Post by Vitani on Sept 21, 2009 15:04:11 GMT -5
Okay. You joined, you made a character, and now you're thinking about posting in a thread. Good. But there's a little rule that we have: No less than ten lines. Oh, no, you don't know how to write that much? It's too hard? No it's not. Ten lines is easy. Let's start with the basics. Grammar.
Grammar is very, very important, no matter how boring you think it is. No one will ever understand you if you don't use proper grammar. Grammar isn't even that hard. All you have to do is capitalize the first letter of each sentence, put quotation marks when someone's speaking and put a period at the end. Is that so hard? I thought not. Please, please use proper grammar. People will respect you that way, not to mention understand what you're saying.
Now, let's get to the actual roleplaying.
Replying. Let's say the poster above you is hunting, noticed you and said hi. Do not, under any circumstances, do this:
No! That is not ten lines! Instead of doing that, write down your character's feelings. What were they thinking? Were they impressed at what the poster above them did? Not impressed? Worse?
Better, but still not ten lines. Let's include some backstory. Maybe a memory? Or we could include some more thoughts. Maybe even a few movements the character does without realizing it.
That's a lot better than just saying hi, no? But it's still not ten lines yet. Let's include some more things. What about the setting? Sounds? Feelings? Anything else that might be interesting to the reader?
Now we're getting somewhere, right? However, it's still not ten lines yet. Think of how you feel in real life. In real life, you don't just say hi. You have feelings and emotions, thoughts that run through your head, images of the person. Incorporate that into your post.
See? See how we put the character into the post, instead of simply saying hi? We told that Lion1 was an old but respected member of the Pride, maybe a bit prickly at times, but definitely wise. Critical of his catch, but easing up as she remembered her own first catch. Nostalgic about earlier times. Wouldn't you rather read that than "hi"? Yes? Good, because that's the reason I wrote this guide. Remember that the above post was really the bare minimum, and you can play with your characters and your posts as you wish. Happy roleplaying.
-- Sunny
Grammar is very, very important, no matter how boring you think it is. No one will ever understand you if you don't use proper grammar. Grammar isn't even that hard. All you have to do is capitalize the first letter of each sentence, put quotation marks when someone's speaking and put a period at the end. Is that so hard? I thought not. Please, please use proper grammar. People will respect you that way, not to mention understand what you're saying.
Now, let's get to the actual roleplaying.
Replying. Let's say the poster above you is hunting, noticed you and said hi. Do not, under any circumstances, do this:
"Hi," Lion1 said.
No! That is not ten lines! Instead of doing that, write down your character's feelings. What were they thinking? Were they impressed at what the poster above them did? Not impressed? Worse?
Impressive, Lion1 thought as Lion2 killed the antelope swiftly. She dipped her head and padded forward. "Hi."
Better, but still not ten lines. Let's include some backstory. Maybe a memory? Or we could include some more thoughts. Maybe even a few movements the character does without realizing it.
Impressive, Lion1 thought as Lion2 killed the antelope swiftly. But it'll take more than that to feed the Pride. She swished her tail, remembering the day she had taken down her own first antelope. The thrill of hunting had followed her ever since, even now. She dipped her head to Lion2 and walked forward. "Hi."
That's a lot better than just saying hi, no? But it's still not ten lines yet. Let's include some more things. What about the setting? Sounds? Feelings? Anything else that might be interesting to the reader?
Impressive, Lion1 thought as Lion2 killed the antelope swiftly. But it'll take more than that to feed the Pride. A bird called in the distance, and wind swept the sand as Lion2 looked over his catch proudly. She swished her tail, remembering the day she had taken down her own first antelope. The thrill of hunting had followed ever since, even now. Dipping her head, she walked forward, the sand crunching beneath her feet and wearing down her tired paws. "Hi."
Now we're getting somewhere, right? However, it's still not ten lines yet. Think of how you feel in real life. In real life, you don't just say hi. You have feelings and emotions, thoughts that run through your head, images of the person. Incorporate that into your post.
Impressive, Lion1 thought as Lion2 killed the antelope swiftly. But it'll take more than that to feed the Pride. A bird called in the distance, and wind swept the sand as Lion2 looked over his catch proudly. She swished her tail, remembering the day she had taken down her own first antelope. The thrill of hunting had followed ever since, even now. Looking at his eyes sparkle at his newly caught prey, she felt a pang of envy. She wished that she was as young as he, being able to run in the wind and worry about nothing. However, she was beyond those times, and she was content being her age, herself. She never was carefree, always weighed down with something. But now those days were over. Dipping her head, she walked forward, the sand crunching beneath her feet and wearing down her tired paws. "Hi."
See? See how we put the character into the post, instead of simply saying hi? We told that Lion1 was an old but respected member of the Pride, maybe a bit prickly at times, but definitely wise. Critical of his catch, but easing up as she remembered her own first catch. Nostalgic about earlier times. Wouldn't you rather read that than "hi"? Yes? Good, because that's the reason I wrote this guide. Remember that the above post was really the bare minimum, and you can play with your characters and your posts as you wish. Happy roleplaying.
-- Sunny