Scared?

[MamaKazooie]

If you'll go onto my page, you'll see I've had this account for a while but never really use it. This is because at one point I thought I would go back to rping like I did in the old days. The only problem? For some reason I was frightened to rp with anyone!


I wanted to so bad! I wanted to have that feeling of creating a story with someone through the eyes of a character like I would use to do but I couldn't. I actually managed to make one character and join a rp, only to not reply because I thought I wouldn't be good enough. That I wouldn't be able to make it interesting, that I would find some way to make it boring.


My question? What should I do to get back into the groove of things? Is it a lost cause? How do I know if I'm doing something wrong? And the million dollar question: Why am I just now worrying about this when I didn't care when I was thirteen or fourteen?


I want to give it another shot, I really honest-to-god do! I figured the best place to ask about the "role-playing jitters" is to talk to people who've... Well... Rped before!

 

[call me rae]

Well I have an idea for you - try starting with 1x1. Like something private where the only person seeing your posts is your partner.


And if you want to see about getting a little better I have a tutoring service where people offer help in making your posts better. So you can have them look over your stuff and offer ideas.


If you like I can even help you with the private 1x1 roleplay idea.

 

[MamaKazooie]

I guess 1x1 is a good place to start. I might try just try that!


A tutoring service? That actually sounds interesting. Mind telling me more about that? Is there a catch?


Hmm... Kind of maybe possibly yes. I would love it if I could have assistance coming up with an idea for a 1x1 roleplay! I would very much appreciate it!


Thank you so much for replying to this! I honestly thought that it would be overlooked!

 

[call me rae]

No catch you just contact one of the private tutors that you think will be able to help you with your posts.


And I'd be happy to help you come up with ideas. Just shoot me a pm.

 

[MamaKazooie]

Alrighty, I'll be sure to look that over!

 

[mitch]

I feel this...

 

[Gill]

I know how you feel, I'm terrified as well but I haven't RPed ever.

 

[MLAQTS]

I too experienced this fear, or rather, this hesitation, initially as a roleplayer. My advice on overcoming this would be to just act.


Since you know you desire to get back into roleplaying, and can even get to the point of finishing a character, why not just post it in a character submission thread? Just force yourself to do it once, and I'm sure you'll be pleased enough with whatever happens to be motivated to continue.


From the language in OP's original post, it's clear that that even you believe that your own worries are to some degree irrational. So why not just consciously act against them, and see what happens? Once you've pushed yourself past that point of no return, you'll be forced to deal with whatever happens, and it seems that we both, as well as the majority of the people on this form, believe that you will most likely enjoy it.


Also, if you truly want to know why you fear now, though you did not at an earlier age, I have an answer. Most likely it is due to you being more aware now of what is good. Because you have seen the superior writing of others, you feel that your own work is inferior. Perhaps that is so, but does it really matter? The goal here is to have fun, so what does it matter if your own writing isn't perfect in your eyes? Surely whatever you do will somehow work into your stories, and is that not the very essence of a roleplaying community in the first place?

 

[ETC]

Sounds like you've got a bit of anxiety.


My advice (though you should always think things over for yourself) would be to think about why you're feeling anxious. What could honestly be the worst thing that could happen? What could you do in a situation where this happens? Are you over-exaggerating, will it be that bad in the end?


Practice will help you too- self confidence doesn't always build itself. I echo the suggestion to start a 1x1. You could also try Simple or Casual rps- they'll probably carry less stress and demand than a Detailed one, especially if you can find a slow-paced one with a smaller group. While forcing yourself to put yourself out there might be hard it'll be worth it in the end. Avoidence of things will make you more anxious, but exposure also has to be appropriate. These are my suggestions, but you should find what works for you.

 

[ehmygirl]

Here: Simple - Kaedros the Undying


If you're nervous start of simple, and easy where there won't be any judgement; just helpful suggestions.

