It might seem like nothing but play, which could well be true since some MOOs exist only for gaming. However, there is something to be said for play. Writers need to be able to write freely. And when we do see polished work, it's because writers have had help polishing their words. Editors of all kinds of publications books, magazines, newspapers, journals, newsletters often receive copy that needs attention, and writers benefit from the work those editors do.
Writers also get help in workshops.
Students, if they are lucky, can show their teachers and classmates drafts that are in various stages and degrees of readiness, or they can simply talk about what they might want to write about. Sharing writing sometimes even before the actual drafting has begun is part of the writing continuum. MOOs can be integrated into that continuum. MOOs are places of verbal creation, both in their interface and the spontaneity that ensues when players converge in a room and begin to talk. In online discussions students create and discover new thoughts at a rapid pace.