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 Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 8:44 pm
Under Construction. VC's can post or edit what they think is good advice. Please make sure it can't go into another section.
[[Scytheress edits in Red]]
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Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 8:52 pm
Tips on Making the Post Longer
1. Describe the characters action.
2. Describe the characters emotion.
3. Describe the scene the character is in
4. More words the character says
5. Respond to what the person in the post before did.
6. Use bigger words
7. What is the character wearing.
8. Shake what Gaia gave you.
9. onomatopoeia
10. Punctuation
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Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 9:33 am
1. Describe the characters actions
When you first type a new post where your character enters a new scene don't just say 'They entered and looked around' The best way to go it is have them go up so someone and say high.
You could add in arm gestures.
Describe dance or martial art moves
Add the pose looks like a ballerina and that pose look like this.Some questions to help get the juices flowing:
Does your character have a unique gait? How so?
What mood are you in? Is it strong enough to be reflected in how you move?
Do you fidget nervously?
Are you clumsy?
Are you boisterous?
Do you know anyone there? How do you feel about them?
What's the weather like? The atmosphere?
If you touch someone or something, how does it feel? How does it make you feel?
Also, when posting actions be clear and concise. Metaphors are wonderful literary tools but don't get so obscure so the people you're role playing with have no idea what's going on any more. Don't switch analogies in the middle either. You can feel as if you were floating on a cloud as you danced with your partner, but then keep the other terms in line with the sky or things that are soft. Don't suddenly switch to promenading like a horse. Horses and clouds don't really mix.Good Examples:
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Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 10:33 am
Describe the Characters Emotion
A lot of people have their characters just stand and listen. Then make a quick response. What is going on in their minds? Anything there? Honestly in drives me nuts and I want to smack something into the RPer when they leave out any idea of emotion.
What does your character think of this development?
Is he/she talking to herself in her mind? Or mumbling with her lips?
Does it show on his or her face?
I know facial expression involves moment and some may thing that it belongs in the last post. However the face is considered the gateway to the soul (Or was it eyes). Body language is the biggest conveyor of emotion so don't skip around it by just saying a character looks sad. Elaborate! Did the corners of his mouth dip as the spark that had ignited in his eyes died? Did his shoulders slump? Did he look tired and worn after hearing bad news? Or was it good? Did his eyes sparkle as his lips spread into a wide grin? Did he look like he was about to explode trying to contain excessive amounts of mirth? All these kinds of expressions can tell others how a character is feeling without flat out saying "Bob is sad." Also, emotion is shown differently by different people. While Joe may break down crying, Dave might just cross his arms and try to contain his sorrow.
When a character is internally conflicted, this generally shows on the outside as well. If you're with your lover but something reminds your of your ex, you probably won't blurt out "Man I'm bummed, I was just thinking about Shaniqua." But rather become a bit more solemn, perhaps walk a bit slower, or pout or maybe you don't show any external signs at all. Even if you're the stoic king, your character still thinks! Add it in there!Good Examples:
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Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 11:38 am
Describe the scene the character is in
No I'm not saying that every time you make a post state that you are in Mr. Richardson class room or your at the dinning hall. I'm talking about what is in the dinning hall.
What is in the scene? (Chairs, flowers, water)
Who is in the scene? (Not just the person who your character is talking to)
Good Example:
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Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 12:22 pm
More words the character says
Yes. I know this does drive some people nuts as well. Just make sure it's not every single post that you have a bunch of words. Though it doesn't mean you can do this to a point. Some people only say 'no thanks' and that is it. There are no more words and the sentence ends. You can add more. Like "No thanks. I really really don't like that."At the same time, not all characters are chatty kathys. If your character is very somber, they probably only say one or two words every other post. Still, conversation shouldn't be the bulk of the post. Describe how something is said. I doubt many characters speak in a monotone. Are they happy? Sad? Stuttering from nervousness? Did they choke on a fly mid sentence? Are they being forceful? Is their voice strong? Meek? Are then inquiring or stating a fact? Simple descriptive words on how you speak can change the tone of the conversation immensely and help increase the size of your post.Good Examples.
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Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 1:04 pm
Respond to what the person in the post before did
This will probably be the hardest to explain so hopefully you could understand through my words or through example. If you have any advice for this then tell me.
What I mean by this idea of making a statement longer is take most or a few points that the poster did before you and use those points in your own sentence. It'll give you not only your post, but, their's as well.The biggest advice on this is READ and UNDERSTAND. If you gloss over other people's posts, you're not reading them. Get into the post, play music that fits the atmosphere, really put yourself in your character's shoes. Then wade into the story being told by your RP partners and see how it is. Be consumed by it. When you reply, your posts will be longer simply if you describe what you're feeling. Respond to your reaction to a twitch the other character had, or a gentle breeze, a cough. Grimace because a pair of other RPs' characters are being noisy on the other end of the garden. This also helps to really understand what's going on and fill in gaps the other RPer may have left. If the person you're role playing with has shorter, less descriptive posts, getting into it will help you visualize what's going on and imagine the other character's expressions and nuances the other person is leaving out. A good handle on this process will make your posts flourish.Good Examples.
