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How do you reply to long/complex posts?

Passion

Passion

Fueled
Joined
Nov 16, 2018
Location
The Ether
So, I think this question really can depend on how much you and your partner write. I believe if it is short enough, you probably read and simply reply, but how about the multipara/novella writers out there?

Do you just read it all in a go or two and reply without looking back? Do you read your partner's post in chunks and reply to each chunk? Do you keep referring back to your partner's post whenever you have to? Do you keep both post and your writing up side by side?

I always have been curious what others' norms are. I know it probably can vary on the kind of RP and partner, but I'm sure some of us have a default method. What works for you?
 
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Hmmm...as a person who also writes long, multi-para posts...

I do read everything my partner posts. If I'm not going to go to the trouble of reading their efforts, why would I expect they read mine? Not reading what your partner posts quickly becomes obvious, just as it does when they don't read your posts, and after a little while it becomes a case of "what's the freakin' point?". When crafting my response I use the first couple of paragraphs of my reply to address (or respond to, while trying to ensure that I'm also not holding the story back) what my partner wrote, and use the next few paragraphs moving ahead.

And I do keep my partner's post up when responding so I can refer back to it to make sure I'm responding properly (although I confess I still miss things occasionally). It's a lot easier to do that on a dual-monitor setup - partner's post in BMR on one screen, Word Doc with the story on the other. I always write that way when doing stories.
 
Similar to what Sync said.

I read the post over at least once, maybe twice entirely and then when thinking of my post. My first paragraph (or two) usually is to address my partner's post and anything important that was said or happened. Then the next (x) paragraphs I try to push things forward. I don't keep my partner's post up on my second monitor, I probably should but that is where my music/streams are so I simply just scroll up or have it on another tab on the same monitor.

Though sometimes I do read a chunk of the reply and start up my response and then read the next chunk if it is an especially large post I received.

I honestly should re-read more than I do or maybe have the post up side by side because when I'm coming up with my reply or my own ideas I just sometimes straight brain fart and forget what I just read from my partner and gloss over something that happened that I shouldn't.
 
Pontiff said:
I probably should but that is where my music/streams are so I simply just scroll up or have it on another tab on the same monitor.
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Heh...that where having everything as mp3 is handy - just load the playlist in Media Player, put it on Shuffle, and let it rip so I can have both screens up for posting. :)
 
I tend to respond per paragraph, so to speak. That doesn't mean if they write 10 paragraphs I write the same. I just tend to read a paragraph then respond with whatever I feel is needed and so on.

I do read their post in its entirety first though so I know why their ultimate point is going to be.
 
Good writing will hook you in. And if you're hooked in, you can read pages without pause. Replying to long posts is likely tougher than replying to short ones, but the first read shouldn't be tough, if that makes sense. If something is difficult to read, then it's likely that it wasn't that well written in the first place, which would make me consider cutting the RP. Although this happens very, very rarely. Usually, people who write a lot tend to write well.

As others have said, I probably just read it first, then I slowly work through a reply in a document along with a second reread, likely in another program. (I use Notepad, not because it's good but because I feel better without having an autosave feature active, lol)
 
It honestly takes me similar time even if it's a couple paragraphs, because I sort of have to end up in the right mood before I can write in a way I remotely think is okay. So I pretty much get posts, mull on them and what I might do, and then the actual writing time is the right span of 15 minutes that might come a few times a day, and often in the middle of not being at a computer for devious things >.>
 
I read their post through once just for the feel of it. Then I generally step away for a little while (sometimes a few minutes, sometimes a day or two depending on schedule and timing) and let it percolate in my brain. When I come back to reply I read their post a second time so I can flag things which I believe will be important to reply to or build on. I keep their post up in another window to look at as I write, building on things or pushing them along, and then I do a final read of both posts together to make sure they're sensical.

It's a great deal more fun than it sounds in explanation there! :LOL:
 
I might be in the minority here, but I am not a fan of responding paragraph-by-paragraph to a partner’s post - I find that to be cumbersome and sometimes awkward, especially if I’m thinking of it as a cohesive story rather than a series of replies, which I usually do. If my partner’s reply requires that much active response from my character, I’ll usually prefer it to be broken up into smaller posts back-and-forth.

But I’m also totally fine with my partner assuming basic actions and responses on the part of my character to keep things flowing in a longer reply. I’ll usually only directly respond to the last parts of their writing, in order to keep things moving forward. The prior elements of the reply will help inform the future action and the nature of the story, but I usually won’t directly revisit them.

Functionally, I’ll usually read the reply, dwell for a while, then decide the general nature of my response. During the actual writing, there’s a lot of reference back and forth. I read and reread a lot as I’m writing (both their writing and mine) which is probably why I write slowly. 95% of my writing happens on mobile - it is what it is, lol.
 
I read it completely a couple of times. As mentioned by Laa, when you are reading something good it is not an issue about how much there is to read. Even as I reply, I still have my partners post up to look back on. They've worked hard on it so I want to give it my full attention. But with that said. Not every paragraph should be responded to. Usually, people will write about what's happening, character thoughts, interaction with my characters and dialogue, or if the story is moving forward. Some things just don't need to replied to if it has no bearing on the story as you run the risk of backtracking over what's already been written and happened.
 
Get a notebook. I use a standard legal pad. There are three parts to every post, no matter how long and detailed. They are (description/action/reaction). Make a note of every action you need to respond to, leaving a space to write in YC's reaction, including dialog and physical actions by the other player. Thoughts and emotions are off the table unless they're couched in a descriptive way like a blush, pause, hesitation.

Once you have all of that, you can build YC's actions. RP is like improve; it needs a (yes/and). You've acknowledged or responded to your partner's actions; now you have to decide what YC's actions are going to be. You're looking to give your partner enough to write about. That's the basic rough draft of your post. The reactions should be in the order of how your partner wrote them, but you can slide your actions in between where they seem appropriate. Keep it simple these are just notes.

Start adding the descriptors as you write the post with the outline already laid out. Pay very close attention to details. You might have to go back ten posts to find what the hair of a particular character is like. In the notepad, keep pages to jot down weird thought bubbles that might be exciting plot points for some time in the future. Writing complex posts becomes a formula after a while. The actual work depends on how long you can sit at the keyboard, and don't expect to do it all in one session.

Here's the thing, If you and your partner are free all day, it can be a lot of fun to ping pong one or two paragraphs back and forth. If, however, one of you is super busy, that's where the big 2,000 word posts come in handy because they can be written over a week as you find time to shoehorn in a bit of writing.

When writing a post or description, you can play a little game by slowly revealing something. Let's say you have a dead body hanging in a meat locker. Start by describing the shoes hanging off the floor and then draw your partner's eyes slowly up to the face. Try it in another way, keep the dialog casual, friendly, as you walk their character to the edge of the building without any indication of what you're already planning. Then when they walk to the edge with you because we don't godmod, in the next post, you have the push.
 
I usually compose the general outline of my reply while reading the post. Once I am finished I write my reply mostly from memory, but sometimes look back to make sure I get certain details correct. I usually spend most of my time looking at character images or relevant artwork. I kind of have a way of steering my partners to make certain replies anyway, so my next reply will likely be considered before my partner has even sent me anything. Sure this sometimes deviates and I'm surprised by the response I get, but largely I have a good idea of what my next post is going to be.
 
I read their reply 1-3 times.

Often the first part is them responding to my previous post, and nothing from me is required. So I find the point I need to start responding from, and then move through their post line by line responding as needed.

After that, I add in actions that push the story forward, giving my writing partner something to respond to.

Sometimes - for one of my partners in particular, this can be a multi-day process, with me having to take periodic breaks to refresh myself. It astonishes me how quickly some people can belt out massive, well written posts in an hour or so and it can take me 2-3 days.
 
Read it all in one sitting.

Take like a week or two to actually do it. Both @Mint_Tea and @TheSluttyBanshee can confirm I take my sweet time lmfao.

Then open the Word document, start at the location where action and response to action can begin, and write a little bit at a time while being sure not to miss anything important.
 
Step 1: Read the post

Step 2: Look at the screen for a day a week two weeks while my brain is making this sound

Step 3: Actually write the post at 2 AM, in 20-30 minutes and promise yourself this won't happen again. It will.

Step 4: Give myself a pat on the back, then realize I got 6 other replies while I slept.

I think @Cantarella , @TheSluttyBanshee and @cosmos have secretly been toying with the idea of choking me through the screen but my totally awesome powers associated with being a decent writer have prevented them from doing so, luckily enough.
 
I realized I never answered my own question.

For myself, I often read the full post once (maybe twice if it is really good or complex), and then I keep their post up and on the side of my screen as I write mine. Well, side by side until I'm done with aspects of my partners' post. I don't have two screens, so not the most ideal method lol.
 
Passion said:
I realized I never answered my own question.

For myself, I often read the full post once (maybe twice if it is really good or complex), and then I keep their post up and on the side of my screen as I write mine. Well, side by side until I'm done with aspects of my partners' post. I don't have two screens, so not the most ideal method lol.
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I also do this! I have their post on one side, usually the left, and my Word document on the right. I have a laptop so I do not have two monitors but it works just fine.
 
Kitten said:
I also do this! I have their post on one side, usually the left, and my Word document on the right. I have a laptop so I do not have two monitors but it works just fine.
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I just know I rather type on a full screen, but it does work! In the end, as long as I have a box to write, I'll make do! It is funny, I'm the same with the post goes left and my word doc on the right. Haha.
 
Passion said:
I just know I rather type on a full screen, but it does work! In the end, as long as I have a box to write, I'll make do! It is funny, I'm the same with the post goes left and my word doc on the right. Haha.
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Working on a dual-monitor PC, I do this as well: BMR on the left screen, Word doc for the story on the right screen. Works beautifully.
 
I do math. Call it the accountant in me.

Generally, decent RP posts run the neighborhood of 500 to 1,000 words. There are of course exceptions, (especially for intros) but this is my general rule.

I will usually just use a word processor to do a word count of the last reply I received in a story. I will then post a number in my status for whoever is next in the reply que.

My writing process is straightforward. Each sentence that I am about to write usually focuses on one word, so I will write what I call "paragraph blocks", which is a collection of words, each focus word to be put in a sentence. Each of these paragraph blocks has anywhere from 3 to 5 words in it. All of these words are complimentary to each other.

I then take each word and make a sentence out of it that works with the focus word, to elaborate the situation around it. I keep adding to it until it "feels" right. There is a singularity here to be mindful of though, and once you move past it the sentence becomes obnoxious, and runs on. After which, there are 3 to five sentences.

I do this for each word in the paragraph block. The resulting paragraph is 100ish words, +/-25. I check my word count against the word count I received from my writing partner earlier, and shoot for the same number +/-50 words.

Afterwords a rough draft is ready. I edit it, then post.

Cut and dry. Rinse and repeat.
 
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