Discussion; good writing

[TheScarletDastard]

What have all of your favorite rp threads had in common? What makes another person's posts fun to read? What's your pet peeve when rping with a group? What can inexperienced role-players do so they won't grate on veterans' nerves? What do you wish you could tell everyone on Chronicles about good storytelling?

Mainly looking for opinions and rants from more experienced writers on the site, but it's an open discussion! What makes you care about others' characters? What really annoys you in a 1on1? Who's a Chronicler with a really stand-out style, and why do you enjoy reading them? Why is Kasim Areth honestly the best admin?

Please don't use this thread to complain about specific site members, (unless you're complaining about me, I deserve it,) but feel free to rant about things that annoy you. Hoping to have a lot of experienced Chroniclers and/or staff weigh in. Let's see if anyone bothers replying at all, lol.

 

[Seska the Dragonslayer]

I enjoy people with deep characters,not shallow self-inserts. It's a real pleasure to read a character with a full range of human emotion, faults, strengths, and desires. Especially if they [the author] is skilled at conveying emotion,and playing on the emotions of the audience.

As well as people who are not afraid of adding their own twist to a story, rather than passively following the OP 's footsteps. Especially if I am the OP, and triply so if it means I have to consider some part of a story or character I had never considered before.

I enjoy rich, deep world building too.

I do not like excessive prose, needless repetition, and unnecessary details. Things included to pad word count or length, as if either of those qualities in writing is at all important.

And an excellent venue to point these things out: new writers, please do not ignore hooks [things placed in a post to be responded to] from partners.

 

[Tuilinn]

My first thought is not to be too worried about irritating members you feel are more advanced than you. In fact, I’d encourage you to actively approach members whose work you admire and start new threads with them. If you’re nervous or worried you might be irritating someone, just fall back on basic social etiquette - don’t spam them or try to join every thread they’re in, and don’t be offended if sometimes they say “no”.

I think that writing and role playing are different skills. I often enjoy threads with members who aren’t necessarily great writers but know how to role play well. Correspondingly, I don’t tend to enjoy threads with good writers whose characters sit there like limp noodles effectively crippling any potential for plot advancement.

Otherwise, I'm pasting some good general guidance below that I dug up from an old board.

How to be a good role player:

What kinds of things do people look for in an RP Partner? What really draws people is the ability to add to the scene, to write a believable story, and to create characters - characters that you love, or characters that you love to hate!

• Reliability: Nobody wants a partner that either won't hold up their end of the story or that vanishes into thin air! Playing regularly during the week is a definite plus, but often some great story-telling goes on in e-mail/PM exchanges or joint posts between characters in online chat.
• Take Initiative: Just entering a scene and waiting for something to happen isn't really enough. To really enjoy yourself and make a real roleplaying game of it you must actively try to involve yourself whenever you can, and take initiative regarding the actions of your character. Don't just sit there and wait for someone to notice you and invite you to participate, or for someone to do something about your character's situation. Think up something creative and fun, and write it!
• Respect for Setting and Context: When you introduce your character to a scene, it's important to have a good reason for that character to be there. Just having a character appear randomly in a scene isn't very interesting, and it never makes a lot of sense. Coming up with a bad reason for a character's appearance is almost worse. Instead, put some thought into a character's presence and/or actions in a scene and write out a plausible explanation. Your fellow RPers will appreciate the effort!
  Similarly, it's important to remember the setting when you write. If you're indoors, it can't possibly be raining! Pay attention to what's going on around you and take this into consideration when you post.
• Spontaneity: While plotting out adventures ahead of time is a fine talent, a good RPer also has the ability to literally fly by the seat of their pants. Since you have no control over other RPer's characters, you never know what might happen next. Scenes in RP are fluid: Everyone loves a partner that can adjust to the situation and take a new direction on the spur of the moment without losing their composure - and humor (whether In Character or Out Of Character) is always a lifesaver.
• Respect: What it boils down to is simple, common courtesy. Be polite! Treat others the way you would like to be treated! The most obvious thing to say - but one that is often forgotten: You play the game to have fun, and the other players are here for the same reason. If for any reason you are not having fun playing, then try to pinpoint the problem and do something about it! If the reason cannot be resolved, then you should stop playing. There is no point in doing something you are not enjoying.

