Pokraujte

Pokraujte is a label used in online communities to describe a collaborative storytelling practice in which participants contribute sequentially to a shared narrative, effectively continuing from a prompt or the previous entry. The format is informal and relies on voluntary participation rather than a fixed ruleset.

Origin and name

The term appears to have emerged in internet forums and social platforms in the early 2020s. It is commonly regarded as a playful misspelling or adaptation of the Czech or Slovak word "pokračujte," meaning "continue." Because there is no formal standard orthography, spellings vary and the term can be encountered in several closely related forms in online discourse.

Gameplay and structure

A typical pokraujte session begins with a short prompt or opening paragraph. Each participant adds a sentence or paragraph, depending on the agreed length, with an aim to maintain narrative continuity, tone, and character consistency. Communities often impose lightweight constraints such as word limits, genre prompts, or rules about referencing the previous contribution to ensure coherence and smooth transitions between entries.

Reception and variants

Critics argue that the format can lead to uneven pacing or derailment if participants do not coordinate. Proponents see pokraujte as a low-barrier form of collaborative fiction that encourages creativity and inclusive participation. Variants include text-based chain games on messaging platforms and themed rounds focusing on specific genres, styles, or constraints to guide the developing story.

See also

Collaborative fiction, Writing chain, Round-robin storytelling.