RP: Success Rate?

This might be a hauntingly disappointing topic for some :blush:

* What is the ratio of your RPs that actually finish to those that get discontinued?

* Putting real life commitments aside, what are other reasons of why your RPs may get dropped?

* Can that happen because the RP's ending is barely defined? Do you like to RP with a given ending in mind so that the story doesn't get stalled and boring for you and your partner? (Like blowing on a dying fire, I tell ya!)

Feel free to discuss and add relevant questions. It is something that I think about sometimes.

I have a difficult time finding compatible partners, but when I do, the success rate of my stories tends to be high. That's because, I'd prefer not to start anything that I am not confident of lasting long-term, or where I don't have the right vibe in regards to OoC compatibility, and am happy to say that whilst I've had quite a few go on hiatus, brought on by real-life commitments (the majority of which have subsequently been picked back up), I've had very few stories abandoned, by either partner, completely.

Those which were dropped were due to real-life related issues, our styles not quite meshing, and/or simply the muse not being there, and I have also had a couple where the scene has gone stale, or become stuck in a rut, which my collaborator and I have agreed to call to a halt and move on to a fresh story. Four of the ones I have now have been going for over a year (one just coming up to that), and another two with partners I'd previously written with, whilst the remaining are closing in on twelve months.

As to full completion, I've only had one reach there, however, two of my current scenes have their 'finale' within sight, and I enjoy a mixture of plots with defined endings, and those that remain free-form, as long as the latter contain a purpose, or direction to head in, at any given moment in time. I think both can work without it becoming boring and stalled, however as mentioned above, sometimes that does occur.

This is difficult to define in that I've truly only had one RP ever come to completion and I have a few ongoing that I'm certain will one day see completion, but we aren't there yet. That said, while I can only say one RP has come to a true end, I'm hopeful for a handful of others. I've learned that it does take a very particular sort of writer—one who writes well and meshes with my style and way of thinking, one who is just as creative as myself, one I find easy to talk to (and not just about the RP, but other things as well...there needs to be a connection on some level), one who TRULY gets my idiosyncrasies and is able to roll with them as I do my best to explain them up front, one who is patient, understanding and genuinely appreciates my time (both my writing and ooc PMs)—to achieve success and I have almost never found it. I've come close and I think I might have in a small few whom I'm currently writing with at present. But this is a rarity.

I'd say about two-thirds of my RPs have ended because I've been the one to end it. I would give the RP a chance and after a fair shot realize that it just wasn't going to work out despite my efforts. It could be a number of factors ranging from the writing, my thoughts on how the story is going (sometimes the story seems more interesting in discussion as opposed to execution) to my overall vibe ooc. If anything (or multiple things) seem off, I will end it.

The remaining one-third is a mix of people either disappearing without word (yes, I can count on one hand the number of people who just randomly stopped yet remained on site) and those claiming my writing intimidates them. Yes. I get A LOT of people saying my writing terrifies them because it is so detailed, etc etc. They claim that they cannot keep up to the level of my posts or match my post length. So...they drop. Their loss. *shrugs*

But anyhow, I'm pleased with my success rate. I'm happy to have the one completion and the few that I'm certain will see completion. As for those that never made it.....well, most of them (most, not all) were still enjoyable. And those that weren't, well, I got in some writing practice. So there we go. I try to find the positive spin wherever I can. But, as I said, I'm happy. And those that do find completion? Well, won't that just make them even more special. : )

I have yet to have an rp arrive at a predetermined end. My closest was actually with Quix (*waves*) in which we were within 10 posts of completing, but a long hiatus on my end ruined the momentum.

Otherwise my longest rp went on for nearly a year, before I had to call it quits, as I had evolved in what I wanted from the story, versus what we had originally negotiated. My second long running rp is currently ongoing, and is nearing the six month mark, and almost 450 posts. There is a defined endpoint for that rp, but whether we will end the rp when we get to that point is another story.

Overall, I find that about 75% of rps die within the first two months, at least for me. The only reason I have even been given for being dropped that wasn't "Taking a break from the site" was being accused of being male. I am not even sure what to make of that. On my end I usually drop rps because the story isn't appealing, or the writing isn't up to snuff.

Very few of my rp have predetermined ends. Nor have I bothered to try and force an ending for an rp that was losing it's steam.

OMG, Xana, you're a MALE! Now I'm just betting you have a secret foot-fetish, too -waves-

I think this time our second will make it to full completion, given the ending is in sight. Or at least the direction we're heading in for it. It's also interesting, in that it shows that you don't necessarily need to have a roleplay that continues for years, or contains hundreds of posts, to create an in-depth story with character development that has a beginning, middle and end, as I'd say after a little more than thirty posts ours is around halfway, or possibly more, there?

