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Tips + Tricks

KalinMegaFan20

KalinMegaFan20

England Connoisseur
Joined
Dec 12, 2021
Location
England.
Hello is there any tips and tricks on here to help me with my writing skills? Anything from forming longer replies to being better at erp.
 
I would recommend reading public threads here. Find something that fits the length you're looking for and then read those posts. If you read enough, you start to form a rhythm and perhaps pick up some methods of people that you read that appeal to you. This is probably the easiest way to find your ERP 'education'.
 
A_thorny_prose said:
I would recommend reading public threads here. Find something that fits the length you're looking for and then read those posts. If you read enough, you start to form a rhythm and perhaps pick up some methods of people that you read that appeal to you. This is probably the easiest way to find your ERP 'education'.
Click to expand...
Thank you very much. I appreciate that massively.
 
I wouldn't worry about posting length.

One of the things I never do is worry about posting length. Instead I think about what the post is trying to accomplish. Every single post should try to accomplish something in order to move the story forward, expose some characterization, establish setting, and/or adequately respond to a previous post. Think about what you want to say in the post, what you want your character to do, and how that will contribute to the overall story. Once you have that figured out, just have fun trying to express those thoughts in a way that you feel suits you. Not everyone should write the same, and developing your own style can be fun.

Role-playing and writing are not exactly the same thing. You need to write to role-play, but just because you are writing, it doesn't mean you are role-playing. This is fundamentally a creative exercise in cooperation and interactivity. Always keep in mind that you are writing with another person or persons. For this reason you might need to include details that you could ignore if you're writing a novel or short story. It's a good idea to take note of the environment to a level of detail that creates a setting for the other person. If you vaguely describe a room, then your partner is in a position of not knowing exactly what is in that room-- they can't read your mind and know what you are imagining. You don't have to go into detail about the stitch count, but a general counting of the furniture and style works better than just mentioning it's an average, modern bedroom. You are essentially establishing a playground for your partner and giving them the tools to creatively respond to you in ways that are unique to your environment and character.

Does your character have a bedroom, or do they have a bedroom unique to them? Detailing this creates immersion and can even hint at some clues to who your character is, which can allow your partner(s) to better create unique and interesting responses.

Another piece of advice I'd drop is to not always be so eager to present the most ideal response or solution. Sometimes conflict can be a good thing. Can you think of any particularly good stories where everything goes exactly as planned? Where the characters always agree with each other, always get along, and always know exactly what to say? I'm going to guess that you can't really think of anything like that. Keep that in mind while formulating responses to your partner, whether in response or setting up a scenario for them to respond to. Again, keep in mind the point of the story and the objective of the scene. Sometimes you want things to go smoothly and sometimes you might not.

A good rule of thumb is that all of your writing should go to establishing and reacting to the setting, moving the story forward, and characterization. If you write about these things then you will usually have a decent post, and all that is left is your own personal ability to string words together in a pleasing way.
 
Mitsu said:
I wouldn't worry about posting length.

One of the things I never do is worry about posting length. Instead I think about what the post is trying to accomplish. Every single post should try to accomplish something in order to move the story forward, expose some characterization, establish setting, and/or adequately respond to a previous post. Think about what you want to say in the post, what you want your character to do, and how that will contribute to the overall story. Once you have that figured out, just have fun trying to express those thoughts in a way that you feel suits you. Not everyone should write the same, and developing your own style can be fun.

Role-playing and writing are not exactly the same thing. You need to write to role-play, but just because you are writing, it doesn't mean you are role-playing. This is fundamentally a creative exercise in cooperation and interactivity. Always keep in mind that you are writing with another person or persons. For this reason you might need to include details that you could ignore if you're writing a novel or short story. It's a good idea to take note of the environment to a level of detail that creates a setting for the other person. If you vaguely describe a room, then your partner is in a position of not knowing exactly what is in that room-- they can't read your mind and know what you are imagining. You don't have to go into detail about the stitch count, but a general counting of the furniture and style works better than just mentioning it's an average, modern bedroom. You are essentially establishing a playground for your partner and giving them the tools to creatively respond to you in ways that are unique to your environment and character.

Does your character have a bedroom, or do they have a bedroom unique to them? Detailing this creates immersion and can even hint at some clues to who your character is, which can allow your partner(s) to better create unique and interesting responses.

