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Roleplay Management and Post Rate

C

Chai

Guest
Okay guys, we've all been there. You have a decent amount of roleplays going on, everything's fine and dandy, but then the post rate starts going down for all your roleplays. Some roleplays may even be stalled for a month or longer. Whatever the reason, you get bored and have the desire for a steady flow of posts (at whatever rate is comfortable for you), so you take on a couple more roleplays. Then magically, everyone you've ever roleplayed with in your entire life decides to come back from the dead and post all at the same time. Boom, now you've got five million things to reply to and seemingly so little time. Sometimes it can be a little stressful, right?

Before I go on, let me say this: Not responding to roleplays in a steady manner, for whatever reason, is totally okay. Placing roleplays on hold, for whatever reason, is totally okay. Having writer's block or real-life issues, for whatever reason, IS MORE THAN OKAY. This thread is not to pick on the reasons why people do those things, because frankly it happens, and there are other threads to discuss why or why not you think that is appropriate. But this is not that thread.

What this thread is for is to discuss how you manage your roleplays in attempt not to have a scenario like the one described above. Personal things you like to do so that you feel like you have enough roleplays to keep you satisfied, while also not feeling stressed about the fact that you have so many to respond to.


1) How many roleplays do you take on at once? Does the number you take on also depend on the general amount you write for those roleplays?

2) Do you ever expect a post-rate from your partners? If so, how often do you expect them to post? And if not, how do you handle individual cases of decreased activity in a single roleplay?

3) How do you handle an overall decrease in roleplaying activity (as in, all of or most of your partners slow down)? Do you search for more roleplays as replacements, or do you wait it out?

4) When you do get stressed out from having a pile of roleplays to respond to, what helps you de-stress? How do you go about picking where to start?

5) How do you resist the temptation to take on another roleplay? I've definitely experienced that moment where I find myself browsing request threads just for the hell of it (even though I'm not really looking), and I end up sending out a PM because the story idea was just totally amazing.


I find most of my problem is that I have the tendency to bite off a lot more than I can chew. I'm a full-time student, so during the academic semesters I really can only handle so many roleplays at a time. That number sits around 4 for me, but when I'm on summer or winter break, I get the itch to write more, so I take on more roleplays. Then everything starts to go downhill after the new semester starts because I find myself unable to keep up. Boo. I also never expect my partners to post at a certain rate because I know that the writing muse comes and goes like the wind. But when I get bored or impatient, I tend to pick up more roleplays, leaving me with the beginning scenario. And I get stressed out easily. Again, boo. Obviously, my roleplay management skills are lacking, lmaooo.

So, what do you do for roleplay management?
 
My RP management is a lot better than it used to be. I will say that much. I will also say that I'll never take on more than 10. Now, 10 might sound like an extremely high number...and it is. However, whether I choose to take on that number or a lower one depends on how fast my writing partners tend to reply as well as how involved all the stories are. So, I tend to play it by ear to see if I'm able to add more on or not. This, however, can sometimes bite me in the ass. But, for whatever reasons, it's what I do and mainly because I like to have variety in what I write. Yes, I love a lot of variety and to have the ability to pick and choose what I want to write at a given time. Fair to pick and choose? Some might think not, but my muse is a fickle thing and I like to keep it active even if it means I focus on one story over another for a short bit. But, I'm glad to say that nearly everyone I write with understands this and is fine with it and, more or less, practices the same rule themselves. Anyhow, the main reason I practice this has to do with the fact that if I don't keep my muse going in terms of variety...I'll get burned out and will just stop writing all together and that just sucks all around. >.<

I should also note, that right now I'm free most of the day. So, it's not too hard for me to find time to get some writing in so long as my muse cooperates. XD
 
Nice thread! I was thinking of this on the other thread about sudden inactivity. It is definitely something that irks me whenever I consider taking new RPs.

1) How many roleplays do you take on at once? Does the number you take on also depend on the general amount you write for those roleplays?

During hectic semesters: ~3
Otherwise: ~4

The number does change depending on the posting rate and length. Smutty RPs where I don't have to think about character development are like snacks between course meals. I don't really take them seriously, they're there to satisfy a temporary craving or something, which means they don't weigh me down as the rest do. Excessively slow RPs also allow me more room to take more stories. Also, I like building characters that are unique to the RP at hand, and when I have too many RPs, they can of overlap in terms of mentality and behavior. This makes me careful when setting the number of RPs I can handle, and the nature of my characters in them.

