So... now the hard stuff... adding, and keeping, length to your
posts. It's a hard thing to do, but it is the base of what most advanced
RPing sites are looking for. It is a very important, and delicate
topic. You want length, but if some people can only manage to have length
if all they do is ramble.
Rambling. Bad. Rambling. Bad.
Brainwash machine working yet?
I'm going to give you some helpful tips, and if you follow them truthfully
then I guarantee your RPing posts will get a lot longer then they were before,
without all the rambling.
- Details
- Checking Nouns
- Meditation - okay, so this is completely serious... but
still...
- Idea Database
- Picking Landscapes
- NPC Action
If you have not already, be sure to read the lessons on adding detail to
your posts. This is the number one way to add length to your posts, and
it doesn't involve rambling. By painting a picture of your surroundings,
you allow the reader to get more into whatever it is that is happening around
you.
When you finish writing the post, re-read it once. Ask yourself what
you're missing, and what questions you would have if you were the
reader. See your post from someone else's view... process every little
thing you said.
Perhaps its a boring task, but not really. It gets you more into each
RP you do.
Remember... DETAIL is #1!
During and after writing all of your posts, you should keep an eye out for
nouns. Why? Because nouns need adjectives.
Mr. Noun. Meet Ms. Adjective.
Every noun you use should have an adjective in front of it. There are
a few exceptions, of course. If you have 5 different nouns in your
sentence, it isn't necessary to put an adjective in front of each one.
That just gets grueling, and it doesn't sound grammatically correct. So
be careful.
You also don't want to use boring adjectives that everyone has heard
before... I would suggest using an thesaurus. You can find a great one
online at www.thesaurus.com
Usually if you see a noun that has no adjectives, you'll realize that
there's an entire sentence you could add describing that object. Then
another. And another.
It adds up. Do the math.
Mr. Noun... Ms. Adjective... is romance in the air? *cheesy soap
opera music plays*
Alright, so most people are going to think that this section is pretty much
one big joke. Well, it's not.
....
Come on, why isn't anyone laughing?! THAT WAS A JOKE!
....
Tough crowd, tough crowd... -_-
Anyway, back to meditating.
Although it sounds humorous, it does actually help once in awhile. If
you are stuck on an RP and can't think of the right word, or what else to add
to make it longer and more detailed, just close your eyes. Breath
deeply. Relax. Don't really try to think about what you are going
to write, just let it come to you.
After a moment of not thinking and just relaxing, slowly picture yourself
in the scenario that your character is in. Where are your arms, your
hands? What is your facial expression? What would you say, be
thinking, be feeling? Let your mind do the writing FOR you, don't force
yourself. Usually by putting YOURSELF into the RP your mind
automatically generates a much more detailed environment...
Try it. Picture yourself in a forest.
Go on, do it.
Now.
I SAID DO IT!
...
Okay, good.
So, you must have pictured something, right? Did you picture an
animal? A specific tree, or plant? A mushroom?
All I said was forest, and already you're mind has generated a flush
environment with a lot of life, and a lot of open adventure. You can
take the word 'forest'...
And make it into FOREST.
(yes, that's a good thing)
So, you're plum out of ideas. (Plum... what kind of word is that?)
Whether it is in the middle of a post, or when trying to create a new post,
we've all had it happen. Where do you go to find these rare items that
I've heard are called "ideas"?
It's easy! Your character profile!
Okay, that's your cue to stare blankly at the screen and ask
"whaaaa?" like the confused person that I know you are.
Yup, you heard me right... your character profile. Inside your
character profile is the very backbone of the person you are RPing, and it is
here that you'll find ideas. Remember that one thing... what's it
called... your characters HISTORY?! This can help. Start to incorporate
your history into an RP... not only is it something to write about, but if you
do it in a mysterious manner and draw it out, you can get a lot of other RPers
interested.
If your profile doesn't help you, then try the meditation. I swear it
works! Really!
*shifty eyes* ^_^
You may be wondering why picking landscapes is under adding length to your
posts. Well, news flash... it is. If you are struggling with
getting your posts the length they need, it's time for a change of
scenery. Quite literally, actually.
There are certain places that you probably enjoy RPing in, whether it is a
forest or a haunted house. Whatever matches your character's
personality, usually. These places are easy for you to RP in, simply
because you feel a strong bond with them.
Okay, so maybe not quite that far. But picking WHERE you RP can have
an impact on your RPing skills. If you're cautious about your writing,
choose a place that you think you could easily write a lot of description
about, and add more as the RP continues.
Use such places as areas where you can practice, and improve your
skills. Now, you'll have to venture out elsewhere eventually... but if
you're worried, start small and work your way up.
Such is the road to Rome, and the path to glory!
A lot of people find that their posts get a ton shorter as the RP
continues, myself included. It's easier to have longer posts when you
can spend most of the time describing your surroundings, but eventually you
can't spend 3 paragraphs on that ;-).
That's where NPC comes in. NPC stands for "Non-Playable
Characters". This pretty much means that you can introduce a
character who will only be part of the story for one RP... you control their
actions, as well as your own characters.
Perhaps it is a thief who stole your wallet, and you're trying to get it
back with the help of the dark and mysterious stranger (another RPer).
You want to be careful how often you do this, however. Although it is
all well and good to use NPC at times, you have to remember that you're not
always going to have that sort of backup. You can use this method to
train yourself, however, and eventually you'll manage with just your main
character.
