like artist or historian. The exact origin is uncertain, but it began appearing in community-driven writing spaces in the early 2020s.

Origins and spread: It emerged independently in multiple collaborative writing and fan-fiction forums as an alternative to traditional, author-centric storytelling, especially where many contributors shape a single setting. It gained particular traction in wiki-style communities that track canon decisions and narrative changes.

Practices: Heyrist practice includes regular collaborative sessions, public decision logs, and a focus on accessibility and inclusivity. A heyrist may act as facilitator or archivist, proposing rules, adjudicating disputes, and ensuring changes are documented in a central wiki or log. Decisions are typically made through discussion and, when possible, broad consensus rather than unilateral authorship.

Reception and usage: In some communities, heyrist is valued as a method for equitable co-creation; in others it is seen as a label signaling a preference for process over personality. The term remains niche but persistent in certain online writing ecosystems, where it is used to describe both a mode of work and a community ethos.

See also: collaborative writing, participatory culture, world-building, canon management.