2) Do you ever expect a post-rate from your partners? If so, how often do you expect them to post? And if not, how do you handle individual cases of decreased activity in a single roleplay?

I don't expect an explicitly stated post rate, but I expect a PM whenever the post rate changes. If you tell me that you'll post twice a month and you keep to that rate, that is nice. If you want to slow things down or pick up the tempo, then it is much better if you let me know. Communication never, ever, hurts.

I usually give my partners a month before I either look for a replacement or contact them, depends on how much I like the RP and how much I know them in OOC.

3) How do you handle an overall decrease in roleplaying activity (as in, all of or most of your partners slow down)? Do you search for more roleplays as replacements, or do you wait it out?

Depends. If all my RPs are borderline dead, then I'll replace the 50% that haven't seen a post the longest. If my RPs are still going but on a slower pace, I might wait it out or add a smutty one.

4) When you do get stressed out from having a pile of roleplays to respond to, what helps you de-stress? How do you go about picking where to start?

Netflix :heart:

.. or reading a book. That helps sometimes.

5) How do you resist the temptation to take on another roleplay? I've definitely experienced that moment where I find myself browsing request threads just for the hell of it (even though I'm not really looking), and I end up sending out a PM because the story idea was just totally amazing.

I remind myself that the idea is always there, and the more I wait, the more improvements I can come up with. When my schedule clears, I can always try it out.
 
1. Over time I found four to be the magic number. Anything more than four is too much work for me, putting out one fire only for three other fires to start. However, anything less than four I start to look for another roleplay or two. Quality over quantity always. That said I try to write at least 500 words, whether it be 500 words about characters having sex or 500 words about characters going out for lunch.

2. I'm going to have to agree with Forbidden Fruit. As long as I'm still interested and my partner keep me up to date, I don't mind waiting.

3. I'll either wait or start a new one if one my roleplays died.

4. I avoid getting stressed over having piles of roleplays, by not having piles of roleplays. Honestly if I ever get stressed over a roleplay, then it's time for me to sit back and take a moment to reflect why I write in the first place. As for overall stress management, mainly lifting weights or reading.

5. I put myself in the shoes of my current and future partners. If I have too many roleplays going, I'd struggle to reply to them all and possibly start having to let people go.
 
Nice topic Ari, and extremely appropriate to me at the moment. I've recently had a number of partners slow down their posting rates due to real-life issues, therefore feeling relaxed, took on a couple more. However, now they've all returned, including one from an sixteen month hiatus, and posted and, for the moment, I've found my magic number, which is eight. With that amount, I assume it likely that one or two will be occupied with real-life at any given time, so I'll most likely only have six to regularly reply to.

As for posting rates, I have no expectations (except slower rather than rapid fire), and am happy to wait and keep a story open as long as it takes. Fortunately, my partners are friends as well, that I have regular OoC communication with, so I generally know what is going on with each. Periods of decreased activity are something I expect to happen on occasion within any long-term roleplay, and it depends on how long it continues for on whether I'll search to compensate for slowed stories with new ones, or not.

What do I do to de-stress? I guess, nothing really, as I don't think I'd be able to write stress-free. Because I struggle with the minor details of tasks, and my brain considers something done when it's ninety percent complete, I require pressure or the sensation of a looming deadline in order to be able to finalise a post. Often times, I'll draft a response but not be able to muster the mindset required to place the finishing touches on it until I receive one to another story. That gives me the kick up the ass to finish the first, and it doesn't apply just to roleplaying, but generally to anything I do. The 'stress' is actually a feeling I find enjoyable, and actively seek, in a way that's difficult to explain, and the trouble is when I prove to myself I can handle the stories I already have, I'll most likely look for more, to ramp it up again. However, at some stage, there has to be a tipping point.
 
This is a pretty good series of question, that I never really thought of before.

1. I usually take 3-4 roleplays, more if it's an idea I'm really feeling at the moment. I'll sometimes get PMs to do a roleplay, but I've never turned them down with "I'm doing too many RPs at the moment."

2. It all depends on the roleplay. I don't expect a consistent post rate (for reasons aforementioned in this thread), but I will usually keep an eye on the PM tracking to see if they've read my reply. If the roleplay is going fairly slow, then I don't mind the other person taking there time to reply. If the other person isn't replying at all, I might send a poke PM to see if they're still interested. If they remain dead silent, then I assume the RP is pretty much dead.

3. I'll pretty much just move on to a replacement RP if that's the case. I haven't really had a moment where my partners come back seeking to bring the story back to live, usually they'll just vanish.

