RealisticFantasy
✯ Raccoon Catcher ✯
Hiya all! (This first paragraph is sort of just me rambling on about post length. Proceed at your own risk.) This is my first post as a self-proclaimed "roleplay guru" and I'm certain others have posted about this. But I've noticed a dilemma in my roleplays. This is the fact that I may or may not have high-ish standards when it comes to posts that are interesting to me and I would like to take a stab at solving this dillema from my own perspective. When it comes to selecting people for a roleplay, one of the first things I look at is the length of a writing sample or description. Now, I know many of you will be quick to jump on the don't judge a book by its cover bandwagon but in my experience, more often than not, longer posts have more depth to their character and scene and are more interesting to read. Shocking, isn't it? That something that is three or four paragraphs long can hold my attention better than something that is four lines? Well, not really.
If you're not a naturally gifted writer (meaning you can't bullshit your way through a paper and still have people singing your praises) or even if you think you are, you should begin with the skeleton or meats-and-potatoes method of approaching writing. This means to outline your big ideas, jotting them down without looking at grammar, language or style. Let's take a look at a skeleton post:
Yikes. We've all seen posts like that, haven't we? Heck, maybe we've even written a few of them. The writing is a little awkward and the language is a little simplistic. It doesn't leave us with a good impression of the room or how "she" feels about it. Who is our protagonist? Perhaps it's a stylistic choice to refer to her only as "she" to add mystery but if it's not, the pronoun game can be troublesome when introducing characters of the same gender. Not to say that this is bad writing, it's a good start. But, it's just that. A good start. Let's trying adding some muscles to our skeleton or veggies to our meat and potatoes, not as often noticed but equally important parts:
Just adding a few small details we get a much better picture. We now know that our main character is a blonde and that the room is slightly unsettling to her. The chair is now described as large and leather and paints a clearer image. The wallpaper is old and peeling so the room is probably in an older building. Although the grammar is still a bit clunky, it's an easier read than our first run. Let's finish it off by adding more detail and changing some transitions around. Try to appeal to all five senses and describe the scene as if you are living it, not looking into it:
Comparing our final result with our initial one, we see that the concepts are nearly identical. The only things that change between our three examples are the structure of sentences and the choice to include details. Use your character's actions as a way to convey their thoughts and personality. A good exercise to practice this is to picture a room or find an image of a room and describe it from the perspective of multiple characters.To make your posts read smoothly, vary your language. If you started your last three sentences with your character's name, you might want to lead with something else.
Remember, above all else, take your time. I know that I would much rather wait for a well-crafted reply that have a handful hammered out that are painful and boring to read. If someone is demanding a post within a certain time frame and is unsatisfied with the quality, perhaps you should look for a new partner. Also remember, there is no shame in writing a few drafts or using a thesaurus to help vary your word choice.
I hope you found this helpful!
Note: It's important to proofread. Un-proofread posts can be confusing as words can get easily mixed up. I'm also guilty of this offence! (Clearly)
If you're not a naturally gifted writer (meaning you can't bullshit your way through a paper and still have people singing your praises) or even if you think you are, you should begin with the skeleton or meats-and-potatoes method of approaching writing. This means to outline your big ideas, jotting them down without looking at grammar, language or style. Let's take a look at a skeleton post:
She examines the room. The walls were covered in old wallpaper. There was a chair in the corner. She wanted to sit in the chair and stay for a while.
Yikes. We've all seen posts like that, haven't we? Heck, maybe we've even written a few of them. The writing is a little awkward and the language is a little simplistic. It doesn't leave us with a good impression of the room or how "she" feels about it. Who is our protagonist? Perhaps it's a stylistic choice to refer to her only as "she" to add mystery but if it's not, the pronoun game can be troublesome when introducing characters of the same gender. Not to say that this is bad writing, it's a good start. But, it's just that. A good start. Let's trying adding some muscles to our skeleton or veggies to our meat and potatoes, not as often noticed but equally important parts:
The blonde woman examines the room, crossing her arms over her chest with a pout. The walls were covered in old patterned wallpaper that was peeling off the walls. There was a large leather chair on its own in the corner. Despite the frightening air about the room, she wanted to sit in the chair and stay for a while.
Just adding a few small details we get a much better picture. We now know that our main character is a blonde and that the room is slightly unsettling to her. The chair is now described as large and leather and paints a clearer image. The wallpaper is old and peeling so the room is probably in an older building. Although the grammar is still a bit clunky, it's an easier read than our first run. Let's finish it off by adding more detail and changing some transitions around. Try to appeal to all five senses and describe the scene as if you are living it, not looking into it:
The blonde woman's gaze hops from wall to wall, examining the wallpaper that was peeling in large curls. She was hesitant but she stepped further into the room, quite nearly able to smell the dust that was sent up in spirals by her step. The large leather armchair in the corner of the room was shrouded in shadows and the thought that something might be sitting there, watching her sent shivers up her spine. Stepping slowly toward the chair, she was happy to find it was empty and beckoning to her to take a seat. Despite the feeling of dread that loomed over her in this room, she considered that she might comply.
Comparing our final result with our initial one, we see that the concepts are nearly identical. The only things that change between our three examples are the structure of sentences and the choice to include details. Use your character's actions as a way to convey their thoughts and personality. A good exercise to practice this is to picture a room or find an image of a room and describe it from the perspective of multiple characters.To make your posts read smoothly, vary your language. If you started your last three sentences with your character's name, you might want to lead with something else.
Remember, above all else, take your time. I know that I would much rather wait for a well-crafted reply that have a handful hammered out that are painful and boring to read. If someone is demanding a post within a certain time frame and is unsatisfied with the quality, perhaps you should look for a new partner. Also remember, there is no shame in writing a few drafts or using a thesaurus to help vary your word choice.
I hope you found this helpful!
Note: It's important to proofread. Un-proofread posts can be confusing as words can get easily mixed up. I'm also guilty of this offence! (Clearly)
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