Advice/Help I can't write long responses

[Revna Eris]

Okay. So... I have a bit of a problem. I can't write long responses for every turn, and while I do know it is not a requirement for everyone, it is for some. I don't want to miss out on a good roleplay partner because I'm not good enough. Any tips at all to help me write longer responses would be great.

 

[MiracleGrazer]

I think you should let partners know you want help on writing during RPs! If they are willing to help, then you’ve found a friend and someone dedicated enough to not only help you but stick with you throughout the RP! Those who are not willing to put in the time to help seem more concern about themselves than their own writing, you can learn a lot just from teaching alone

 

[WolfSol]

As MiracleGrazer said, always mention that to your partners and ask them for tips, aid, and such. It's not a problem to admit that you may be stuck.

Roleplay is a way to improve your writing, keep that in mind. To improve in something, sometimes we need another's help. Additionally, keep in mind that writing when you're stuck is a good method of improvement. Writer's Block does not exist. If you are stuck, imagine your character and the situation they are in. If you were that character, what would you do? What would you notice or interact with? If you all are at a coffee shop, do you tend to look around and ignore character B, do you notice the hot barista, the smells, or do you look out the windows... maybe judge character B's hair, the music, or worry if you left the oven on or forgot to feet Mr. Cuddle-Buns, the calico cat that thinks its a dog?

 

[Eonivar]

Usually when I am stuck for writing length and if I am awake enough I look at different things:

• I start asking questions: Who, What, Where, Why, How and l then look for details in those answers to divulge.
• I look at the five senses, also I look what the character is thinking and feeling. Both External inputs and Internal inputs.
• I love to describe the little things we do when we communicate and interact, and many times it leads to interesting quirks or tells for the character. The way a character with a prostetic hand adjusts their glove to hide it, or the way someone moves their finger down the page when they turn the page. Many of those things make the scene you are writing that much more...real in the readers mind. The way one shuffles and scrapes his feet when they walk, things like that.

 

[myfanwy]

honestly, don't stress too much about trying to make your replies super wordy and long. that's my best advice because it's the one i've used throughout the years.

when i first started, i wrote... a paragraph at most, three sentences at the least. looking back on it now, i'm quite embarrassed, however, once i started practicing my writing outside of a role play setting- where i could take my time and make mistakes without the stress of someone calling me out for it- i got to the point where i am now. i would also recommend not abandoning your own style of writing just for the sake of putting more words into your post.

as chad said, describing the little things can go a long way, same with describing your characters thoughts and feelings at that moment. my favourite fall back is to do a little character introspection, and, in one of my current role plays, i like to detail his inner struggle at conflicting thoughts swirling in his mind. it can make your post longer ^^

good luck and don't stress too much!

 

[Revna Eris]

A lot of this feedback helps so I'm really greatful to those who spent the time to type up an answer to my question. Thank you for doing it! I truly do appreciate it.

 

[ceolsige]

I do want to add --never make a post longer just for the sake of it being long. An RP partner that just wants a bunch of "fluff" to read through isn't worth trying to impress.

My posts tend to get out of hand long because I get carried away including my character's thoughts and body language.

 

[Idea]

Well, I want to start by saying this- you can't please everyone. By that I mean nomatter what you do you can only roleplay with so many people at once, heck you won't even be fully aware of all the RPs you could be participating in, so missing out on a few roleplays that could potentially be good, it's not a big deal. That said, it is commendable that you want to improve so I hope I can be of assistance, but do know that your priority should be making whatever RPs you do have great, not look for more which might be good, because an RP will only be as great as you and your partner(s) make it.

The first thing I will advise, apart from what I already said, is that you research into writing itself. Stuffing a post for it's own sake is pointless, but a true masterpiece is made by putting the detail in the right places for the right reasons. And while I would love to give you those, it's a case by case thing which involves knowing a series of guidelines (note the word guideline and not rule) and involves knowing your specific character. So looking up tips and general knowledge of writing will boost your own understanding of how to make a post that has more real content, be that in the form of action, characterization, foreshadowing, tone-crafting, world-building or whatever else.