4. I'll usually detox with some Youtube videos, or a nice game on the PS3. If I need some inspiration for my stories, I'll usually turn to anime to spark my creativity.

5. ...I don't, some days you just look at the request thread, and something catches your eye. I try not to splurge on sending request PMs. I just send one PM, see if they want to work on an RP, then move on if things don't work out.

I've had a few moments of poking at dead RPs, so I try not to do it all the time. If the other person is really interested in the story, they'll either make a habit of replying as often as possible, or explain any problems the have on continuing.
 
Forbidden Fruit said:
4) When you do get stressed out from having a pile of roleplays to respond to, what helps you de-stress? How do you go about picking where to start?

Netflix :heart:

.. or reading a book. That helps sometimes.
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Netflix like never helps me, because all I want to do is watch more Netflix and keep procrastinating on my roleplay responses hahaha xD I feel like books help a lot though, especially to get over writer's block. It stimulates the creativity, you know?


Mr Quixotic said:
However, now they've all returned, including one from an sixteen month hiatus, and posted and, for the moment, I've found my magic number, which is eight. With that amount, I assume it likely that one or two will be occupied with real-life at any given time, so I'll most likely only have six to regularly reply to.

Fortunately, my partners are friends as well, that I have regular OoC communication with, so I generally know what is going on with each.

The 'stress' is actually a feeling I find enjoyable, and actively seek, in a way that's difficult to explain, and the trouble is when I prove to myself I can handle the stories I already have, I'll most likely look for more, to ramp it up again. However, at some stage, there has to be a tipping point.
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You and DA are amazing! Eight for you and ten for her; I think I'd be dying at that point haha.

I'm your very best friend and don't you forget it! >:]

See, I like stress in the academic setting. But for things that require my creative mind, I have to be at ease. Like, nothing can plague my mind other than the roleplay at hand, and when I get stressed out over roleplays, they're all in my head and I feel like I can't get my thoughts out properly. I think you need to teach me how to think like you, lmao.
 
Don't let that number fool you though. I totally play it by ear with the number and 10 is my upper limit. I will sometimes do less if all my stories are heavily involved. I strive for those sorts, but I don't always find them. Some are just lighter and not as detailed and thus don't require as much in depth thought process or, on occasion, research. So, there are times when it'll just be 4 or 6. Plus, I have a few partners who post VERY slowly. We're talking it can be weeks to months before I get a reply. So I am counting those among my RPs, but my reply time is much slower to those for obvious reasons. But, overall, I don't expect a post rate from my partners. I think that is just silly to demand one.
 
I tend to be very patient now, more than I was when I first started. I don't mind some of my partners taking time, some may be a week or two, one can be more, but having less time on here than I used to that's ok. Rarely do I get a night to reply to some of mine that languish for a couple days, but when I can I do. I'm somewhere around 7 and I love them all, though I don't think I would want to get rid of any of my partners, even though I feel like I give short shift to them all now and again. My goal is to write them in order that they come in, though I have one or two that its so easy to just sit down and write out something, and others that take me a day or two to get it right. So it depends on what I get for time.

When I have had time and waited for replies, I sat back and tried to be creative, writing a scene or two all on my own. Watching TV or reading just gives me fodder, and I read a lot anyway so that doesn't really help. I've actually sat down and started writing some of my own one offs to sort of keep in practice. Mostly I just try not to worry about it.

Overall I tend to feel like I am doing my partners a disservice because I can't reply right away all the time like I used to, but we've all adjusted so its all good.
 
1) How many roleplays do you take on at once? Does the number you take on also depend on the general amount you write for those roleplays?

Usually, anywhere from 5-15. It *really* depends on the roleplay and my partners. If I have commitments to partner who I know reply only a handful a month, I'll take on more. If my partners reply daily, I'll try to limit the amount on my play.
I'm extremely patient, though. I'm also usually the one that takes a lifetime to respond, so, yep.

2) Do you ever expect a post-rate from your partners? If so, how often do you expect them to post? And if not, how do you handle individual cases of decreased activity in a single roleplay?

NO. Never. That's the simple answer. I *NEVER* expect anything from my partners, except for quality replies. I don't care how quickly or slowly they reply. It really does not make any difference for me. I rarely lose interest in a play because of tardy reply rates - I normally only lose interest because the quality of the roleplay (or even the quality of the plot) has deteriorated.

3) How do you handle an overall decrease in roleplaying activity (as in, all of or most of your partners slow down)? Do you search for more roleplays as replacements, or do you wait it out?