Damn, I thought I was getting pretty close to being well educated, then I realized I wasn't 25 with a master's degree.

But anyway, none of my roleplays of BMR have reached their end. It's a task that easier said than done, especially when you're dumb like me and create these really great stories with really great partners, only for something stupid like school to get in the way. And then I lose momentum and my muse for the story.

For example (and I'm going to pick on Quix for a second because we're best friends lmao), I have this roleplay with Quix that had some really great ideas and had a fun direction, but I left it for 9 months before going back. And then right when I decided to go back to it, finals and the holidays got in the way. So I guess for me, real life is always the culprit that causes me to put stories on hold.

The longest roleplay I've ever had on BMR is actually currently on hiatus, although I'm going to be getting back to those at some point in the very near future. I've come to that point of finding my personal roleplay balance of not being stressed out about writing posts, and that's great!

The two main reasons I've had roleplays drop are either 1) The roleplay wasn't striking that 'spark' for me for whatever reason, and I ended it, 2) the partners went and told me that I post too much, and they disappeared on me simply because my posts are too detailed/long. And that one still confuses me to this day considering they knew what they were getting into when we were setting up the roleplay. But that's an entirely different topic, lmao.

I've had the odd occasion of someone dropping a roleplay on me because I wouldn't respond to their roleplay first out of all my roleplays. That was stupid so I was like, lol you can go. Bye felicia. Another time I had a partner continuously ask me for self-insertion into the roleplay, and that's a line I don't cross, so that roleplay was ended.

On the whole though, I haven't had that many actual "I'm dropping this story because of something I don't like" incidents. Most of the roleplays that are dropped on me or that I have dropped (put on hiatus) are because of real life commitments. And that's largely because, like Quix above me, I choose my partners carefully. I make sure they are people I generally get along with and could see myself writing with for a long time. Although that may not happen, I'm still winning because now I have a friend. C:

All of the roleplays I create with my partners have some sort of end idea. A general stopping point that would serve as a great finale. Without that end goal in mind, I find myself unable to write properly because there's no central idea to focus on. All the ideas then become jumbled, and it's very much like blowing on a dying fire, haha. Of the roleplays I have going on right now, I'm definitely sure that quite a few will reach their endings.

You so dumb, Aria!! <333 *said with total sarcasm*

But in all seriousness, YES! A LOT of enders just because of my posts being too long and detailed! The craziest part is that a majority of these people came to me saying that they sought me out because they were looking to challenge their writing. Just...what? I also feel you on those dropping because they got possessive of my time. This has occurred on me twice. It was sad. But I'd rather the story die than be bullied into a forced post. *shrugs*

Wait. You've had people try and weasel their way into getting you to self insert into a story when you didn't want to? Sounds like a trick of cyber to me. Fortunately, I've not had that happen in any RPs that have gotten off the ground, but I have had potential candidates attempt it ooc. Needless to say, I will not write with these people. I state it quite clearly on my profile and in my Request Thread.....do NOT want the cyber. I mean, I get that it's some peoples deal, but..... Guess not everyone gets the hint. Sorry to hear you dealt with that, sweetie.

Awww thanks, DA! <3 Lmaooo

I don't quite understand when people look through my post history and decide to roleplay with me, and then decide to back out once I've posted the intro. I mean, there's a reason why I link all my current RPs in my request thread and then also do a lot of PM plotting before the roleplay begins... It's to ensure that there's no possible way they can miss how much I write or how detailed I am. But I guess it doesn't really occur to them that they have to try and 'match' post length until they see the opening post, lol.

And yeah, unfortunately, on that second one. :/
To me, self inserting within a story is just cybering disguised under fluff. A big portion of why I rolepay is because I enjoy creating unique characters who develop and change over time. If I'm just writing as myself... Well, I already know *me* you know what I mean? So regardless of the reason for the self insertion, the roleplay most definitely ends there. That's probably the only big reason I would ever drop a roleplay.

But back on the subject of roleplay endings, I find that even just placing some sort of general goal to write to helps keep both parties interested. It helps build the story through the beginning, middle, and ultimately the end. From all of my roleplaying experience including the roleplays not on BMR, I've found that the ones that have finished were because we weren't just aimlessly posting. And because I choose partners carefully and create stories with possible endings in mind, those roleplays are wildly successful.

For those of you who have successfully ended roleplays here on BMR, roughly how long did your roleplays last? How many posts were in before the story was over? I find that some roleplays end because there are some mixed feelings as to the pacing of the story. Is "long term" over a few months? 6 months? A year? That's the trouble with long term stories, it seems. The focus to make it stretch out over a long period of tiem can sometimes cause the story to go stale.