So, obviously, I could never give you, in a single post, the kind of scope which even I don't fully grasp. However, I can try to hand you some basic ideas you may want to consider when you start trying to increase your content size with relevant ideas:
1. Show don't tell- Basically depict things happening don't say they happened. For example, you can avoid saying "X is feeling depressed" and instead say somehting more along the lines of... "X couldn't so much as find a reason to go on. Why try, why put effort into what they are doing, why? Isn't it all pointless in the end?" It's longer the point can be felt and related to instead of just aknowledged.

2. Know where you're going and prepare for it- Detail and size... take extra work. I'm sure you already know this. But the thing is, writing a detailed long post is not the same as writing for a casual short post. Why? Because there are different expectations in those posts and one of them has to do with form. If a casual format is more about the characters coming to life and interacting, then the detailed is more about telling a rich story. As such if you want to delve into this side of roleplay then you need to get prep work done. Don't ad-lib your posts. At the very least lay them out so that you can fill in the spaces more efficiently and have some idea of where you want the character to grow to. Of course, this doesn't mean ignore the story, if the story pushes the character in a different direction, then fine, but at the very least set up where the character is going. Add a bit of foreshadowing and if it goes nowhere then it went nowhere, but if you at least give your character some direction and are aware of it, then you won't run out of material until the climax- by which time you should storming with all kinds of ideas.

3. Know what you're trying to convey, why and how. Get into your character's head- While it certainly is not impossible to write from a cinematic point of view thinking that it is easier to write well from such a view is a mistake. Always ask yourself what you want to do, what the character wants to do, and how those things can align. Ask by what means you can get there. And ask why you would choose one path or the other and why the character would. The simplest form of this is in actions. If you want your character to eat a poisoned apple for the plot, but the character likes the pie not the apples, then you may need to bring to their head that they are doing it as a favor or bring up something that will make the character self-conscious about their weight or anything like that. Now suddenly you have not just the action of eating the apple, but the entire thought chain and potentially a trigger to describe, plus eating the actual thing.
Yet this goes way beyond what an action could show. Just by getting into a characters head you get the advantage of describing things in perspective rather than objectively. Make your character talk and act like who they are not as a cardboard cut out, by say, altering what they compare things to, or making them notice details that others might find irrelevant or just getting emotional about something others might not. This creates content.
To summarize this point, basically no action is just an action, no object just the option, no thought just that thought, but each are composed by a series of traits and experiences a character goes through when they are perceptible to them. And not only do each of these experiences let you add more to your posts size, they can be very useful story-wise as they can later be details you can use to create plot twists or move the story foward.

2.Add in-between actions- Besides just body language is your entire behavior comprised solely of doing whatever your main activity is? Do you never find yourself distracted by a secondary thing or just doing it to pass the time while you do some other activity? Do you have no mannerisms or quirks? Think about the answers to those questions, and then think of how much you are putting that into your posts where your character is in.

5.Don't just ignore the inside (or the outside)- While point #1 and #2 already expressed this in a sense, it's still important to press that you shouldn't at any point simply ignore if your character has a particular reaction to something, a feeling towards something or any kind of thought or impression. Even if they seem mundane, telling apart which to focus on and which to gloss over is something that you can only learn with pratice and that is the pratice of seeing them put into your posts. But

6.Out of Camera- Use this technique seldom. It is extremely useful and important to any writer, but if you abuse it you got yourself a killer for any RP. Out of camera is a term I just made up for anything which is not happening but which one still focuses on as if it was. Flashbacks, tales being narrated or described for purposes like comparison, etc... all of these fall into this group. It's great because it essentially allows a breather from the current plot to something different and perhaps more exciting, and use that to reflect on the current situation of the actual plot. However, precisely because you're pulling out of the scene doing it too much or at the wrong times cna actually break the flow of the actual plot too much.

7.Sidekicks- basically any entity capable of acting on it's own which you can use to complement your character in terms of size. Easy to use, but try to keep it to a restricted group of characters.



Hope this all helps! Again, experience and research will be your best teachers, but these are some rough lines to maybe aid you in your journey of self-improvement. Best of luck!

 

[Idea]

An RP partner that just wants a bunch of "fluff" to read through isn't worth trying to impress.