Another piece of advice I'd drop is to not always be so eager to present the most ideal response or solution. Sometimes conflict can be a good thing. Can you think of any particularly good stories where everything goes exactly as planned? Where the characters always agree with each other, always get along, and always know exactly what to say? I'm going to guess that you can't really think of anything like that. Keep that in mind while formulating responses to your partner, whether in response or setting up a scenario for them to respond to. Again, keep in mind the point of the story and the objective of the scene. Sometimes you want things to go smoothly and sometimes you might not.

A good rule of thumb is that all of your writing should go to establishing and reacting to the setting, moving the story forward, and characterization. If you write about these things then you will usually have a decent post, and all that is left is your own personal ability to string words together in a pleasing way.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much. I appreciate this so damm much.
 
No problem. Feel free to ask more questions if you want my insight on more specific things. I'm also willing to look over anything you've written and give you some constructive criticism.
 
Mitsu said:
No problem. Feel free to ask more questions if you want my insight on more specific things. I'm also willing to look over anything you've written and give you some constructive criticism.
Click to expand...
You’ll help then yeah? I appreciate that so much.
 
No problem. I'm always willing to help people out if it's within my ability to do so.
 
Mitsu said:
I wouldn't worry about posting length.

One of the things I never do is worry about posting length. Instead I think about what the post is trying to accomplish. Every single post should try to accomplish something in order to move the story forward, expose some characterization, establish setting, and/or adequately respond to a previous post. Think about what you want to say in the post, what you want your character to do, and how that will contribute to the overall story. Once you have that figured out, just have fun trying to express those thoughts in a way that you feel suits you. Not everyone should write the same, and developing your own style can be fun.

Role-playing and writing are not exactly the same thing. You need to write to role-play, but just because you are writing, it doesn't mean you are role-playing. This is fundamentally a creative exercise in cooperation and interactivity. Always keep in mind that you are writing with another person or persons. For this reason you might need to include details that you could ignore if you're writing a novel or short story. It's a good idea to take note of the environment to a level of detail that creates a setting for the other person. If you vaguely describe a room, then your partner is in a position of not knowing exactly what is in that room-- they can't read your mind and know what you are imagining. You don't have to go into detail about the stitch count, but a general counting of the furniture and style works better than just mentioning it's an average, modern bedroom. You are essentially establishing a playground for your partner and giving them the tools to creatively respond to you in ways that are unique to your environment and character.

Does your character have a bedroom, or do they have a bedroom unique to them? Detailing this creates immersion and can even hint at some clues to who your character is, which can allow your partner(s) to better create unique and interesting responses.

Another piece of advice I'd drop is to not always be so eager to present the most ideal response or solution. Sometimes conflict can be a good thing. Can you think of any particularly good stories where everything goes exactly as planned? Where the characters always agree with each other, always get along, and always know exactly what to say? I'm going to guess that you can't really think of anything like that. Keep that in mind while formulating responses to your partner, whether in response or setting up a scenario for them to respond to. Again, keep in mind the point of the story and the objective of the scene. Sometimes you want things to go smoothly and sometimes you might not.

A good rule of thumb is that all of your writing should go to establishing and reacting to the setting, moving the story forward, and characterization. If you write about these things then you will usually have a decent post, and all that is left is your own personal ability to string words together in a pleasing way.
Click to expand...
This is admittedly difficult to change my mindset on. My previous writing partners have expected no one liners and/or essay’s worth of writing so I ask, what’s the truth in your eyes?
 
KalinMegaFan20 said:
This is admittedly difficult to change my mindset on. My previous writing partners have expected no one liners and/or essay’s worth of writing so I ask, what’s the truth in your eyes?
Click to expand...

A one liner will almost never be enough, unless you are engaging in a role-play where that's the whole point. Some people like rapid fire, back and forth role-plays where there's only a single line. That's perfectly fine and there's nothing wrong with that. However, most people around here are likely going to want a bit more. I also believe that if you're writing something interesting, then you will most likely have more than one, single sentence of text.

How can you properly express your characters thoughts and feelings on the current situation, and then have them respond to that situation with a single line of text? I'm sure you can actually do it, but how sparse and nondescriptive will that be?