I don't write RP with an end in mind, generally. I do when I write short stories or when I'm working on my novel, but it's hard for me to aim at a particular end to a story when the story itself morphs from post to post, the tone changes, the characters become more refined, and there's almost no rewriting at all to massage towards an end.

The only RP I'm involved with that has a foreseeable ending is one that is defined by four letters or articles in a magazine (Hi Ariamella!). Once the fourth article is published, the story definition expires. Obviously, we could continue the story, but there could also be a graceful ending there.

I think the role playing format is really hard on endings. If the muse is there and there's chemistry between the partners, the last thing I want is for the thing to end. A great ending in conventional fiction needs exactly that energy paired with the author's conception of the entire story. So it doesn't surprise me that RPs fizzle out more often than they come to completion in a literary sense.

Ariamella said:

For those of you who have successfully ended roleplays here on BMR, roughly how long did your roleplays last? How many posts were in before the story was over?

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It was interesting, because the one that I have had come to a complete end wasn't planned. It was my first story with Mali, written in PM's and lasted almost a year, with around one-hundred and twenty posts, and we had a lot of ideas for where the story could go, and what could happen.

However, we wrote a particular scene, and after it was completed, metaphorically looked at each other and said, "Hey you know what, after all the trauma the characters have endured, and the dark places they've been to, that last scene provides hope for the future, and would make a perfect bitter-sweet finale. What do you think?"

We agreed that it was a great place to leave the story and characters, and that if we continued it would just be for the sake of it, which could potentially end up ruining, or disrespecting, what we'd already created, and were proud of, so I'm happy that we did. And that I actually finished a story, xD

Ariamella said:

I don't quite understand when people look through my post history and decide to roleplay with me, and then decide to back out once I've posted the intro. I mean, there's a reason why I link all my current RPs in my request thread and then also do a lot of PM plotting before the roleplay begins... It's to ensure that there's no possible way they can miss how much I write or how detailed I am. But I guess it doesn't really occur to them that they have to try and 'match' post length until they see the opening post, lol.

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I'm with you there, I have mine listed so they know what they're getting into, and whilst I've had a few mention that they're intimidated, in the planning process, I've rarely had that issue when it comes to the story itself. That could be partly because I tend to browse potential partners threads, mostly to see how they portray their characters, and if I think our writing styles will mesh, but also to try and gauge as to whether our posting length preferences are compatible. The one's where I found we didn't match in that regard, and I ended up dropping, have been a couple who had no, or very little, posting history on the boards. However, I've had some of those work out as well.

Oh, and the cheque's in the mail, for being my best friend!

Mr Quixotic said:

OMG, Xana, you're a MALE! Now I'm just betting you have a secret foot-fetish, too -waves-

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You caught me!

Mr Quixotic said:

I think this time our second will make it to full completion, given the ending is in sight. Or at least the direction we're heading in for it. It's also interesting, in that it shows that you don't necessarily need to have a roleplay that continues for years, or contains hundreds of posts, to create an in-depth story with character development that has a beginning, middle and end, as I'd say after a little more than thirty posts ours is around halfway, or possibly more, there?

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Maybe about half way there. And I do hope we reach the end this time, because it is going to be so much fun to write.

Ariamella said:

Damn, I thought I was getting pretty close to being well educated, then I realized I wasn't 25 with a master's degree.

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I know, right?

Ariamella said:

Bye felicia.

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Gurl, I am cracking up!

And honestly, Now That I think about it, my first rp, the one that went on for a year, reached a logical ending point. My partner's character accomplished the goal he had set out to accomplish, and our characters' relationship wasn't going to evolve any further. Maybe I should go back and write an ending for it and ties everything together.

I typically RP with either a defined ending in mind, or a general direction of how things can turn out. Its usually the later if I know the RP won't end for a few months at least. Having an ending in mind is important for me, at least after the story is clearly established and is past the experimental first posts. A great story is one that has a well executed and well timed ending, and that requires early planning.

Though, there is one particular RP where me and my partner planned out everything. Every, single. scene. was planned out before the RP had started. It was actually an intricate plot that needed such coordination yet the experience wasn't enjoyable at all. I felt like I was following a script, and the creativity aspect diminished very quickly.

Currently I'm in one or two RPs where I have no idea how things will unfold. I know the general theme of the upcoming event, but I improvise a lot and let my partners improvise some. Its a new experience, and it is challenging in a fun way. I worry about writing myself into a corner but I'm glad I have good partners for those stories. These could be my rebound RPs after that overly-planned one xD

Abrupt, unplanned endings happen to me often when I run into partners I don't feel compatible with. It usually happens with people who don't share my plot-smut ratio preferences or those who can't English properly.

PS. Girl, its all about that master's degree

Forbidden Fruit said:

PS. Girl, its all about that master's degree

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That's true Ari, only once it's obtained, will I pick up our story again!