 

[Demon]

My question? What should I do to get back into the groove of things? Is it a lost cause? How do I know if I'm doing something wrong? And the million dollar question: Why am I just now worrying about this when I didn't care when I was thirteen or fourteen?

I'll do my best to answer all of these from my own perspective and due to such, you should only value this as a commoner's opinion. I am not an expert nor can I provide you some sort of guide. If you have further questions, please ask me and I'll gladly help you.


What should you do?


I believe you should start with creating a concept for a character. How you do this should be decided on two different factors and I recommend you think to yourself about these when FIRST beginning before drawing anything up. The two factors is:


A. What your favorite genre/type of RP is.


B. Is this for a group? If so, try to keep the basis of the story in mind.


When creating, you should consider what you like best because if you don't like it, most of the time, no inspiration or creativity will arise as in my eyes, your mind works best when you've got incentive. Let your future creation based on what you love be what creates your reasoning to well.. create. The second thing to note is if this is for a group. Majority of the time, if you're joining a group, there should be some fixed basis of a story line to keep in mind. So if this RP is about astronauts fighting off aliens, you can't say you're a firefighter who flew up with a water jetpack.


Lost Cause?


No writer or creator is a lost cause. There must and should always be one person who likes your writing; you. If you're not liking your writing, you're doing something wrong and you've got some discovery to do in the field of writing. Roleplaying is nothing extravagant; it's collaborative writing. Don't over-exaggerate and you'll do just fine. If you don't like your work, find what's going wrong in your writing; find what makes you say "Yeah.. I really don't like this." Fix that by discovering your favorite style of writing, finding what you want to write about and then continue.


How do I know if...


If you're putting roleplay into the proper perspective, the only things that "go wrong" are a few things which correlate to story-writing.


I recommend when roleplaying to use a similar perspective of writing. If someone's writing third-person, you should aim to do so as well. This will help with communication and usually eliminate comprehension errors when working together. I mean, this question would be better answered when I understand what genre you are looking to write about. Let me know and I'll try to help further.


Why am I not worrying...


You're growing up. As a kid, I was very careless and open with my thoughts and creativity. As a teenager now, I see that my words should be more carefully picked, and that same mindset I once had as a child is no longer the same as now.

 

[renil]

You're worrying about this now rather than when you were younger because you've changed! You haven't done it in awhile, and you're afraid for whatever reason, and that's understandable. It might help to figure out why you're anxious or afraid, but only you can do that.


My biggest advice for getting back in it to just do it. I wouldn't join big groups, but maybe post a 1x1 request and have a few people come to you. I always find it easier when I'm not the one initiating contact, but that may be because I'm a rambler at heart, and I'm afraid it'd be annoying. Just find a few people, not too many, who are ok with you being rusty and are patient and friendly and who make you feel more comfortable so that you can enjoy yourself. And gradually get back into things.


Just remember, though all of this, this is about your comfort. If someone doesn't seem like they'd be the best for you to role-play with, you don't need to.

 

[MamaKazooie]

To Mitch and Gill:


I'm glad to know I'm not alone on this.


To MLAQTS:


That one character was made with a specific character sheet in mind. I guess I could take the personality and backstory and whatever-else and re-use it though... I do plan to start with a 1x1, in fact readingraebow (the person I was talking to above) is actually aiding some assistance! (which I'm very thankful for)


I do understand that it is somewhat irrational but it's kind of hard to help when it's stuck in your mind. I have a friend who has a fear of dogs, and as much as she wants them to be away from her, she's told me herself it's somewhat irrational. This isn't as serious of course but it proves my point. (at least I think it does?) Either way however, you have a very good idea there and that is exactly what I plan to do.


Your reasoning for my fear now as opposed to then makes a ton of sense. I guess I should put that aside and just have fun with it. You're exactly right! The fears still there, I'm not going to lie. If I do what you said however and force myself out of that said fear and see if I truly still enjoy it or not, it's all worth it in the end.