Largely, I aim to meet my goals in a post and in doing so write something that is worth reading. If my goal is to punch a character in the face, then I write about everything that goes into that happening. How my character feels, why they are doing it, and then how they end up doing it. I describe the things that need to be described to make that happen in a way that is fun for the other person to read.

She was upset. She didn't like him. She punched him and yelled, "take this you scumbag!"

or

Raw, unbridled anger worked its way down her arms in hot, uncomfortable waves. Even hotter was the cherry tomato red that had flushed her cheeks with embarrassment. She could hardly believe that he had dared to do something so awful. How could someone possibly say that pineapple was bad on pizza? Her entire career had been built upon the platform that pineapple was delicious on pizza. The savory, tangy sauce and the sweet, juicy pineapple combined for a natural and delectable flavor that was only enhanced by the salty meat that accompanied it. Now, to the whole world, he had declared that it was awful.

"You!" She blurted out, "You're a scumbag! I'll never trust you again!" In a blind rage, she ran towards him. All pretense of the hot, sweaty nights they spent together were jettisoned from her mind and heart, as she coiled her arm back. Toned, powerful muscle tensed, and her feet dug into the ground to halt her momentum. With a twist of her hips and mighty roar, she sent her fist rocketing towards his smug, stupid mug.

Sure, you could have just posted the one liner, but is that very fun or descriptive? It doesn't express anything about the character. In the small two paragraphs there I expressed that she was angry and how she feels when she is angry. Then I expressed why she is angry. Then I wrote about how she was directing that anger towards him, and even how she felt about him, which only further explains their relationship and her anger.

At a certain point a one liner just isn't going to cut it if you want to attract certain people. You have to decide what you want out of a role-play. One liners can lead to a great deal of instant, quick gratification where the general intent and meaning of the text is all you need. Someone typing that they're giving your character a blow job will give you an association that you might like. Someone going into detail over the course of a paragraph or two of HOW she is giving that blow job will paint you a picture in words. The end result will be the same for some people, but for other people the longer description will be more erotic and thrilling. Generally those more familiar with writing and literature will prefer the later, and they will typically be the more creative and rewarding partners to write with. That's not to say you cannot have a great experience with someone that is only typing one line at a time, or a scant few words in response. However, those that put more into their posts are literally putting more into their posts. You can only be so creative and interesting if you don't use the words to express that creativity.

It's all subjective and it's all about what YOU want. Just be sure to keep in mind that your partners ALSO want things, and if neither of you can meet the wants that you both want, then the partnership will fail.

On the flip side, there's no need to fluff out your posts with tons of unnecessary details. Write as much as you want, but also ask yourself, "is what I'm writing interesting, fun, or even needed in the post?" If your answer is no, then perhaps consider omitting it.
 
Mitsu said:
A one liner will almost never be enough, unless you are engaging in a role-play where that's the whole point. Some people like rapid fire, back and forth role-plays where there's only a single line. That's perfectly fine and there's nothing wrong with that. However, most people around here are likely going to want a bit more. I also believe that if you're writing something interesting, then you will most likely have more than one, single sentence of text.

How can you properly express your characters thoughts and feelings on the current situation, and then have them respond to that situation with a single line of text? I'm sure you can actually do it, but how sparse and nondescriptive will that be?

Largely, I aim to meet my goals in a post and in doing so write something that is worth reading. If my goal is to punch a character in the face, then I write about everything that goes into that happening. How my character feels, why they are doing it, and then how they end up doing it. I describe the things that need to be described to make that happen in a way that is fun for the other person to read.

She was upset. She didn't like him. She punched him and yelled, "take this you scumbag!"

or

Raw, unbridled anger worked its way down her arms in hot, uncomfortable waves. Even hotter was the cherry tomato red that had flushed her cheeks with embarrassment. She could hardly believe that he had dared to do something so awful. How could someone possibly say that pineapple was bad on pizza? Her entire career had been built upon the platform that pineapple was delicious on pizza. The savory, tangy sauce and the sweet, juicy pineapple combined for a natural and delectable flavor that was only enhanced by the salty meat that accompanied it. Now, to the whole world, he had declared that it was awful.

