|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 7:06 am
Well, I have a few lessons in regards to gaining literacy. They're here for reference purposes, and if you have any questions, PM me or post it here for all to see. ^^Table of Contents
Length
Description
Characters
Grammar and Spelling
Style
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 7:08 am
Length
When length requirements/restrictions are placed, it’s never really about quantity. Quality always trumps quantity. However, the two are directly correlated. If you have one, wonderfully written paragraph, two that are just as good is always going to be better. The more there is in a post, the more engaging and ultimately enjoyable it is. It’s the difference between “The Boxcar Children” and “Moby d**k.”
That said, it works in the reverse too. Two paragraphs of crap are worse than one paragraph of crap. The length is about the content, not a superficial paragraph requirement. What’s in it is always more important, and it’s what everybody looks at.
Length is not the most important quality of a good roleplayer, but it’s generally a good sign. This is writing just like any other. With more length, there should be more there. There’s more description and thought to enjoy, but not necessarily more action. A long post doesn’t mean that a lot happened, it just means that more has been said (more on the difference between the two in description).
All in all, length is very important, because it gives your fellow roleplayers not only more to work with, but more to read and enjoy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 7:10 am
Description
Description is roleplaying, plain and simple. It is the key. I couldn’t say enough about it.
The line is drawn between literates and semi-literates/illiterates by whether they are telling or whether they are doing. Here’s an example. Your character is walking down the street. That’s all.
Doing:
Susie walked down the street.
Susie’s feet smacked the pavement as she walked down the street on that hot summer day.
Telling:
Susie walked down the street. She was headed to the grocer to pick up some much needed groceries, as she was currently out. It wasn’t a trip she really wanted to make. She would much rather be inside, doing something more interesting. Of course, duty called, and it would be horribly irresponsible of her to neglect it.
Susie’s feet smacked the pavement as she walked down the street that hot summer day. As sweat ran down her back, she couldn’t help but imagine her apartment and how cool it would be with the AC blasting. It made her dislike her current situation even more. She had to do it; there was no getting around it. Still, she wished for some cool air.
When doing, your post centers around the action. Whatever your character is doing is what you tell us. In varying degrees of literacy, there may be more tacked onto that, but the majority and focus of the post is on the actions of the character. When telling, the center is on the character and the situation. It’s the idea that if your character is doing something, we don’t only need to know how, we need to know why; we need to know the feelings, thoughts, and catalysts behind it. Show precursors to events.
Posts that tell are inherently longer than posts that do, because there is more to say. There is more meat, so to speak, instead of having only bones. That’s where most roleplayers go wrong. When they hear “description” they automatically think that they are supposed to describe the actions with more detail. They fail at literacy though, because their post is still centered around the action. The only way to gain more literacy is to change your focus.
How do you do that? The best way to easily change the focus of your post is to know your character (more about this in the character section). Know everything about your character, bio’s aren’t useless and neither are personalities. Beyond knowing the kind of things your character would do, you need to know why your character would do it and how your character feels about. You also need to know the actions leading up to it, and why your character did/how your character feels about it. It’ll help you shape your post to include all the elements of telling. There are endless spins you can put on one simple action based on your character. After all, that’s what RPing is about.
In order to write well, your vocabulary has to be impressive. Why? Because an impressive vocabulary is more expressive. Your verbiage can make your post much more enjoyable and better, if not easier, to read.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 7:15 am
Characters
Roleplaying is different than novel writing in only a few areas. Characters are one of them. In roleplaying, there are several different characters and each one of them is the main character in a sense. Each one gets equal attention. Role plays follow the stories of multiple characters, when they aren’t interacting with each other and when their two worlds may seem entirely different. Because of the focus on characters in a roleplay, each character has to be well thought out.
You personally have to know your character, even if the rest of the roleplayers don’t. You have to know his/her likes, dislikes, home life, mental processes, feelings, thoughts. You have to know everything about your character in order to accurately write his/her story. It’s very important.
By knowing your character, you can do two things. One: you can explain your characters actions. Two: you can make your character grow. Character growth is what really gives a roleplay and your posts spark. There are many different approaches to character development, and ultimately it’s up to you how you decide to go about it. What’s important is that it’s there; static characters are boring.
Look online for character development guides, both roleplay specific and for literature in general. Whenever you give your character a trait, think about where that trait could take them both intra- and interpersonally. Write with a focus on your character. Keep some things secret to unveil later, and give a lot of information on others to make your character clear in the reader’s eyes. The more dynamic your character is the better, but there is such a thing as overdoing it. No one person can function with every trait, they’d be self-destructive. And no person is perfect. Perfect characters are even worse than overcrowded ones. Let your creativity flourish. Do research; know what your character should know. Have fun with it. Make a character you’d enjoy working on, because creating a character should be one of the best parts, not the most stressing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 7:18 am
Grammar and Spelling
There isn’t really much to say here. Grammar and spelling are rules made during the creation of the English language. They were put in place so that communication could be clear and accurate. Your writing will fall to pieces if you disregard too many of them. Spell words the way they have always been spelled. Look up the spelling to words you don’t know and use a spell-checker. Certain grammar rules can be bent, because this isn’t formal writing. Also, spelling and grammar can be manipulated in dialogue. People speak in sentence fragments and run-ons. Also, if your character has an accent or is a speaker of improper English, you can emphasize that, even though it would technically be breaking grammar/spelling rules. Use common sense, good judgment, learned knowledge, and other resources.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 7:20 am
Style
What makes roleplaying so fun is the aspect of working with others. It’s the melding of different styles of writing. Don’t sacrifice your style. Your style is what makes you, you. You can have mastered all of the technical aspects, but if you have no defining style features, if there is nothing in your posts that make a person recognize that you wrote it, it all amounts to nothing. Don’t sell your soul to literacy; make it a part of you.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
