Patreon LogoYour support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)

Does your skill level fluctuate?

MrNyarlathotep

MrNyarlathotep

Moon
Joined
Oct 2, 2021
Do you notice a significant variation in the quality of your work from piece to piece? When I read some of my old material back it seems beautiful, It flows smoothly and it's quite evocative but other stories I've written read like absolute garbage and I don't know why.

I think it might a be motivation issue but sometimes I'm motivated to write and yet what I put on paper is absolutely horrid. Obviously, Art is fairly inconsistent to a degree. Good musicians will release bad songs and great writers will release subpar books but the floor of my writing seems particularly low in comparison to its ceiling.
 
I do find that the quality of my output varies from time to time.

Mainly it's due to motivation, mood, and/or "pressure", eg:
- if I write because I know I should, not because I want to;
- when it's been a while since I've last posted to the story;
- when I'm struggling with the scene at hand.

I don't think my degree of talent - whatever that might be - changes, only my will to write. It's a personal, subjective thing.
 
Sometimes yes. I think it can depend on my general emotions as well as what is motivating me to write in the first place. I used to write a lot more than I do now and I feel like I have lost the knack in some ways.

In terms of RP, I feel like it has been a while since I have had a partner I really mesh with. I like it when the chemistry is there and that is when I just want to keep creating stories with them.
 
I think one thing we call should consider when going through our not so great writing is: what was going on at the time?

A stressful or sleepless period can take be taxing on our creativity and skills. Be easy on yourself if that is the case. Obviously, that doesn't explain all bad writing, but I don't think I'm writing my 10/10 after an extra draining week at work or something. I'll have zombie brain. Also, chances are I won't remember that crazy week when I eventually look back at that writing.

Other times, it is a matter of low inspiration or maybe too much of it; I personally burn myself out pretty bad, but then get all fired up again. Wouldn't recommend.

For RP, I think the most interesting factor is that I have noticed my quality can really depend on my partner. Even how I RP can change based on my partner. If they aren't putting much effort in, I'm probably not. If they are slacking on proofreading or seem to have a non judgemental vibe, I might make a few more mistakes. Also, I feel like I have to be more strict or can be experimental based on my partners too. If I'm not GMing much, I'm a pretty reflective partner. So, if they are focusing on social aspects more than story, I'll be doing the same.

At least for RP, it can vary sooooo much that we are bound to have some terrible ones even with the "right" partners.
 
It can depend on many factors, but yes.

First factor to consider is how serious you and your partner are about the story. Not because you aren't into the story or your partner isn't. I am not even mentioning (yet) if the partner writes much or not I mean with: how much effort both parties have agreed to put in the rp. Wether they want something more of a literary level, maybe videogame material? Or they want the story to be a nice, casual fanservice? Everything is valid but "quality" in details might vary.

Now we will talk about partners in general. Sometimes you find someone that "forces/inspires" you to write better. When I was 16 I had this one rp partner on Facebook with whom I had a healthy rivalry. We wanted to be better roleplayers than eachother and since we played together we would fill the story with details and such to make it as "lively" as possible. However. I understand sometimes less is more and bloating an rp with excessive detail of how's the sky and the plants around you (again excessive being the keyword here) is not good for the narrative as it ends up being tiring.

It greatly depends on the partner and how you two mesh together. Since, even without a competitive approach, you will want to write better for the right partner.

Being in tune with the story also defines the quality of one. Is it truly interesting for you? Is it what you want to do? Do you really want to roleplay that day? (this question is regardless of the plot). I believe that it you aren't feeling it, you won't give your best. And yes, I am including being burned out from real life here. I do so many school papers that sometimes I don't want to even write since my mind gets foggy when I think about... Well, writing.
 
Depends on what I'm writing (is it unfamiliar or am I having a hard time figuring out how to progress the scene?), who I'm writing with (Are they good at progressing the scene and setting up hooks for me to latch onto in my writing? How good is their quality compared to mine?), why I'm writing (Is it interesting to me, is it a kink I'm liking a lot, how is my emotional state IRL, etc) and yeah. Sometimes the writing just doesn't work, sometimes it works like a charm. It's not always easy to figure out exactly why that is.
 