"You!" She blurted out, "You're a scumbag! I'll never trust you again!" In a blind rage, she ran towards him. All pretense of the hot, sweaty nights they spent together were jettisoned from her mind and heart, as she coiled her arm back. Toned, powerful muscle tensed, and her feet dug into the ground to halt her momentum. With a twist of her hips and mighty roar, she sent her fist rocketing towards his smug, stupid mug.

Sure, you could have just posted the one liner, but that isn't very fun or descriptive? It doesn't express anything about the character. In the small two paragraphs there I expressed that she was angry and how she feels when she is angry. Then I expressed why she is angry. Then I wrote about how she was directing that anger towards him, and even how she felt about him, which only further explains their relationship and her anger.

At a certain point a one liner just isn't going to cut it if you want to attract certain people. You have to decide what you want out of a role-play. One liners can lead to a great deal of instant, quick gratification where the general intent and meaning of the text is all you need. Someone typing that they're giving your character a blow job will give you an association that you might like. Someone going into detail over the course of a paragraph or two of HOW she is giving that blow job will paint you a picture in words. The end result will be the same for some people, but for other people the longer description will be more erotic and thrilling. Generally those more familiar with writing and literature will prefer the later, and they will typically be the more creative and rewarding partners to write with. That's not to say you cannot have a great experience with someone that is only typing one line at a time, or a scant few words in response. However, those that put more into their posts are literally putting more into their posts. You can only be so creative and interesting if you don't use the words to express that creativity.

It's all subjective and it's all about what YOU want. Just be sure to keep in mind that your partners ALSO want things, and if neither of you can meet the wants that you both want, then the partnership will fail.

On the flip side, there's no need to fluff out your posts with tons of unnecessary details. Write as much as you want, but also ask yourself, "is what I'm writing interesting, fun, or even needed in the post?" If your answer is no, then perhaps consider omitting it.
Click to expand...
So it’s all up to your views?
 
KalinMegaFan20 said:
So it’s all up to your views?
Click to expand...

Yup. There are probably people on this message board that will disagree with a lot of what I've said in this thread. There are very few right or wrong answers here, and it's all about what you find fun. Just keep in mind that you have to find partners that also find your style and ways fun as well. You can't expect someone that likes long meaty posts to want to play with you if you can never manage a single paragraph. Just like you can't expect someone that is extremely concise to want to play with someone very verbose.

Role-playing is a fun hobby. It is not a job. You can always strive to get better at a hobby, but you should also keep in mind that it's just about having fun and expressing yourself creatively--unless it's all about something else to you. *shrugs*

Role-playing is whatever you want it to be. Just don't be a creep about it.
 
Mitsu said:
Yup. There are probably people on this message board that will disagree with a lot of what I've said in this thread. There are very few right or wrong answers here, and it's all about what you find fun. Just keep in mind that you have to find partners that also find your style and ways fun as well. You can't expect someone that likes long meaty posts to want to play with you if you can never manage a single paragraph. Just like you can't expect someone that is extremely concise to want to play with someone very verbose.

Role-playing is a fun hobby. It is not a job. You can always strive to get better at a hobby, but you should also keep in mind that it's just about having fun and expressing yourself creatively--unless it's all about something else to you. *shrugs*

Role-playing is whatever you want it to be. Just don't be a creep about it.
Click to expand...
Oh I fully intend to A: not be a creep and B: always treat it like a hobby. I just need some guidance and tips like yours is all.
 
Mitsu said:
I wouldn't worry about posting length.

One of the things I never do is worry about posting length. Instead I think about what the post is trying to accomplish. Every single post should try to accomplish something in order to move the story forward, expose some characterization, establish setting, and/or adequately respond to a previous post. Think about what you want to say in the post, what you want your character to do, and how that will contribute to the overall story. Once you have that figured out, just have fun trying to express those thoughts in a way that you feel suits you. Not everyone should write the same, and developing your own style can be fun.

Role-playing and writing are not exactly the same thing. You need to write to role-play, but just because you are writing, it doesn't mean you are role-playing. This is fundamentally a creative exercise in cooperation and interactivity. Always keep in mind that you are writing with another person or persons. For this reason you might need to include details that you could ignore if you're writing a novel or short story. It's a good idea to take note of the environment to a level of detail that creates a setting for the other person. If you vaguely describe a room, then your partner is in a position of not knowing exactly what is in that room-- they can't read your mind and know what you are imagining. You don't have to go into detail about the stitch count, but a general counting of the furniture and style works better than just mentioning it's an average, modern bedroom. You are essentially establishing a playground for your partner and giving them the tools to creatively respond to you in ways that are unique to your environment and character.

Does your character have a bedroom, or do they have a bedroom unique to them? Detailing this creates immersion and can even hint at some clues to who your character is, which can allow your partner(s) to better create unique and interesting responses.

Another piece of advice I'd drop is to not always be so eager to present the most ideal response or solution. Sometimes conflict can be a good thing. Can you think of any particularly good stories where everything goes exactly as planned? Where the characters always agree with each other, always get along, and always know exactly what to say? I'm going to guess that you can't really think of anything like that. Keep that in mind while formulating responses to your partner, whether in response or setting up a scenario for them to respond to. Again, keep in mind the point of the story and the objective of the scene. Sometimes you want things to go smoothly and sometimes you might not.

A good rule of thumb is that all of your writing should go to establishing and reacting to the setting, moving the story forward, and characterization. If you write about these things then you will usually have a decent post, and all that is left is your own personal ability to string words together in a pleasing way.
Click to expand...
This was an amazing post, and very helpful. I have been writing for years, but only recently started roleplaying. It is definitely a different process I am still learning.

I struggle most right now with leaving my partner something to respond to, but not pushing the story too far ahead. This can be difficult in moments of dialogue or intense action.
 
Sadiah said:
This was an amazing post, and very helpful. I have been writing for years, but only recently started roleplaying. It is definitely a different process I am still learning.

I struggle most right now with leaving my partner something to respond to, but not pushing the story too far ahead. This can be difficult in moments of dialogue or intense action.
Click to expand...

Thanks.

A general rule of thumb that I go by is the single-interaction. I essentially have one interaction for my partner to respond to, one direct interaction that I'd like them to engage with. This can come at any point in the post, but I likely put it towards the end. Now, they can also react to other things, such as environmental details, previous interactions of your character with NPCs, but the MAIN interaction that you want them to respond to, I limit to just one thing. This can be a single action or a single bit of dialogue (extensive or short).

Above I posted this:

Raw, unbridled anger worked its way down her arms in hot, uncomfortable waves. Even hotter was the cherry tomato red that had flushed her cheeks with embarrassment. She could hardly believe that he had dared to do something so awful. How could someone possibly say that pineapple was bad on pizza? Her entire career had been built upon the platform that pineapple was delicious on pizza. The savory, tangy sauce and the sweet, juicy pineapple combined for a natural and delectable flavor that was only enhanced by the salty meat that accompanied it. Now, to the whole world, he had declared that it was awful.

"You!" She blurted out, "You're a scumbag! I'll never trust you again!" In a blind rage, she ran towards him. All pretense of the hot, sweaty nights they spent together were jettisoned from her mind and heart, as she coiled her arm back. Toned, powerful muscle tensed, and her feet dug into the ground to halt her momentum. With a twist of her hips and mighty roar, she sent her fist rocketing towards his smug, stupid mug.

I wrote this with the intention of going into detail about how the character was angry. The person in question can react to all of this, to see her disposition turn to anger. However, that's not the main interaction. They can respond to how their character perceives this change in mood, but that's not an interaction. The interaction is at the end, where she yells at him and then moves to strike him.

I'm sure you can extrapolate how this can sort of spiral out from there, where you can front load a lot of details that your partner can respond to, but then the actual interaction is very simplistic. In this way you are giving your partner a bunch of stuff to consider and write about, but then making a very clear and concise interaction that they can well... interact with. Even if you were to set up an entire scenario for them to interact with, something more open ended, it's usually best to not shove too much into it.

A good way to think about this is to not think about writing, but instead to think about film. Consider how the scene would play out if you were directing it for screen. What works well on a screen will usually work well in a role-play, due to the less internal nature of a film versus writing a story. Sure you can write about a characters feelings and thoughts, but your partner cannot interact with them directly. So, consider how your proposed line of action would play out on a screen. Think about what the next few frames would be instead of the next scene. In my example, I directed the scene all the way up until the other character would be on screen again. It's like you have a camera and you're only following your character, or the characters you are writing, so you have to leave room for the camera perspective to shift to the other character, who would give their reactions in response.

Maybe I got ahead of myself, and this is confusing, but that's how I think about it. Whether the scene is rapid or languid, it's how I try to frame things to keep the interactions smooth.
 
Mitsu said:
Thanks.

A general rule of thumb that I go by is the single-interaction. I essentially have one interaction for my partner to respond to, one direct interaction that I'd like them to engage with. This can come at any point in the post, but I likely put it towards the end. Now, they can also react to other things, such as environmental details, previous interactions of your character with NPCs, but the MAIN interaction that you want them to respond to, I limit to just one thing. This can be a single action or a single bit of dialogue (extensive or short).

Above I posted this:

Raw, unbridled anger worked its way down her arms in hot, uncomfortable waves. Even hotter was the cherry tomato red that had flushed her cheeks with embarrassment. She could hardly believe that he had dared to do something so awful. How could someone possibly say that pineapple was bad on pizza? Her entire career had been built upon the platform that pineapple was delicious on pizza. The savory, tangy sauce and the sweet, juicy pineapple combined for a natural and delectable flavor that was only enhanced by the salty meat that accompanied it. Now, to the whole world, he had declared that it was awful.

"You!" She blurted out, "You're a scumbag! I'll never trust you again!" In a blind rage, she ran towards him. All pretense of the hot, sweaty nights they spent together were jettisoned from her mind and heart, as she coiled her arm back. Toned, powerful muscle tensed, and her feet dug into the ground to halt her momentum. With a twist of her hips and mighty roar, she sent her fist rocketing towards his smug, stupid mug.

I wrote this with the intention of going into detail about how the character was angry. The person in question can react to all of this, to see her disposition turn to anger. However, that's not the main interaction. They can respond to how their character perceives this change in mood, but that's not an interaction. The interaction is at the end, where she yells at him and then moves to strike him.

I'm sure you can extrapolate how this can sort of spiral out from there, where you can front load a lot of details that your partner can respond to, but then the actual interaction is very simplistic. In this way you are giving your partner a bunch of stuff to consider and write about, but then making a very clear and concise interaction that they can well... interact with. Even if you were to set up an entire scenario for them to interact with, something more open ended, it's usually best to not shove too much into it.

A good way to think about this is to not think about writing, but instead to think about film. Consider how the scene would play out if you were directing it for screen. What works well on a screen will usually work well in a role-play, due to the less internal nature of a film versus writing a story. Sure you can write about a characters feelings and thoughts, but your partner cannot interact with them directly. So, consider how your proposed line of action would play out on a screen. Think about what the next few frames would be instead of the next scene. In my example, I directed the scene all the way up until the other character would be on screen again. It's like you have a camera and you're only following your character, or the characters you are writing, so you have to leave room for the camera perspective to shift to the other character, who would give their reactions in response.

Maybe I got ahead of myself, and this is confusing, but that's how I think about it. Whether it the scene is rapid or languid, it's how I try to frame things to keep the interactions smooth.
Click to expand...
Think of it as a film?
 
Mitsu said:
Thanks.

A general rule of thumb that I go by is the single-interaction. I essentially have one interaction for my partner to respond to, one direct interaction that I'd like them to engage with. This can come at any point in the post, but I likely put it towards the end. Now, they can also react to other things, such as environmental details, previous interactions of your character with NPCs, but the MAIN interaction that you want them to respond to, I limit to just one thing. This can be a single action or a single bit of dialogue (extensive or short).

Above I posted this:

Raw, unbridled anger worked its way down her arms in hot, uncomfortable waves. Even hotter was the cherry tomato red that had flushed her cheeks with embarrassment. She could hardly believe that he had dared to do something so awful. How could someone possibly say that pineapple was bad on pizza? Her entire career had been built upon the platform that pineapple was delicious on pizza. The savory, tangy sauce and the sweet, juicy pineapple combined for a natural and delectable flavor that was only enhanced by the salty meat that accompanied it. Now, to the whole world, he had declared that it was awful.