I'm just going to hope that this is just some poor wording and that you're not actually implying that just because someone has a particular taste in what they read that makes them "less worthy" of being impressed somehow

 

[Revna Eris]

I don't believe that's what they meant. I think they meant someone who only wants a roleplay with no exact plot isn't worth trying to impress. I don't think they're trying to say they are "less worthy" more that while effort should still be put in, the person working with someone who prefers a whole bunch of "fluff" shouldn't be as stressed about how they reply. Of course I'm not ceolsige so I can't say for sure. That's just how I interpreted it. I know you didn't ask for my interpretation I just wanted to give it. I apologize.

 

[Idea]

I don't believe that's what they meant. I think they meant someone who only wants a roleplay with no exact plot isn't worth trying to impress. I don't think they're trying to say they are "less worthy" more that while effort should still be put in, the person working with someone who prefers a whole bunch of "fluff" shouldn't be as stressed about how they reply. Of course I'm not ceolsige so I can't say for sure. That's just how I interpreted it. I know you didn't ask for my interpretation I just wanted to give it. I apologize.

No need to apologize. You came in defense of someone who tried to help you. That's called loyalty and integrity, both qualities of great man and woman

 

[ceolsige]

I'm just going to hope that this is just some poor wording and that you're not actually implying that just because someone has a particular taste in what they read that makes them "less worthy" of being impressed somehow

I mean anyone who belittles another person and demands they pack a post with useless filler to make it "better." I'm a fan of the long, detailed posts, myself.

 

[ceolsige]

I don't believe that's what they meant. I think they meant someone who only wants a roleplay with no exact plot isn't worth trying to impress. I don't think they're trying to say they are "less worthy" more that while effort should still be put in, the person working with someone who prefers a whole bunch of "fluff" shouldn't be as stressed about how they reply. Of course I'm not ceolsige so I can't say for sure. That's just how I interpreted it. I know you didn't ask for my interpretation I just wanted to give it. I apologize.

Exactly. : )

 

[myfanwy]

/'nam flashbacks

 

[Idea]

I mean anyone who belittles another person and demands they pack a post with useless filler to make it "better." I'm a fan of the long, detailed posts, myself.

Sure but I don't think that was at all in topic?

 

[ceolsige]

Sure but I don't think that was at all in topic?

Okay. In my post, I simply meant OP shouldn't equate a long post with a better post because that is the way some people define the standard. That is all.

 

[QuirkyAngel]

I'm pretty sure even the detailed rper can't write a long post every turn without running into a writer's block or three. There's no need to feel inadequate just because one's writing style is short, sweet, and to the point. Concise writing is a skill too, one that puts weight behind individual words so that the message is conveyed effectively without having to be long-winded..

But if you're looking for tips to lengthen posts, my tip would be to look at other posts. Have your character take notice of what other characters do. Does your character have an opinion? Do they like the other characters' actions? Hate it? Why? You can have your character notice details about another character. Make connections. Get opinionated. Not only will that lengthen posts, but I can guarantee the other rpers would appreciate their characters being noticed. Also by focusing on the things around your character, you keep to relevant details instead of going into tangents such as your character's deep traumatic backstory (unless you manage to make a nice connection of course^^). You can also draw ideas from the posts before you.

Another detail I've noticed about lengthy writers is that they like to, well, describe things. It's not just, he glanced at her. It's he glanced at her with green eyes that appear to be lazy and disinterested. Every action, every thing, mentioned in your post can be described. Given a bit more detail. If you think like that, it's not so hard. Say you have a scene in your head. Write it out, then re-read your post and look for things that could stand to use a bit more description. If you find that a table was mentioned in your post, ask yourself what sort of table was it? Is it round? flat? square? What type of wood is it made of? The more things you give other rpers, the more they can notice, which in turn propagates further lengthy writing. Little details add up. More importantly it's all based on your imagination. A lengthy writer has a vivid imagination of the scene in their head that they want to share with others. They add to a setting. What I notice about a lot of shy rpers, is that they won't touch the things other players have placed into the setting for fear of stepping on toes. Like if I said randomly my character noticed a river somewhere in my post. I didn't describe my river because I didn't care what sort of river it was (my character only wanted to wash their face). But you could. You could say it was a fast-rushing river with dangerous currents, or a tranquil, still one where a bird can rest and take a sip without fear. Description adding isn't just limited to your own post. You can add to what other people write as well.

