Post by errrmmm on Dec 14, 2009 15:29:56 GMT -7
ROLE-PLAYING
I've noticed a lot of new people/characters around. That's great, and it's fun to have the site so active, but as I have (sort of) expressed (in a most confusing way), I am annoyed. Annoyed by a tiny stream that weaves its way through every rp site until they become the new Valley of Death or “n00b” club (is there a difference between the two? O.o)
So here it is. No one should be offended or take it personally. This addresses everyone, including me.
I'm really, really, really (really?) tired of one liners...
Now, a "one liner," as it is called, may be defined as one sentence in your mind, but in mine, it can even be as long as a paragraph. What I'm actually talking about is the effort put into posts. Face up, (most) everybody; we're a bunch of slackers. Role-playing is fun, but sometimes it can be a chore coming up with a creative post. So we tend to skimp a little…or a lot. Sometimes we reply just to “get it done,” so we don’t have to worry about it later. Sometimes we just can’t think of anything to say… Sometimes we just feel lazy and don’t really care, except that most of us don’t like to keep other people waiting.
But the problem is, when we start getting into that habit, we tend to snowball. It’s hard to stop being lazy. It’s time to put more “oomph” into our replies—more thought into the process. (Yes, I know, the thought part is painful for many of you...hehe.)
Of course I’ve had times when it’s difficult to post--when I can’t think of anything to say. I’ve found it best to either wait a while or just lean back in my chair and think about it a minute--immerse myself in the story as if I truly am my own character (which, in a sense, I am), and try to figure out how I would really react. I also tend to give my charries some of my personality traits so that I can relate to them and portray them more realistically.
I generally use the following questions to make sure my post is satisfactory:
1) How will my character react to the events occurring in the previous post(s)?
2) How will my character respond vocally? What will he/she say? How will my character respond through body language? (Simple things…shifting from one foot to the other, flicking an ear, even blinking…these can all be effective when used properly.)
3) What emotions is my character experiencing? Do these emotions goad him/her into any particular actions or thoughts?
4) What is my character thinking?
5) How can I represent everything in my post in a creative, unique way?
6) Have I been descriptive? When I reread my post, does it bring a picture/image to mind? Can I “see” the scene? (Keep in mind: audio, visual, scents, taste, and touch…)
7) Do I have any typos or errors? (It is my personal opinion that everyone should take a few seconds to copy and paste their posts into word, spell check, and copy and paste back. It takes me all of two seconds in the transfer. Typos and errors are annoying and distract from the post, reducing its quality.)
8) Have I god-moded?
9) Am I meta playing?
10) Have I been realistic? (Note: realism does not mean you can’t be creative. And it also doesn’t just extend to crazy things, such as not having flying horses, or elementals, or magic… but also how your character has responded. No character should be invulnerable, and no character should be immune to attack, whether it is physically, verbally, or mentally. Perhaps they do not show it outwardly, but something has to be going on inside. Whether they respond offensively, defensively, or otherwise, it doesn’t matter, as long as it’s part of your charry’s personality to do so. In real life, humans respond somehow. Did I ever mention I abhor perfect characters? Sorry, I do. Only gods are perfect, and god-moding isn’t allowed, is it? *smiles sweetly* So, what is your character’s weakness?)
11) Have I described my character’s surroundings? The time of day? Have I set up an adequate opening post?
There are invariably many more questions that one could ask him or herself or apply to his or her post. I do not memorize these things, and no, I do not have a checklist, but I try to keep them in mind. More often than not they are quite useful. In fact, not once have they failed me.
I have been trying as of late to make my posts the best they can be. I am aware that I’m not perfect, and can’t possibly hope to write lengthy posts every time I reply to something. I am also aware that POST LENGTH DOES NOT EQUAL QUALITY. This is an important factor everyone should know.
However, it is difficult to glean any sort of quality from a post that is three or four sentences long, much less one or two. Posts of short length are also hard for others to respond to. They catapult the rp into a sort of downhill slide, each reply shorter and shorter until it eventually dies.
Cheesy Statement: An rp is to be nurtured and grown. Though cheesy, ‘tis true. Rps need new “food” as well. Don’t chew up the same stuff and spit it back out again. Think of something new and different. Add to the storyline. Water your plants! (*stares at last statement* Yep, cheesy was right.)
Pet Peeve List (I have too many to choose from..so I make a list!)
1) Major, frequent, and repetitive spelling or grammar mistakes…
2) One-liners!
3) Too many apostrophes.
4) The same-old same old.
5) Little or not effort.
Okay, so I went off-topic and failed to stick to one-liners, but I can’t help myself in addressing everything at once. I just hope whatever I said helps somebody, anybody, write better posts, or gives people ideas. I hope no one gets angry, and I hope I don’t post a one-liner after writing this… x.x Heh. I’m taking more time with my replies now, though, and am actually finding rping more enjoyable the more time I spend doing it and the more care I take with my work.
And the reason for all of this stuff—the reason I just spent forty-five minutes typing it out? I’m tired of spending a half-hour or more on a post only to receive a short reply that seems to have been written without any effort whatsoever. Granted, the time for one-liners comes, but of late it has been much too frequently. I know this site has a specific rule about post length which is 2 lines, but really, folks, if you’re going to put the time into it…well…put the EFFORT into it.
********************************************************************
Ah, someone else brought up an excellent point, so I must add the following... Again, not intended to anger anyone, and nothing personal meant, just a little explanation of why most of us don't like first-person rping...
FIRST-PERSON ROLEPLAYING: DON'T DO IT!
Here's why...
I do not care for first-person roleplaying. As someone said, I know there are some people who do it, but what's the point? If nearly everyone else on the site rps in third person, it's very incongruous for anyone to write in first person, and aggravating at times. Plus it is so simple just to make a first person post second person.
For example:
#1: Weary and downtrodden, I slowly made my way through the forest. I hoped to find a quiet place to rest where I would be safe for the night.
Commentary:That's an okay post, but the first-person perspective can really bug people. And yes, it does sound amateurish if no one else rps that way. Let's change it...
#1b: Weary and downtrodden, the young mare slowly made her way through the forest. She hoped to find a quiet place to rest where she would be safe for the night.
Commentary: See how easy that was? Took naught but a few seconds. Now let me show you an example of the folly of first-person rping...
#2: My pelt shone red-gold in the sunlight, and my long beautiful tresses were caught up in a light breeze. Eyes sparkling emerald, I awaited a stallion.
Commentary: Does anyone besides me see the folly in writing this way? How can the character know her eyes are sparkling and her pelt is shining? She doesn't have a mirror--she can't see herself. There is no logic to this kind of posting. Also it makes the character seem rather arrogant. Maybe she thinks she looks that way, but what does she really look like? Let's try again...
#2b: Her pelt shone red-gold in the sunlight, and her long beautiful tresses were caught up in a light breeze. Eyes sparkling emerald, she awaited a stallion.
Commentary: I, for one, am much more convinced of this mare's beauty now that it is written in third person. I'm not reading how she thinks she is; I'm reading how she really is...
I've noticed a lot of new people/characters around. That's great, and it's fun to have the site so active, but as I have (sort of) expressed (in a most confusing way), I am annoyed. Annoyed by a tiny stream that weaves its way through every rp site until they become the new Valley of Death or “n00b” club (is there a difference between the two? O.o)
So here it is. No one should be offended or take it personally. This addresses everyone, including me.
I'm really, really, really (really?) tired of one liners...
Now, a "one liner," as it is called, may be defined as one sentence in your mind, but in mine, it can even be as long as a paragraph. What I'm actually talking about is the effort put into posts. Face up, (most) everybody; we're a bunch of slackers. Role-playing is fun, but sometimes it can be a chore coming up with a creative post. So we tend to skimp a little…or a lot. Sometimes we reply just to “get it done,” so we don’t have to worry about it later. Sometimes we just can’t think of anything to say… Sometimes we just feel lazy and don’t really care, except that most of us don’t like to keep other people waiting.
But the problem is, when we start getting into that habit, we tend to snowball. It’s hard to stop being lazy. It’s time to put more “oomph” into our replies—more thought into the process. (Yes, I know, the thought part is painful for many of you...hehe.)
Of course I’ve had times when it’s difficult to post--when I can’t think of anything to say. I’ve found it best to either wait a while or just lean back in my chair and think about it a minute--immerse myself in the story as if I truly am my own character (which, in a sense, I am), and try to figure out how I would really react. I also tend to give my charries some of my personality traits so that I can relate to them and portray them more realistically.
I generally use the following questions to make sure my post is satisfactory:
1) How will my character react to the events occurring in the previous post(s)?
2) How will my character respond vocally? What will he/she say? How will my character respond through body language? (Simple things…shifting from one foot to the other, flicking an ear, even blinking…these can all be effective when used properly.)
3) What emotions is my character experiencing? Do these emotions goad him/her into any particular actions or thoughts?
4) What is my character thinking?
5) How can I represent everything in my post in a creative, unique way?
6) Have I been descriptive? When I reread my post, does it bring a picture/image to mind? Can I “see” the scene? (Keep in mind: audio, visual, scents, taste, and touch…)
7) Do I have any typos or errors? (It is my personal opinion that everyone should take a few seconds to copy and paste their posts into word, spell check, and copy and paste back. It takes me all of two seconds in the transfer. Typos and errors are annoying and distract from the post, reducing its quality.)
8) Have I god-moded?
9) Am I meta playing?
10) Have I been realistic? (Note: realism does not mean you can’t be creative. And it also doesn’t just extend to crazy things, such as not having flying horses, or elementals, or magic… but also how your character has responded. No character should be invulnerable, and no character should be immune to attack, whether it is physically, verbally, or mentally. Perhaps they do not show it outwardly, but something has to be going on inside. Whether they respond offensively, defensively, or otherwise, it doesn’t matter, as long as it’s part of your charry’s personality to do so. In real life, humans respond somehow. Did I ever mention I abhor perfect characters? Sorry, I do. Only gods are perfect, and god-moding isn’t allowed, is it? *smiles sweetly* So, what is your character’s weakness?)
11) Have I described my character’s surroundings? The time of day? Have I set up an adequate opening post?
There are invariably many more questions that one could ask him or herself or apply to his or her post. I do not memorize these things, and no, I do not have a checklist, but I try to keep them in mind. More often than not they are quite useful. In fact, not once have they failed me.
I have been trying as of late to make my posts the best they can be. I am aware that I’m not perfect, and can’t possibly hope to write lengthy posts every time I reply to something. I am also aware that POST LENGTH DOES NOT EQUAL QUALITY. This is an important factor everyone should know.
However, it is difficult to glean any sort of quality from a post that is three or four sentences long, much less one or two. Posts of short length are also hard for others to respond to. They catapult the rp into a sort of downhill slide, each reply shorter and shorter until it eventually dies.
Cheesy Statement: An rp is to be nurtured and grown. Though cheesy, ‘tis true. Rps need new “food” as well. Don’t chew up the same stuff and spit it back out again. Think of something new and different. Add to the storyline. Water your plants! (*stares at last statement* Yep, cheesy was right.)
Pet Peeve List (I have too many to choose from..so I make a list!)
1) Major, frequent, and repetitive spelling or grammar mistakes…
2) One-liners!
3) Too many apostrophes.
4) The same-old same old.
5) Little or not effort.
Okay, so I went off-topic and failed to stick to one-liners, but I can’t help myself in addressing everything at once. I just hope whatever I said helps somebody, anybody, write better posts, or gives people ideas. I hope no one gets angry, and I hope I don’t post a one-liner after writing this… x.x Heh. I’m taking more time with my replies now, though, and am actually finding rping more enjoyable the more time I spend doing it and the more care I take with my work.
And the reason for all of this stuff—the reason I just spent forty-five minutes typing it out? I’m tired of spending a half-hour or more on a post only to receive a short reply that seems to have been written without any effort whatsoever. Granted, the time for one-liners comes, but of late it has been much too frequently. I know this site has a specific rule about post length which is 2 lines, but really, folks, if you’re going to put the time into it…well…put the EFFORT into it.
********************************************************************
Ah, someone else brought up an excellent point, so I must add the following... Again, not intended to anger anyone, and nothing personal meant, just a little explanation of why most of us don't like first-person rping...
FIRST-PERSON ROLEPLAYING: DON'T DO IT!
Here's why...
I do not care for first-person roleplaying. As someone said, I know there are some people who do it, but what's the point? If nearly everyone else on the site rps in third person, it's very incongruous for anyone to write in first person, and aggravating at times. Plus it is so simple just to make a first person post second person.
For example:
#1: Weary and downtrodden, I slowly made my way through the forest. I hoped to find a quiet place to rest where I would be safe for the night.
Commentary:That's an okay post, but the first-person perspective can really bug people. And yes, it does sound amateurish if no one else rps that way. Let's change it...
#1b: Weary and downtrodden, the young mare slowly made her way through the forest. She hoped to find a quiet place to rest where she would be safe for the night.
Commentary: See how easy that was? Took naught but a few seconds. Now let me show you an example of the folly of first-person rping...
#2: My pelt shone red-gold in the sunlight, and my long beautiful tresses were caught up in a light breeze. Eyes sparkling emerald, I awaited a stallion.
Commentary: Does anyone besides me see the folly in writing this way? How can the character know her eyes are sparkling and her pelt is shining? She doesn't have a mirror--she can't see herself. There is no logic to this kind of posting. Also it makes the character seem rather arrogant. Maybe she thinks she looks that way, but what does she really look like? Let's try again...
#2b: Her pelt shone red-gold in the sunlight, and her long beautiful tresses were caught up in a light breeze. Eyes sparkling emerald, she awaited a stallion.
Commentary: I, for one, am much more convinced of this mare's beauty now that it is written in third person. I'm not reading how she thinks she is; I'm reading how she really is...
Just thought I'd let you guys look at this. Since this is the only thing keeping me from joining.