Lengthening posts

[Daughter of Hades]

(:*)(:*)we all know the horror of Looking at your post you spent hours on only to discover it consists of: James grinned. "Ya lets go!" GAH!!(.A.) I,Daughter of Hades. Have that problem. So if anyone has some advice on lengthening posts please help!!

 

[Baron Cimetiere]

Well My first bit of advice is never resize it just so it looks big, People never like that. I think you should try and add in more detail if your having problems such as this. You could describe the Environment, They're personal thoughts & feelings hell maybe bring up something from the past if it reminds them of something. You could also try using a better range of words which could help lengthen something whilst also making you look like a competent writer.

 

[Penelope Burns]

Try describing the environment your character is in (The room looked like a shrine built for Napoleon himself, with no less than three paintings and four French flags, as well as over a dozen books lining the mahogany shelves about the man's various exploits. Whoever the owner was, they were obviously obsessed.), the thoughts your character has (Damn, this guy is a moron, how the hell does he think he can take me on in a fight?), what actions they take during a post (are they walking, eating, tossing a ball in the air, etc.), or how they react to another character's comments or actions (Jennie was appalled at Jorge for kicking the poor puppy, part of her wanted to tackle him and force an apology from his ratlike face).


Note that I didn't put much effort into the examples, but there is plenty one can do with a single scene. And this isn't everything, but a good portion of what can make up the bulk of posts.

 

[simj26]

Write more on the character.


You want others to know what the character is like, what he/she thinks, what he/she is doing, and make sure it isn't unimportant shit.


A serious character will have more straight forwards thinking processes and actions, doesn't dally about, moves fast and efficient. Show, don't tell. By showing actions and behaviour, you avoid the telling directly. For instance, I am to write about Huey, a shy guy.


Instead of just '"Uh, hi," Huey said shyly.", you can further expand it to ""Uhm...", Huey shifted about uncomfortably, kicking up the dirt at his feet, searching for the words to say. His mind was in a mess. He had no social ability, that was for sure, and now, standing in front of such a gorgeous being such as Tania, he could barely put his thoughts into words." In this way, you already explain that Huey is a real shy dude without ever once saying directly about how shy he is.


Now, bear in mind, I'm not the best writer, and my style may not be your style, so you shouldn't, well, follow anyone in terms of their style either. Make your own, I suppose? I'm just giving pointers.


EDIT: HOWEVER, if your character is flamboyant and ignorant and a bit of an inattentive dude, explaining EVERYTHING else except the important ones in detail would work much better.

 

[amdreams]

Well,it sort of depends on your reason to want to lengthen your post.


If it's purely for the sake of having a long post, then I wouldn't even bother. To add meaningless fluff for the sake of length alone is often tiring or repetitive. A longer post isn't necessarily a better one and if your short post conveys what you need then there is no need to try to beef it up


However, if you want to write more to add meat onto your post, then I suggest doing just that. Add some meat. Think of things you want to point out, whether about your character, your environment or your plot. Maybe you want readers to notice a certain crack in the wall that would prove important later. Or maybe though your character is smiling, he feels unhappy so you add in certain hints that things are not as they seem. Maybe you want to give others a hint as to where they're supposed to go.


Like the people above me have said, you can simply add a lot of description but I'd advise against solely relying on that. It can get tiring to try to think of something new to say about the same flower vase and more often than not, we don't need to know how velvety the petals looked or how the misted pearls of dew sparkled oh so much in the sunlight.


Long story short, if you want to make longer posts then try thinking of what else you really want to say.

 

[Ducky]

Similar to what's been previously said, I try to follow the advice of unpacking your writing. From the first paragraph:

"From this point forward—at least for the next half year—you may not use “thought” verbs. These include: Thinks, Knows, Understands, Realizes, Believes, Wants, Remembers, Imagines, Desires, and a hundred others you love to use."




I usually just write what I was going to say and then go back and try to expand and remove the explanatory sentences.

 

[Syncopy]

Who, What, When, Where, Why, How.


Smells, Sounds, Surroundings, Thoughts provoked by said-environment.


What is idling in the background that doesn't have to do with your character, but is happening.


Light? Day? Dusk? Night? Blue Moon? Harvest Moon? Sights?


What do you feel? Think? Hear? Inner monologue of that lady's ugly brazier at the bar...


There's a myriad of directions every post can go.


Here's a fun-tip that helped me when I was a youngin'—grab a Thesaurus. When you find yourself over-using a word, learn a new one! It'll enhance your vocabulary, grow your writing ability, and expand your palette for the better.

 

[Archie]

@Daughter of Hades: Environment as @Baron Cimetiere mentioned, but also train of thought. A good rule is show, don't tell, and a lot of people misconstrue that as a way of cutting fat off the posts, but it bulks as much as it trims. Think about all the metaphors and visual images, the richness you can put in your posts and get them a lot of replies and people who want to RP with you. Ultimately it's not just a post that says what you want, but RPing as an appeal to other people. If you're at a loss for what to say, put in leads for other people to join. A great way to get characters yours doesn't know that well to join in is to start a convo about something smaller. Mention how you touch a tree and think it's interesting on your way to school or start sharpening your blade. More people will weave themselves into your posts.


A lot of people also like to hear internal dialogue and trains of thought, but a great trick to make your posts more enjoyable for other people to read is to have them ironically cut off just like IRL. A big rant, then oh no! Something happened, better focus on it. It doesn't just add realism, but gives people a sense of what your character is doing and thinking.


Finally a lot of it is just doing a lot. Give your characters a bit of drive and ambition and have them move through scenes a little faster, but without rushing people. Just like IRL, RPs aren't timeless and people would be realistically really worried about the things they have coming up and try to solve them, especially in the heroic conflicts most RPs are.


Hope it helps!