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Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 2:22 pm
Use bigger words
Yes bigger. Don't use those cute short words. It's not only does it not help your cause of becoming a better RPer, but, it also doesn't express as much as you could.
Fun is a three letters
Great is five
Even then there is the 8 letter word wonderful
No only are you making your post better. You're also making your vocab better. Watch your English Teachers go wow.At the same time, bigger doesn't always mean better. Use tact when making your posts and decide how fancy a word is suitable for the situation. If you're role playing a younger person, or someone of below average intelligence, post like it! While the posts are in third person, the entirety of the post should convey the character. So if you're RPing a person with down-syndrome, leave out the titillating or trite vocabulary that will come off as obnoxiously verbose. And don't try to spiff up your post by raping thesaurus.com. People want to understand what you're saying, not have to translate it! Meanwhile, thesaurus.com is a glorious tool for giving your posts a bit of flair, but make sure you check the exact definition of the similar word you're using. While it may sound cool, it might not convey the meaning you intended.Another thing you could do is another language. If you know a second language (or even if you don't) you can use that. Some language take a lot of mouth movement just to say 'The Party is fun'
In Japanese: patee ga tanoshii desu
Good Examples:
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Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 3:09 pm
What is the character wearing
Does your character always wear the same thing everyday? Or is it a special day and time for her special outfit? Some times it's nice to hear about the outfit. This is a great idea in a first post in a thread.Emphasis on FIRST post. Please don't spam this lengthening option. I've been in too many RPs in which every post, the same person talks about how their cape is flapping in the wind. You can introduce your attire in stages as well. Perhaps talk about putting your hands in your black-jean pockets and later you can shrug your jacket up as you pull it tighter around your shoulders. Spread it out over paragraphs or separate posts but try not to repeat yourself too many times unless it's a staple of your character. For instance, playing with the buttons on a shirt because they're nervous in new situations. You can have the buttons mentioned repeatedly but I really only care to hear about the color of your shoes once.Ex.
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Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 5:01 pm
Shake what Gaia gave you
You're probably thinking 'what in the world are you talking about'. I'm talking about color, size, alignment, bold, italic, underline, quote, URL, and IMG. All of these can make it look like you did more. I'll tell you think by thing.
Color- More of a illusions effect. Some color can make it look like you did more.
Size- So lets say that the font is 12, well then move it up a bit to 14. Just remember now to over do it.
Alignment- This one is the most often used. If you center it or align right then it alters how you look at something. If you use these right they can be great.
Bold- Bold makes it a little bigger, but, use it only at certain points. Maybe when a character is talking
Italic- This one also gives a little length. Again only use this one at certain point. Maybe inner self or if you want to make certain expression.
Underline- I don't think this really does much.
Quote- I'm not sure how this would work very well. I have yet to see a good one.
URL- Add a link. It works well if you have a song on Youtube that you want your character to sing.
IMG- Put a small image to the side it would take up some space.Using BBCoding is great, it can indeed make your posts have a bit more oomph. However, don't rely on these. Bold can add incredible emphasis on something really important and italics can add sarcasm. Underlining is another way to put the spotlight on things that should have attention called to them. Quoting is a way to reference a previous post that happened a long time ago. It's great for reminding others what you're talking about if it's on a different page or happened in another section of the guild.
Aligning is one that personally bugs me from time to time. When aligned left (which is the normal setting), I know where each paragraph starts, and I immediately can see about how many paragraphs are in a post.
If you go center, things get wonky and right is the worst for me. It takes a lot of time to find the next line to continue reading. I don't advise this tactic.
Color and size are a wonderful way to make your post unique but won't necessarily make your posts any better. Color easily distinguishes between characters and if you always post in orange, it's easy for whoever you're role playing with to find your posts. Size is used a bit differently. If you shrink it to 9 or 10, posts have a tendency to look more sophisticated and if your posts are longer, they don't seem so overwhelming. Avoid making your post size over 12. It looks childish and I, at least, won't take it seriously. Larger fonts are for announcements.
My biggest pet peeve is images in posts and URLs. If you cannot adequately describe your character, practice your writing skills rather than cheat and use a picture. If you must add a picture, it should not take up more space than your post. If it is of your character, you only need to post it once. The people you're with saw it the first time and don't need to see it again. If they're really curious they can go to your profile and check it out. Pictures enable lazy role players. URLs are needless as well. If you have to link to whatever it is you're doing so others can understand, you're not being descriptive enough. Explain what's going on, put it out there in writing and if after your best attempt someone can't comprehend what happened, then post the URL for their benefit. I understand maybe a song link because it saves space rather than copying all the lyrics, but use URL power with moderation.Good Examples.
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Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 5:30 pm
Onomatopoeia
If you don't know what it is an Onomatopoeia is the name of a sound. Like the sound a horse makes neigh or a cow. The onomatopoeia for the sound that a cow makes is moo.
Now these can be great because it tells what sounds are happening while the character is doing something.
What to think about
What shoes are they wearing and how are the interacting with the floor surface?
Where are they? Outside with animals and wind? Or inside with noise kids?
What are they doing? Dribbling a basketball? Ripping a piece of paper?
Good Examples:
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