"You!" She blurted out, "You're a scumbag! I'll never trust you again!" In a blind rage, she ran towards him. All pretense of the hot, sweaty nights they spent together were jettisoned from her mind and heart, as she coiled her arm back. Toned, powerful muscle tensed, and her feet dug into the ground to halt her momentum. With a twist of her hips and mighty roar, she sent her fist rocketing towards his smug, stupid mug.

I wrote this with the intention of going into detail about how the character was angry. The person in question can react to all of this, to see her disposition turn to anger. However, that's not the main interaction. They can respond to how their character perceives this change in mood, but that's not an interaction. The interaction is at the end, where she yells at him and then moves to strike him.

I'm sure you can extrapolate how this can sort of spiral out from there, where you can front load a lot of details that your partner can respond to, but then the actual interaction is very simplistic. In this way you are giving your partner a bunch of stuff to consider and write about, but then making a very clear and concise interaction that they can well... interact with. Even if you were to set up an entire scenario for them to interact with, something more open ended, it's usually best to not shove too much into it.

A good way to think about this is to not think about writing, but instead to think about film. Consider how the scene would play out if you were directing it for screen. What works well on a screen will usually work well in a role-play, due to the less internal nature of a film versus writing a story. Sure you can write about a characters feelings and thoughts, but your partner cannot interact with them directly. So, consider how your proposed line of action would play out on a screen. Think about what the next few frames would be instead of the next scene. In my example, I directed the scene all the way up until the other character would be on screen again. It's like you have a camera and you're only following your character, or the characters you are writing, so you have to leave room for the camera perspective to shift to the other character, who would give their reactions in response.

Maybe I got ahead of myself, and this is confusing, but that's how I think about it. Whether the scene is rapid or languid, it's how I try to frame things to keep the interactions smooth.
Click to expand...
Thinking of it as a film is actually an excellent idea. Thank you :)
 
KalinMegaFan20 said:
Think of it as a film?
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I can't really explain it any better than I did in my post. If it's a confusing concept to you, it would probably be best to disregard it until you've given it thought and it clicks with you. Not all advice is good advice, because the advice that works for you is unique to you. One-size does not fit all.


Sadiah said:
Thinking of it as a film is actually an excellent idea. Thank you :)
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You're welcome. Feel free to pick my brain on any other role-playing topics if you'd like.
 
Mitsu said:
I can't really explain it any better than I did in my post. If it's a confusion concept to you, it would probably be best to disregard it until you've given it thought and it clicks with you. Not all advice is good advice, because the advice that works for you is unique to you. One-size does not fit all.




You're welcome. Feel free to pick my brain on any other role-playing topics if you'd like.
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I appreciate your honesty
 
Heh. As with all advice on any topic, the people giving advice will, ultimately, be telling you what works for them. You can see whether it works for you, and if it does, great; if not, find something else - or use the adopt, adapt, improve method. :)

One device I tend to make use of when writing a story is the PC-NPC conversation. This is where I have my character engage in a conversation of varying length with an NPC. I find such a device helps me do several things:
* enhance the scene;
* develop the story;
* better-establish the character.

However, as the device can also make for a lengthy post, I don't (or try not to) use it too often - especially if I know the scene doesn't require it, or if I know that my partner isn't fond of reading large posts. ;)

Often, knowing when to use a story-telling device is as important as knowing how to use it.
 
Solo said:
Practice.

Also, I tend to respond to writing prompts by myself. Googling "daily writing prompts" has helped me get my gears turning before writing replies. Though, ultimately, the best way to develop a skill is to use it, and you'll only get better at writing by writing with people who help you improve.

If you ever want any one-on-one advice, feel free to PM me. I'd be happy to take a look at your replies or starters and offer pointers where I can.
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Thank you
 
Edit, Edit, Edit.

I like to write in word as a rough draft. It has a read back function that helps immensely.

Then I copy/paste it into grammarly to catch the rest.

The final draft I copy/paste into the post and add the art links.
 
Enoch said:
Edit, Edit, Edit.

I like to write in word as a rough draft. It has a read back function that helps immensely.

Then I copy/paste it into grammarly to catch the rest.

The final draft I copy/paste into the post and add the art links.
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Yes, I definitely need to edit more than I do. I find myself torn because for me editing means another day before its ready to post. I need to walk away and edit much later with fresh eyes. But I also want to get my post to my writing partner as quickly as possible.

Decisions, decisions... ;)
 
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