RP is like a conversation. If only one person is trying to keep it going/make it interesting than regardless of how good that person is or how much effort they put into it the conversation will end quicker.

That is why I am very fussy when it comes to the discussion stage. I want to be engaged and know the person is able to build the story with me.
 
BluesShuffle said:
RP is like a conversation. If only one person is trying to keep it going/make it interesting than regardless of how good that person is or how much effort they put into it the conversation will end quicker.
Click to expand...
That's also true. I don't want myself nor my partner carrying the whole story, but when the story does little to nothing to progress, replies are going to have less quality
 
A lot, in fact. Motivation, circumstances, the other media I've consumed recently and so forth I think have a fair amount to do with it.
 
Yes. When I get burnt by too many ghostings in rapid succession, I just can't get into Flow with my writing.
 
I can't say it happens often, but if my muse ever dies, my replies would probably be half-hearted (To put it briefly).
 
I think communication is important. It does have to be approached carefully, since not everyone is open to criticism, but surely your partner would rather troubleshoot the RP with you than lose you.
 
This happens to me for various reasons. Some happen because I am bored and want to just move forward. Sometimes my length changes based on a conversation or needing to see the reaction before I move on.

All in all it depends on how involved I become because of interest or any other things going in on.
 
Yeah. Happens quite often for a few reasons:

  • I've just read new book, and want to try new style of writing, mid-RP, without any experience in doing so. I have immense respect to my RP partners who tolerate me to be honest.
  • It's a filler or stop-gap on a way to an actual scene in a future. It can that I want to leave some hints here and there, but can't figure best way to put them, and in the end deciding that something is better than nothing. I think I'm getting better at it, but still not great.
  • As a lot of people mentioned – lack of inspiration.
  • Sometimes I realise that something we did in the past could have been handled better – and I start to overthink entire RP.
 
absolutely! it depends on my motivation, the time I can spare to reply, and my partner's input
 
I definitely hve stories that seemed great when I wrote them but in retrospect are pure garbage. I look at them now and cringe.
 
Absolutely., and the reasons for it are the same that have been mentioned here many times. Motivation, partner's input/motivation, how well me and my partner get along OOC, inspiration or the lack of it and media I've consumed.
 
I'm definitely struggling with this at the moment. It comes down to so many factors, but when I'm reading less and engaging in more screen time, the quality of my writing definitely suffers.
 
Some ones yes. It can depend on my mood and what I have to work with in the plot itself or what the chemistry with my partner is like.

Sometimes f I take a break instead of responding straight away it can freshen up my mind and I come back with some great responses and angles.
 
Yoga Princess said:
Have you ever thought about re-writing stories and do you write as much now as before?
Click to expand...

I've had a few I wouldn't mind revising. Anything in particular that you can think of that could be done better (you can be honest I am very open to constructive criticism).

I don't write as much as before due to time constraints, but I wouldn't mind getting back into it a bit. If there is a specific genre you like please let me know and if I think I can do a good job of it I will certainly try to write one.
 
I used to but now I set a timer for about 30-45 minutes when I sit down and start writing. After that time is up I will take a 15 and come back. During the writing I also try to find some instrumental music that seems fitting for the genre or scene. This also helps for studying or completing any other task that requires sitting for extended periods of time.
 
It is all down to my mindset when I write. Clearly if I'm not in the right mindset to write and I try to do it, I'll have trouble writing down anything and what I write isn't going to be that great. It can also decrease as well when I am distracted for sure having people pestering me or having other things going on around me that interrupt my train of thought.

That said when it comes to roleplaying, I noticed largely my ability to write will vary based off my partner. If I have a partner writing a lot and I have details to work off I'll be able to throw several paragraphs out with ease. If I get responses that are very minimal in details or perhaps lacking much to hook onto then it suddenly becomes harder to write and my quality tends to lower a bit. Its not to say I can't still push myself and write more without much to work with, though it will be much more on myself to fill out more details in my head to work from which typically even if Ican manage to do it a few times, I'll eventually lose momentum without much to work off of.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom