Post by Bellatrix Black on Oct 17, 2006 18:54:33 GMT -5
RP Technique and Semantics
First off, one must approach RP as an art form. This is entertainment, but it’s not like watching T.V. or YouTube. This is not mindless: it is art. I cannot stress that enough. Most advanced RPers devote a lot of time to each post, and I myself can spend up to forty-five minutes on each post depending on the site.
The most important aspect of RP that I see commonly that must be avoided at all cost is Godmodding (or powerplay). Often this is done unintentionally, but it pisses people off, and makes it blatantly obvious that the writer is a newbie. That’s not exactly the impression you want to make upon people. Never godmod unless you have permission, and even then, tread lightly. You can’t godmod in real life, don’t assume you can in RP.
The second thing I see most commonly is poor grammar and spelling. There is absolutely NO EXCUSE for bad spelling. There is a bloody spell check button at the bottom of the post! Do it, especially if you know you can’t spell for beans. What I do to make sure my posts are as close as possible to perfect is I type each post in a word document. Therefore, I have grammar and spelling check! It’s easy, fast, and you can just copy paste into the post online. This is a fool-proof way to make sure your posts are that much more powerful.
Long posts are not necessarily good posts. And short posts are not necessarily good posts. Strike a happy medium, around one hundred words per post at least. Not even kidding, the more detail you add, the more fun RP can be. Detail, detail, detail. This is supposed to be realistic, right? Well, life has oodles and oodles of detail. So: no one-liners unless absolutely necessary.
Mary-Sue and Gary-Stu are your worst enemies. If you see a terrible MS or GS you have my permission to politely PM them and point out that their characters are one-dimensional and idiotic. Omit the idiotic part, but you know what I mean. We all hate the perfect people. Because no one is perfect, no matter how much they wish to be. It’s quite all right to have a girl who seems perfect to her peers, but actually has real problems. Remember, this is supposed to be realistic. Realistic people have details. Realistic people bite their nails, chew on their pens, and can be nasty.
If you put a lot of work into your RP you will get a lot out of it. Sure, we don’t all have time to put in forty-five minutes into each post. Then just limit the number of your threads, and concentrate on the threads you have. If you’re limited on time, keep your number of sites down to two, and really work on the one’s you keep. I RP at six sites, soon to be seven. That’s a lot, and I honestly don’t have many threads going right now because I’m so busy. Basically, just keep one thread at least on each site and update at least twice a week, and you’re fine. Just put the effort in you and you will reap the benefits.
Your writing will improve, and above all, it’ll be fun. And if it gets too stressful, drop a few threads. No big deal, after all, this is art. Who cares if you have twenty threads going? Who cares if you only have one? Just make the ones you do count for something. Good RP is equivalent to good literature. Believe me, you’ll get PMs from people saying “I love your post,” and it’ll feel amazing to know that people like your writing.
Questions, remarks? PM me, or reply to this thread.
First off, one must approach RP as an art form. This is entertainment, but it’s not like watching T.V. or YouTube. This is not mindless: it is art. I cannot stress that enough. Most advanced RPers devote a lot of time to each post, and I myself can spend up to forty-five minutes on each post depending on the site.
The most important aspect of RP that I see commonly that must be avoided at all cost is Godmodding (or powerplay). Often this is done unintentionally, but it pisses people off, and makes it blatantly obvious that the writer is a newbie. That’s not exactly the impression you want to make upon people. Never godmod unless you have permission, and even then, tread lightly. You can’t godmod in real life, don’t assume you can in RP.
The second thing I see most commonly is poor grammar and spelling. There is absolutely NO EXCUSE for bad spelling. There is a bloody spell check button at the bottom of the post! Do it, especially if you know you can’t spell for beans. What I do to make sure my posts are as close as possible to perfect is I type each post in a word document. Therefore, I have grammar and spelling check! It’s easy, fast, and you can just copy paste into the post online. This is a fool-proof way to make sure your posts are that much more powerful.
Long posts are not necessarily good posts. And short posts are not necessarily good posts. Strike a happy medium, around one hundred words per post at least. Not even kidding, the more detail you add, the more fun RP can be. Detail, detail, detail. This is supposed to be realistic, right? Well, life has oodles and oodles of detail. So: no one-liners unless absolutely necessary.
Mary-Sue and Gary-Stu are your worst enemies. If you see a terrible MS or GS you have my permission to politely PM them and point out that their characters are one-dimensional and idiotic. Omit the idiotic part, but you know what I mean. We all hate the perfect people. Because no one is perfect, no matter how much they wish to be. It’s quite all right to have a girl who seems perfect to her peers, but actually has real problems. Remember, this is supposed to be realistic. Realistic people have details. Realistic people bite their nails, chew on their pens, and can be nasty.
If you put a lot of work into your RP you will get a lot out of it. Sure, we don’t all have time to put in forty-five minutes into each post. Then just limit the number of your threads, and concentrate on the threads you have. If you’re limited on time, keep your number of sites down to two, and really work on the one’s you keep. I RP at six sites, soon to be seven. That’s a lot, and I honestly don’t have many threads going right now because I’m so busy. Basically, just keep one thread at least on each site and update at least twice a week, and you’re fine. Just put the effort in you and you will reap the benefits.
Your writing will improve, and above all, it’ll be fun. And if it gets too stressful, drop a few threads. No big deal, after all, this is art. Who cares if you have twenty threads going? Who cares if you only have one? Just make the ones you do count for something. Good RP is equivalent to good literature. Believe me, you’ll get PMs from people saying “I love your post,” and it’ll feel amazing to know that people like your writing.
Questions, remarks? PM me, or reply to this thread.