It depends on how much free time I have. If I have a boat load of free time and all my partners are slow repliers, I will take on more. If I'm already a busy bee, I generally will wait it out.

4) When you do get stressed out from having a pile of roleplays to respond to, what helps you de-stress? How do you go about picking where to start?

I absolutely never prioritize responding to my roleplays on "first come, first serve" basis. Which may be shocking to many people and anti-democratic of me. I reply according to my inspiration for a post for said roleplay. My creative mind is very unique, in the sense that I have spontaneous and random creative spurs in the moment. When I get an idea for a reply, I have to reply to it right away. My brain does not block out creative processes JUST because I am mandated by courtesy to reply to a play in order of "who sent me a reply first". Nah. I think that's both petty and even creatively damaging to the quality of the response.

That being said, I only get stressed about replying to roleplays when I'm being NAGGED for a reply (either by Pm, or other means) by my partner, or if I'm just legitimately frustrated with myself (usually as a result of either writer's block or lack of time). I deal with the scenarios differently.

a) If I'm being nagged, I normally answer even later to the roleplay, or terminate the partnership altogether. It's a huge pet peeve of mine and I don't need some impatient writer knocking at my virtual BM door every day asking where his/her reply is. Aint. Happening.

b) If I have writer's block - there's really nothing I can do except for wait it out. It will come to me eventually. If I have to, sometimes I will brainstorm ideas with some friends. That's about it.

c) If it's due to a lack of time on my part, I will try to make time.


5) How do you resist the temptation to take on another roleplay? I've definitely experienced that moment where I find myself browsing request threads just for the hell of it (even though I'm not really looking), and I end up sending out a PM because the story idea was just totally amazing.

Honestly, I don't resist it. Why should you? If you have free time that is not being filled up with other RPs (due to slower replies), why not take on another idea if it sounds really interesting and could be potentially amazing? I just do it. JUST DO IT *insert Shia LaBeouf inspiration video*.

ADDITIONALLY:

I would like to note that if I stagger too long on a roleplay, or feel I have too many RPs but am still waiting to take on more - I usually take a moment to re-evaluate the current roleplays I have. If I'm swamped but still looking for more, it usually means that (some of) the RPs I'm swamped with aren't satisfying me and that perhaps, I need to consider terminating them. Normally when I am immerse in my plays, and fully loaded, I will not feel the need to take on more partners. ^^

Hope this helps, and all the best!
~ Temp
 
I would just like to add that 5-15 may sound like a really ridiculously high number, but a few of my RPs I only get replies to once every week or two, and they are long, detailed replies, so it's not as intimidating as it seems.
 

1) How many roleplays do you take on at once? Does the number you take on also depend on the general amount you write for those roleplays? 

I usually prefer to take 5-6 active RP's at a time.Like right now, I have 7 RP's, all which require more than 5 paragraphs worth reply but not all my partners send me a post daily, so at times I do get bored.Like only today morning I bumped my thread and thirty minutes later, one of my partner who hasn't posted in two weeks drops a post along with other one.And I know another post is coming right up in a few hours, so..yeah.I am trying to not take on more RP's as I am nearing my final exams but sometimes the temptation to bump is hard to resist.

2) Do you ever expect a post-rate from your partners? If so, how often do you expect them to post? And if not, how do you handle individual cases of decreased activity in a single roleplay?

When I first joined in June, during my summer vacations I had ton of RP's going and frankly, I was very impatient. But now, I can wait for days for a reply.Normally, I do make up a post rate in my mind, but that depends on my partner.For instance, I know one of them will give me a post daily, while other one will take 2-3 days.It really depends on the person but I try not to get too disappointed when the post doesn't come on the day I counted it on.

3) How do you handle an overall decrease in roleplaying activity (as in, all of or most of your partners slow down)? Do you search for more roleplays as replacements, or do you wait it out?

This depends.I try to wait it out but sometimes I get impatient and if I am free to take more roleplays, I go for it.

4) When you do get stressed out from having a pile of roleplays to respond to, what helps you de-stress? How do you go about picking where to start?

When I feel less creative or stuck or simply burdened out, I normally close BMR after reading the posts and then think about my role plays.Usually something hits me but if it still doesn't, I read a book or just distract myself with some music.Most of my replies are inspired by lyrics of the songs, so that helps.

5) How do you resist the temptation to take on another roleplay? I've definitely experienced that moment where I find myself browsing request threads just for the hell of it (even though I'm not really looking), and I end up sending out a PM because the story idea was just totally amazing.

