Writing tips.

sayso

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Felt rather bored and decided to make a guide for those looking to improve their writing. Before going any further, I am not the best writer, nor do I even consider myself a good writer. All of the tips I'm going to share are things I try and work on myself, and I believe they can help you improve. This thread will mostly cover tips for being a better writer, not a better roleplayer. However, becoming a better writer can/will improve your roleplaying to a certain extent. Also, the last tip covers both aspects of being a better writer and roleplayer.

The Basics:

This section mostly includes things that people should already know when it comes to writing a post: good grammar, spelling, and etc. Despite knowing this, everyone makes mistakes from time to time, which is perfectly fine! The simple way to combat easy mistakes is by proof-reading your post a few times. Many people, including myself, get into the habit of creating a post without proof-reading it because they get excited. Just try and remember to proof-read your post one time before posting. It can also help to download Grammarly, a browser app that can point out your spelling and grammar mistakes. However, the app does not catch all mistakes so it is still important to proof-read your work.

Add Details:

Many people have heard of "show and tell", but when it comes to writing you only want to show. Basically, do not tell someone the aspects of something, but show it. For example, instead of saying "John is evil." you can show how he is evil by saying "John has burned down multiple villages, leaving no survivors; women and children were not spared." By showing exactly how someone has a certain characteristic, it helps whoever you are RPing with really visualize the character and they get just as immersed as you. However, it is important to remember that each character has their own viewpoints than the creator. Give the reader the facts, and let them decide how their character views the situation.

Add extra details wherever you can fit them; the tiniest of details can improve your roleplay/story immensely. For example, instead of saying "John entered the cave." you could say "John slowly crept into the ominous cave which appeared pitch-black." This can be applied to everything and anything. If your character picks up a lantern, is it made of glass or paper? If your character sees a new pair of armor, is it shiny, old, ugly, or too expensive? By adding in small details, you are able to create an endless amount of possibilities in your writing. If your character has a paper lantern, he/she could then accidentally drop the lantern, which then spills oil, and then a fire starts.

Fancy vs. Good Writing:

You do not have to write with elegant prose to have good writing. While having a unique writing style may appear good, it is the contents that make the writing good. The sentence "Rose petals seemed to fall from the heavens as if a being unbeknownst to myself was enchanting me." and "Rose petals fell from the sky as if nature was giving me a gift." are essentially saying the same thing. The only difference is that the first sentence is attempting to appear better. Also, prose can make your writing difficult to understand. It is all about the contents of your writing, not the appearance of your writing. (However, it is still a good idea to try and make your writing appear nicer.)

The story comes first:

(The word "story" also refers to threads, but threads are essentially mini-stories. Keep this in mind when reading through this section.)

This point is going to be somewhat controversial. I am a believer that the story is more important than the character within the story; the story shapes the character, not vice versa. However, some people believe that the character is what shapes the story. However, this point is not going to be used to argue between the two ideas. I am merely going to explain why I believe that the story is more important.

For starters, the characters within a story are bound to the rules, concepts, logic, or etc. of the story. The characters are able to have an impact on the story, but they cannot entirely change the story itself. Let's use the Avengers movies, specifically endgame, as an example. No matter who the characters are or how they act, they still have one mission: defeat Thanos (This is a generalization of their goal, I know there is more to it than just "defeat Thanos"). You could completely remove Captain America, Iron Man, and Spider-man from the entire movie and the goal of the story would still be the same. You could also change the way the characters are in the story. You could make Captain America a girl or turn Spider-man into Spider-girl; the main plot will still be the same. No matter the impact the characters will have, the story will stay the same.

You may now be asking "Ok the story is important, now what?". Well, now you know how to begin your roleplays. Many people fall into the habit of thinking "I have this amazing character, now what should I do with them." instead of thinking "I just came up with an amazing story that I can use my character in." The big difference between the two thoughts is how they can shape the growth of your character. When you create a story FOR a character, you merely create a story that is centered/tailored around them; there is no room to grow. When you create a story that can USE your character, you give your character the opportunity to go through uncomfortable/strange situations allowing them to grow through the journey. This can be hard to imagine at first so here are some examples that will help you visualize my message:

"I have a character that is big, strong, and full of courage, however, I can't think of a story for him. Hmmm, let's have him go on a mission where he has to fight through hordes of monsters and kick ass."

"I have a story about attempting to escape from a slave ship after being tortured for 4 months. How will my big, strong, and courageous character deal with the situation and how will he change?"

In the first example, the story is created to show the characteristics of a character that everyone already knows. In the second example, the character is having to go through a situation and nobody knows how the character can change. Will the character stay the same? Will the character go insane? Will the character's attempt to escape fail? These are the questions that you should strive to make readers, and yourself, ask.

Final notes:

So in a brief summary, your writing should be: Correct, clear, descriptive, and provide a good story. You can have all sorts of amazing characters, but those characters do not matter at all if the stories they are in do not add to their character.

I hope these tips can help you become a better writer, and they have helped me quite a bit from when I originally started roleplaying. The last and most important tip I can give is to not be discouraged by your writing. Everyone has to start off somewhere, and I guarantee you no one on this website is a master writer (Please don't take this as an insult, there are many good writers on this site but objectively no one is on the same level of Mark Twain, Aristotle, and etc.) Your writings will improve the more you write, so stay motivated to roleplay!
 
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sayso

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This thread is open to all sorts of comments, feedback, and etc. If you want to discuss some different viewpoints/discussions feel free to message me!
 

Bran

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Ah I really enjoyed reading this! You're completely right in saying that you should never tailor the narrative to your character but rather thrust him/her into a narrative whereby the challenges they face are spontaneous and may not always be successful. Attempting to force character development in a controlled and scripted way can be boring and does not capture the same intriguing thrill as someone who focuses on the overarching narrative.

Another thing I cant agree with more on is D E T A I L S. Everyone should know that we are not playing a singleplayer story here. Its a two way street in the sense that other players can only give as much as they receive. Give them details to work off and you'll find that the stories and connections you create between characters are both more engaging and way more fun to write. If your character is thinking about something, give them a visual indicator that they are happy, sad, distraught, maniacal. Its very seldom that we remain pokerfaced with inner turmoil and its these indicators that others can play off and provide a key for dialogue. Other details such as smells, textures, music themes and acute descriptions of the surroundings can also help to immerse yourself and others into whatever setting you find yourself in.

I will add a disclaimer to the details though, sometimes less is more and there isn't a need to needlessly fluff on about completely irrelevant things in your posts. Keep things sharp, RICH and to the point so as not to degrade from the narrative you are trying to spin.

The last thing I would recommend is to not focus on pure vertical progression. I know everyone wants their character to be stronger and more impactful to the over arching narrative but I would strongly suggest that you take some time to appreciate the non-linear aspects of your character's story. Sometimes a fall from grace or crucial mistake can be the pivotal point in your character's journey that really DEFINES the character and provides them a springboard to reach greater heights. Revel in the failures, mistakes and challenges and use them to both help your character to grow throughout and yourself to grow as a writer.

Thanks @sayso for this really insightful post and I hope more people can bounce their ideas of good writing and we can all better ourselves as a result!
 
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