Biggest challenge when writing a post

[stealthpanther]

What's the biggest challenge or struggle you encounter when writing replies and posting in a roleplay? We all have some struggles, even with the stories we enjoy writing, so what is yours?



Aside from not having enough time to spare when I was working...


I think the biggest thing that holds me up in rps, is trying to get from point A to point B and connecting them in a coherent way.

Immediately, I usually have some part of my response imagined. I'll imagine part of the scene and how I want my main character to react/feel/etc. I most often think of "ok, I want this to happen first" then, I imagine another part of the scene. I have snippets of my reply imagined out, but I mainly struggle with connecting them together.

 

[Fruit]

Title and character names are my biggest weaknesses.

Sometimes all my characters talk the same way. Almost like how I personally talk. Venturing away from that isn't easy for me and requires conscious effort. Often times I'd revert back to how I talk and when I have a few characters to write, they end up sounding the same. I suppose my interest in historical/medieval fantasy stories helps me with that setting because I'm more or less forced to not make the characters sound like me.

 

[RedRose]

ACTION

 

[Cantarella]

Sometimes, my brain just explodes and won't cooperate with writing efforts.

 

[obieblu]

That connecting the dots thing, sometimes. I know where we need to get, but my partner's character says or does something that kind of diverges or isn't going the way I would go to get to that place. I want to write natural dialog, and I feel awkward and manipulative when I think about how to direct them. This happens more when we've decided what needs to happen in the scene. Conversely, if we're playing totally freeform, if our banter is good, it can meander down a long garden path that we need to pull back out of.

Most of this year, I've been so depressed and anxiety-riddled, I find it really difficult to play anything cheerful, or even just a character in a good mood. That's why most everything I want to do is dark in some way.

 

[Trussed Maiden]

On average? Writing and not forgetting details.

It's easy for me to go "to this, that changes/my character goes this way", and even coming up where to lead into next. It just needs to be written well and I get terrible writer's block almost every time. Usually I get over it very quickly, sometimes it takes too long >.< I tend to make word-soupy blobs and try to make them make sense.

Then when I basically blow out the post and hopefully manage it on the writing part, I sometimes miss things I would have wanted to post, but never got to put in. A detail I wanted to highlight, or something I wanted to acknowledge was noticed.

Those are my most persistent troubles, special mention for setting tone/environment in a starter as the first post.

 

[devilish]

That connecting the dots thing, sometimes. I know where we need to get, but my partner's character says or does something that kind of diverges or isn't going the way I would go to get to that place. I want to write natural dialog, and I feel awkward and manipulative when I think about how to direct them. This happens more when we've decided what needs to happen in the scene. Conversely, if we're playing totally freeform, if our banter is good, it can meander down a long garden path that we need to pull back out of.

Most of this year, I've been so depressed and anxiety-riddled, I find it really difficult to play anything cheerful, or even just a character in a good mood. That's why most everything I want to do is dark in some way.

yeah, this is why I like planning scenes beforehand. But I’m also someone who gets inspired and has random side conversations with NPCs and asks to go to the park instead of the beach (always ask) mid plot. The flip side is I’m always anxious I’m bothering my partner or the rp isnt building up to what they hoped it would.

also ouch on the depression coming out in characters. makes sense why you would feel like that.

 

[Revelations]

Mine is just ...starting. Once I get on a roll, I can happily crank out replies like nobody's business, but it's that initial 'push' to start that I get tripped up on a lot. Mainly because I don't usually have a ton of time to devote to just sitting and writing, but also because it's hard for me to take the first step. >.>

Got it in one for me. I can do a post just fine most of the time, but starting them up always makes me feel anxious.

 

[Friendly]

As part of my process I compile my ideas and details over the course of the day and then I start structuring the post before I write anything based on my hand written notes.

The problem has always been playing word jenga with a turn of phrase. Just writing and rewriting a single line trying to get a description just right.

The other thing is just not getting lazy with the editing. It's way too easy to just write something and hit send. The best thing I've found is having word read the post back to me, but just doing that little bit extra is kind of a challenge.

 

[Tanakalian]

To write enough to keep a post going and flowing and still not 'control' the opposing character.

On average I write four to five paragraphs (often a lot more, sometimes less). The biggest challenge really is to find someone who I'm in sync with and who understands the need to write a post to move a play forward, instead of having to stop after every action or question, in order to give a partner the chance to reply. (To my great happiness I have found several partners who work with me very well)

 

[Breezi]

Mine is just ...starting. Once I get on a roll, I can happily crank out replies like nobody's business, but it's that initial 'push' to start that I get tripped up on a lot. Mainly because I don't usually have a ton of time to devote to just sitting and writing, but also because it's hard for me to take the first step. >.>

Yuuuup that's something that gets me so bad. Especially if it's something we haven't talked out a lot.

 

[Hotblooded]

Swear to god lately my biggest issue is feeling like I've written sentences or pieces of dialogue or whatever exactly the same way in a previous post. I have two current roleplays that are close to around fifty posts a piece for both of us and it haunts me honest to goodness.

 

[Adamina]

Progressing scenes too far or not moving forward enough.

In the former, it nixes my partners' chances to react, in the latter, things can become stagnant.

I second guess myself a lot on where replies leave off.

 

[Selden]

Hah, I definitely have a problem forcing conflict on my characters at times. When things are going well, I get overly invested and hate to ruin things in the name of drama and plot.

 

[Staine]

I often struggle with my characters talking to my characters. I'm working on it and getting better at it, I think, but holding up both sides of a conversation without it feeling forced to me is one of my bigger weaknesses, that I'm aware of at least.