I truly need help in this.:p I simply can't resist.I usually bump thinking nobody worthwhile will respond but when they do, I feel the guilt gnaw at me as I accept the roleplay.I mostly try very hard not to, but sometimes, you gotta indulge in the temptation.
 
Ariamella said:
You and DA are amazing! Eight for you and ten for her; I think I'd be dying at that point haha.

I'm your very best friend and don't you forget it! >:]

See, I like stress in the academic setting. But for things that require my creative mind, I have to be at ease. Like, nothing can plague my mind other than the roleplay at hand, and when I get stressed out over roleplays, they're all in my head and I feel like I can't get my thoughts out properly. I think you need to teach me how to think like you, lmao.
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How could I ever forget?

They plague my mind as well. As I've written on my journal before, work-wise (and the rest of my life!), I can file something away and not even think about it again until just before it's due, however the problem with roleplay responses is that there is no deadline, so my brain constantly nags me that they need to be done. But then I'm not capable of fully completing something until I absolutely have to, so I live in a kind of state of perpetual anxiety with my replies, xD

In a strange way, I don't even consider writing a creative endeavour (for me), as much as I do a logical endeavour, where "this happens because of this, which causes that, which leads to that, which could in the future result in this, or possibly that, if this ocurred instead," or "if you want this to happen, you need to do that", etc, etc." I also work backwards, starting from where I want my post to finish, and needing to find a way to get it there that's in step with the rest of the story, carries on from my partners previous post, and is consistent with prior development of the characters and their revealed backgrounds, and/or any incidents in their pasts that have been revealed and earlier provided a logical reason to react in a certain way to a particular situation.

It's the formulation of that step-by-step logical progression, and needing to fill the gaps with minor details, that takes the time, and a sequential thinking, detail-orientated, mindset is just not natural for me. The jigsaw pieces are all in my head, and fit together perfectly there, but expressing my ideas via the written word in a non-jumbled fashion that other people can understand is a different matter entirely. However, when I'm forced to adopt that mindset, I become incredibly focused, and that's when my posts get finished. If I could explain to you in a comprehensible manner, I'd teach you. For now, let's just say, "in mysterious ways." xD

In essence, the more stories I have, the more likely I am to reply faster to each! Or at least swiftly compose the first draft.
 
Temptationist said:
4) When you do get stressed out from having a pile of roleplays to respond to, what helps you de-stress? How do you go about picking where to start?

I absolutely never prioritize responding to my roleplays on "first come, first serve" basis. Which may be shocking to many people and anti-democratic of me. I reply according to my inspiration for a post for said roleplay. My creative mind is very unique, in the sense that I have spontaneous and random creative spurs in the moment. When I get an idea for a reply, I have to reply to it right away. My brain does not block out creative processes JUST because I am mandated by courtesy to reply to a play in order of "who sent me a reply first". Nah. I think that's both petty and even creatively damaging to the quality of the response.
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You totally get me. I have such a hard time explaining this to people. It's just that it's how my brain works--I reply to whichever roleplay has me feeling inspired at the moment. Sometimes I only feel inspired to write for one roleplay for a week, and but I always get back to the other roleplays too. My creative muse is a sudden process as well; sometimes I'll wake up at 3:00 AM and have to write most of the post because I know if I don't, I'll lose the entire idea. You totally get me.
 
Ariamella said:
Temptationist said:
4) When you do get stressed out from having a pile of roleplays to respond to, what helps you de-stress? How do you go about picking where to start?

I absolutely never prioritize responding to my roleplays on "first come, first serve" basis. Which may be shocking to many people and anti-democratic of me. I reply according to my inspiration for a post for said roleplay. My creative mind is very unique, in the sense that I have spontaneous and random creative spurs in the moment. When I get an idea for a reply, I have to reply to it right away. My brain does not block out creative processes JUST because I am mandated by courtesy to reply to a play in order of "who sent me a reply first". Nah. I think that's both petty and even creatively damaging to the quality of the response.
Click to expand...

You totally get me. I have such a hard time explaining this to people. It's just that it's how my brain works--I reply to whichever roleplay has me feeling inspired at the moment. Sometimes I only feel inspired to write for one roleplay for a week, and but I always get back to the other roleplays too. My creative muse is a sudden process as well; sometimes I'll wake up at 3:00 AM and have to write most of the post because I know if I don't, I'll lose the entire idea. You totally get me.
Click to expand...

Yassssss Queen, yassss. SLAYYYYY.

Don't ask me why that was my reaction, but it was.
Our creative minds are alike. :)
 
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