To ECT:


Anxiety? Maybe I have it? I'm not diagnosed with it but I would say I might show a symptom or two. I don't like to go out there and say I have something that I don't because having something along the lines of anxiety and depression is not fun from what I hear and see. I see too many people say they have something they don't, and I don't want to be considered one of those people. I also have a couple of family members with anxiety and I can tell it's not good on them at all. Then again, that also increases my risk of having said thing as well... I'm not saying I don't have it, I'm just saying it's not properly diagnosed by a doctor if I do have it. I'm also not mad you for bringing this up if that's what you're thinking, quite the contrary! I'm happy you considered the possibility of said thing because you as the reader never truly know. (Wow, this is a lot longer then I intended that to be... Um... Insert comedic relief here!)


The worse thing that could happen? I don't know, I've seen a ton of drama on the internet. I mean I trust you guys aren't going to tell me to kill myself because I drew a character skinny but you honestly never know-- (Seriously, I honestly believe you guys aren't that bad. If I did I wouldn't be here.)


As a person who likes to draw in my spare time, I can say with 110% confidence that practice does indeed make perfect. (Even though I can't draw anything besides still-life well... and even then it's debatable.) I do plan to start with a 1x1. I think it's a good way to hop back in. Getting into an rp with ten people at once writing extremely descriptive stuff... Maybe later, but noooot now... Noooooooot now...


To Xylin:


We have to start somewhere right? Thank you Xylin-senpai!


To Krozy:


I hope you don't mind, but I actually took a screen-cap of your comment... I should not have to add any further to this, y- you get the idea... Thank you--


To Renil:


Oh do I know the feeling of being a rambler... If I barely know you at all I'll either keep quiet like a little mouse or be extremely awkward, but if I know you well, if there's something about you, or if it's the internet, I will not shut up. I swear I need a built-in off switch!


Just like I told MLAQTS I do intend on hopping back in by doing a 1x1! I'm hoping it goes for the better...


I know, and there are some people I've seen who... I'm not going to say bad but um... When you're basically playing god in an rp it gets somewhat annoying... I mean I try to be nice to them, and they usually seem to be generally nice people but... Come on now... Why..?

 

[renil]

To Renil:


Oh do I know the feeling of being a rambler... If I barely know you at all I'll either keep quiet like a little mouse or be extremely awkward, but if I know you well, if there's something about you, or if it's the internet, I will not shut up. I swear I need a built-in off switch!


Just like I told MLAQTS I do intend on hopping back in by doing a 1x1! I'm hoping it goes for the better...


I know, and there are some people I've seen who... I'm not going to say bad but um... When you're basically playing god in an rp it gets somewhat annoying... I mean I try to be nice to them, and they usually seem to be generally nice people but... Come on now... Why..?

I am the exact same, hahaha. I also usually tend to ramble when I feel like what I've written is inadequate, which is fun cause all sorts of things spring out.


It happens. There'll always be people who try and fail to play powerful characters. I just usually try to slip away into the darkness and hope they weren't too attached to the role-play. x3

 

[ETC]

@MamaKazooie Hm, I think I meant more of a feeling of anxiousness about rping. Personally I agree with what you said and I wouldn't go around on the Internet either saying "you have this!" xD


It's all okay though.


While I have seen a lot of drama around too, I'm pretty sure anyone saying something like that would be against the rules. I'm with you on doubting most people would do that. But thinking about what's the worst and how I could respond helps me personally, because it kind of puts it in perspective.

 

[Aylin]

I've been RPing/Writing for a long time. The one bit of advice that I'd throw in, is know what you enjoy writing and look for someone with a similar interest. That will boost your confidence to just jump in that has already been suggested.


I've also shared with a potential partner that I was nervous, but sometimes it helps and sometimes it makes things worse. Be patient with yourself. You'll get there

 

[Demon]

To Krozy:
I hope you don't mind, but I actually took a screen-cap of your comment... I should not have to add any further to this, y- you get the idea... Thank you--

You're welcome. Soon in the future, I'll be planning a visual guide and video on creating roleplay characters. If you've got anything else you want help with, let me know.