I'll leave with one final comment. Lengthy writing isn't something you can just do in five minutes (unless you're some kind of master writer). It takes time. It takes re-reading your post and seeing where you can improve (there's few writers who can say I love my first draft the way it is. It is perfect). That's why, when I see a lengthy writer, I think that they put a lot of thought and care in their post. Not to say that their writing is excellent, or that the details they add are always the best, but they put a lot of effort to churning out a post that they think will have a better chance of getting a response. They give the person replying a lot of options and things to notice so they don't have to be bored (you don't have to notice everything). Yet, if you feel that you don't have the time to do that sort of writing, it stresses you out, makes you unnecessarily tired or hate your craft, then don't. It's almost always better to just put up a short post than to procrastinate on writing to the point where you dread it (for some it takes the fun out of things). If that's all the words you can churn out per post then that's all the words you can churn out (even detailed rpers have limits)...but the mark of a truly skilled writer, in my mind, is one that keeps writing even in the face of difficulty. Everyone faces writers block every now and then...and sometimes you just have to churn out a short post to get past that point. Explain that to the other rper. If they are lengthy writer's they'll understand, having experienced something similar themselves.

 

[Trompe lOeil]

Gonna echo what others have said and agree that long is not always better. That said, here are some things that work for me:

1. (probably most important) - Inner monologue. That's where 60% of my post length comes from, in general. If I were trying to stretch the actions my character was doing and saying into a longer post, it'd be boring. Instead, I write about what my character is thinking and feeling, even if it doesn't match what they're saying. Especially if it doesn't match what they're saying. I do this in a few ways:

a. Take stock of the moment. What's going on around them? How does it feel, both physically and emotionally? How did they get here? Even figuring out what emotions they're feeling and describing why they feel that way is useful.​

b. My characters are actively thinking about what's happening. They're not just acting in the moment, they're reflecting on what just happened and what they're going to do next. This is almost definitely just a personal preference of mind, but it might work for you.​

c. For some characters, I literally write their thoughts. Uh, Trompe lOeil, this example is kind of pedantic, they thought. Better get back to talking. This can often create a nice juxtaposition between their inner self and what they present to the world.​

2. Read the post you're replying to. I just comb through for things I may not have noticed at first. Oh, their character stumbled a little? The ground's probably uneven. Maybe that affects my character too. This can backfire if you reply to every little thing the other person/people are talking about (and can devolve into lots of conversations going at once), but it can give you good info to build off of. If they start describing your surroundings, pick up where they left off. Describe something they haven't talked about yet. Or describe how that scenery affects your character.

3. If you're stuck, do something. Propel the scene forward. Add another line of conversation, or another action. This doesn't always make sense, but if you've been in a pattern of simple replies back and forth for awhile, it should be a nice addition. If that wouldn't make sense, consider a (rare) flashback. Does this scenario remind your character of a time in their past? Have they always hated or loved doing this, for a particular reason?

I hope some of this helps! Happy writing : )

 

[StoneWolf18]

Advice/Help - Stone's Comprehensive "WTF is detail" Guide

 

[Sara Sidereal]

You're done writing when there's nothing left to remove.

 

[Darkmaster006]

Another great idea is to have a clear and concise idea of what you're about to write about. Usually, this is easy to do if you list some points depicting what's going to happen in that post. Let's say 'walk' 'clothes' 'write' 'whatever'. And you write these words on top so that you remember where you're going, of course you can add stuff inbetween, but I think it's pretty helpful.

 

[Birdsie]

Long responses are useless when they add nothing. Write clearly in a way that is easy to read. What you are doing is imagining a scene, putting that information on paper, and then the reader must process that information and interpret it, then based on that, recreate the image of the scene.

Once you have no more detail to add, no more action to flesh out, no more description of the setting to expand on, and no structure, just stop writing and post. Only write long responses when there is something to expand upon and write about.

 

[mister_fawx]

One of the best rules for writing I ever learned is that every line is either an action or a reaction. Start there. React to what was said or what happened, reflect on what your character would do, and then take an action in response. Think "out loud" at first and then edit it a little before posting to make it all shiny. It takes practice, but any good writer will that longer is not always better. If quality of response isn't beating quantity of words, you might be in the wrong group.

 

[kevintheradioguy]

Long and good aren't the same. You can give out ten pages of a post so wattered down, it turns to mud. Or a paragraph full of action. Often, for example, dynamic scenes require short posts. If your partner cannot understand that, need you a freak like that.