 

[Maho 'Jerik' Sparhawk]

(This may be a bit disjointed, as i'm kind of writing points as i think of them ( ; )

In all the posts i've ever been in, i've found that there are definitely similarities between the best threads and posters.

It seems they all have a good grounding in character. What i mean is that, no matter how odd the situation, or taboo the subject, the characters always seemed grounded in reality. Even though the setting is completely fantasy, they all have a level of realism, whether it be in their dialogue, or in the way they act. It's usually why i put "-" and "..." in my writing, as i try to emulate the real movement and thinking in a conversation. Most of the people i threaded with before i took my time off had super good characters. Each character felt like they were walking in real shoes, rather than ones made up by someone else.

The problem with a lot of characters is that they react in ways no real person would. Of course, they don't have to be normal, but they have to make sense in the greater context of the character. If you're playing a passive, quiet traveller, who is skilled with a sword, and someone tries to fight them, if they cut their head off, they're going to be very shocked, and nauseous as they've just killed a man. They're not gonna brush it off, wipe the sword off their blade, then crack a joke, or say "Shouldn't of ran at me... Kid.". They'd be visibly shaken. Some people forget their character, and write what seems cool and fitting, rather than what their character would. It doesn't have to make sense in the story, as long as it makes sense for the character.

Moreover, characters need to remember things. But it's a double edged sword; when you include something your character did three threads ago in a current one with different characters, you might seem jarring. But i'd do it anyway, as you're writing for yourself, more than for them.

I think a lesson loads of people need to take into consideration, especially new roleplayers, is that they should never forget who they are. When you thread, you are no longer Freddie Smith who lives in Watford England. You are Maho Sparhawk, Hawk of the West and Champion of Imamu. If more people took that into their hearts, and remembered the context of their characters, not only would they be more believable, they'd grow along with the writer.

Also, just a peeve of mine i'd like to talk about, i typically don't think characters that are either A) super-old AND/OR B) super knowledgable are not only really hard to write, but kind of boring. When you write a character that has seen it all, done it all, and knows most-of-it-all, it's hard to believe that they're surprised by anything really. And if you plunge them into a mundane situation, it's hard to make conversation, and to believe that they're at all interested in what is going on. I think the best characters are vulnerable, but grounded. They are human; they have scars, faults, problems, but also qualities that make them good. That's why having positives and negatives are so vital to a character.

TL;DR: all the best threads and posts have characters that live and breathe. Characters that have lives, have done bad things, have seen bad things, and most importantly, have changed - for better or worse - because of them.

 

[Nidraak]

It always comes down to characters. You could be writing about slaying a dragon, a tender moment of death or maybe a picnic by the fire, a thrilling battle of words, any of those can be absolutely exhilarating roleplays, but if only the characters are good.

I absolutely loathe the corrupted, mismatched version of the femme fatale archetype. It's so easy to get wrong, they're very hard to rp with and a million times more nerve-wrecking. After a while I figured I care for many different types of characters. Generic good with no 'edge' to them are boring to me. Purely evil and strong characters without a 'flaw' or 'tenderdness' to them are equally...meh. One of my favourite characters done by another a nyphomanic mercenary trickster, flirty, easygoing, chill, yet a cold killer, dead serious when time asked for it and skilled on top of it! A side, with the good and the bad,
Before I start a roleplay, I often ask myself, Is the chemistry great between the characters? Do the characters have conflicting motives, similair interests? What would/should bring them together.
A dragon hunt isn't fun because a dragon is being hunted

A well treasured rp is also one that takes into account the strenghts of the other characters. Either respecting their age and experience of the other, or training experience and prowess to say, taking in account that a nordenfiir will sniff you out and a nocturnal elf will see you in the night as clearly as in the day. It has to be mutual. Roleplay isn't to 'win' it's to write stories together, full of pitfalls, failure and horrors. But those things only make victory sweeter, don't they?

But when it comes to writing with me, less is more. Less is more with me. In a tense moment where split seconds matter, a shorter post will do it more justice than an overblown long one. It's also easier to understand, more legible.
Honestly I have to admit, I do get insulted if a respond that amounts to "yes" is written with a minimum of five paragraphs. It's almost like getting some kinda roleplay war flashback from the olde days where you got termed 'iliterate' for not writing more than three paragraphs for anything and everything despite somehow 'wolfspeak' equating to 'literate'. A what.

Explain, please.

 

[Ynsidia]

I know I'm new, but I'll weigh in, be it lightly, as I would rather not pontificate too much.

When I write, it's a weird balance between self expression that I enjoy, and trying to get a response out of someone else. I write because I like writing, and because I hope someone will be entertained and like what I write when they read it. It's very selfish, but also very personal to me, yet I can strangely share this selfishness with everyone else.

It's why when someone approached me on the original make of my character (before I ever posted in an rp thread here), and suggested I rewrite it a bit, I took it to heart and did; someone gave me their time, read what I made, and gave me an honest critique, as well as made suggestions. It was a wonderful feeling, and when I re-did Ynsidia, she became a character I found myself very attached to (and I think others feel attached to her too). I'm so glad someone took the time to read what I had written. Ynsidia is better for it.

The players I enjoy here are the ones who aren't just writing their characters to be badasses to look good in posts, but the ones that seem invested in making their characters fun, and entertaining to read. They're the writers not afraid to have a comedic moment with their characters, to let them bleed, to let them be 'human' regardless of Godhood, elf ancestry or exceptional power, etc.

They're willing to play the characters that might have a beer with you at the local bar, or spend a couple hours over at your place playing Mario cart.

 

[Méchanteau]

I'm a complete newcomer to this site, but I've been roleplaying since I was a wee. Most of my experience comes from Homestuck, DBZ, and non-fandom roleplays in forums and chats, and I'll be answering with what I've gleaned from all of them.

What have all of your favorite rp threads had in common?
Spontaneity, besides setting and goal, by and large all my favorite threads had little to no planning on the outcome or the action of others.

What makes another person's posts fun to read?
Their writing style, how it influences their character's characterization and vice-versa.

What's your pet peeve when rping with a group?
Skimmers, they're manageable most times, but as someone that writes very slowly in a language they're still learning it irks me whenever people don't read every word, or just the dialogue bits.

What can inexperienced role-players do so they won't grate on veterans' nerves?
Let them be grated, elitism is bullhonkey anyway. Everyone starts somewhere, and I feel like people who have been writing for some years now - like me - sometimes ought to remember that. Treat them as you would treat anyone else.

What do you wish you could tell everyone on Chronicles about good storytelling?
My personal tip is that there's a lot of charm in written characterization, and I like doing it in a way that fits the character in question. Straightforward and clear prose fits some characters, bombastic paragraphs full of flourishes and wordplay fits others - it's less about trying to finding a middle term and more about selling your character's very actions as extensions of their selves. For instance, Méchanteau doesn't walk, he swaggers.

What makes you care about others' characters?
Future, present, or past interaction with my characters. I also like characters that deal with over-the-top concepts (like an undead pirate lich with vague Lovecraftian overtones) or give a good take on tried and true archetypes.

What really annoys you in a 1on1?
SKIMEEEERS

Who's a Chronicler with a really stand-out style, and why do you enjoy reading them?
So far? I'm really digging Maho Sparhawk, from what I've read from him he has a firm grasp on clarifying intent and demonstrating personality. I like his verbs, also.

Why is Kasim Areth honestly the best admin?
Idk fam, idk