Those be long posts

[QwibQwib]

It's likely just lack of experience on my part, but looking at most threads those posts are rather long, are there anything I should keep in mind to lengthen my own posts?

 

[Galavant]

I wouldn't worry about making your posts long, it's not a huge thing. As long as it's more than a single line, you're usually good to go. And even, depending on the context it can be appropriate. The goal should be to get the information needed for others to respond to your post, and build on it as the story of the thread advances. Sometimes long posts don't really accomplish this any better than short ones. I can't tell you the number of times I've read through a wall of text that did nothing to move the story forward, or really have an effect on the thread.

Write what flows best, don't worry about lengths, or anything like that.

 

[QuickSilver]

I'm not nearly as experienced as some people here but I'll direct you to a thread that might be helpful. Here's the link.

 

[Flying Blind]

Everyone has their own way of writing. It's also a matter of preference, some people like lengthier posts, while for others it might be more enjoyable for shorter posts. If it's your goal to lengthen your posts, try and write about your character's thoughts, motives, maybe flesh out their backstory or personality a bit. There are many ways to flesh out a post, and sometimes looking at other people's posts can help you.

 

[QwibQwib]

Oh, thanks guys, now I know I'm not an utter nub for having short posts (though I'm sure for other reasons I am.) Will be looking at that link.

 

[Loco]

I wouldn't worry about making your posts long, it's not a huge thing. As long as it's more than a single line, you're usually good to go. And even, depending on the context it can be appropriate. The goal should be to get the information needed for others to respond to your post, and build on it as the story of the thread advances. Sometimes long posts don't really accomplish this any better than short ones. I can't tell you the number of times I've read through a wall of text that did nothing to move the story forward, or really have an effect on the thread.

Write what flows best, don't worry about lengths, or anything like that.

^This.


Personally, I shoot for a minimum of two short paragraphs, but that's just because I enjoy writing. Often there's more than that, sometimes there's less. It's all situation dependent and ultimately up to whoever it is that's doing the writing. There's folks around here that do perfectly well with two or three sentences per post.

 

[Stormthroe]

Nothing special at all, mate. Post length develops as you get comfortable writing.

However, I'd be happy to share some tips for good RP! For one, roleplay is about cooperative storytelling; while writing in response to another player is good, I always try to build on it and keep the story flowing. Don't be solely reactive, and add something to the story. If you're unsure if another player might not like what you'd like to do, just check with them first!

Also, to be a writer you need to read. It helps build a vocabulary, so that your writing doesn't become repetitive, not to mention its a great way to spend the time waiting on posts! XD I personally enjoy any sci-fi or fantasy book, and am currently neck deep in the Gaunt's Ghosts novels, but whatever your tastes there is something out there!

On edit: QuickSilver found it! Bee's resource is a phenomenal set of guidelines that will help you out.

 

[Marf]

I personally prefer longer posts, both to read and to write, but that's just because I like writing. I sometimes spend days on a single post if I can't make it substantial enough in one sitting. When James and I do a thread we can't shut up.

That said, I have a weakness for describing nothing but dumb shit like scenery and emotions for paragraphs on end without actually contributing anything. As people have already said, as long as you are providing the other RPer with something substantial for them to have their character react to, post length doesn't matter too much.

 

[Taruna]

*butts in*

I was just reading all of the post above up to Marf, and would like to agree to all of them.

Start posting like you feel compfortable, do not concern yourself with the length of the posts.

Believe me, the more you get into it, the more you will write on your own, increasing your posts over time and fit it to your personal task. The main driver should remain that you have fun posting.

But if you strife for longer posts, ask yourself the folllowing:
- Where
- What
- Who

where is your char? What is he doing right now? Who is he interacting with?

A simple post like:

"Thank you for the lesson, Master"

could mutate into something like that:

Sitting on the floor, the training lightsaber still on his shoulder he looks up at his master and smiles thankfully "Thank you for the lesson, Master"

Simple as that, and a good start.

[Edit:] And now, a challenge. Who gets the longest post out of it? XD


... kidding!

 

[Srota]

In the end, you just need to be sure that you provide the person or persons you're working with enough information that they can understand what you are doing, why you're doing it, and where you're doing it. The rest typically follows naturally. What I like to do is force myself to write a minimum of three sentences per post. Less than that can seem kind of bare. There's always something to include that helps to define your character in some way. Even if you're simply writing a response to a question in a conversation. You can elaborate on your characters physical reaction, do they nod their head? Do they smile? Did the question put them off guard? Also, it never hurts to include a question asked in response. So there you have some ideas to help elaborate on even the most basic and simplest post you could have to make. In general, the goal with writing is to convey your message in as few words as possible so try and not go iverboard. You don't need to write 3 pages of text on how someone walks into a room, not unless they do the tango at the same time.

Finally, read. As was mentioned, reading is your best friend. Read everything you can. Fiction, non-fiction, so fi, fantasy, star wars, star trek, read it all. All of it will help you learn vocabulary and to learn tricks, everything can teach you, even if it shows you what not to do. Some good places to start reading stuff would be people like Neal Stephenson, popular, but quality. Then from there you can start reading more about specific things. Wanna learn to write a good fight scene? Don't read little women, if you get my point.

 

[Logan]

I don't think post length is too important of a factor in determining post quality. Fluff can be both unnecessary and a hindrance, and sometimes I think even the best of us here (note: I do not consider myself to be part of 'the best' group 'round here lol.) can overload a post with information.

I have a tendency to write my posts in a novel style mindset, I like to emulate my favorite author's styles with my own flair when I write. So i use each individual post as part of a larger narrative, so sometimes transitionary posts can be maybe a paragraph whereas description posts can push six or seven. I like to get a barebones idea of what information is necessary and worth putting into an individual post as well as how it fits into the overall narrative of what I want to achieve. After you have the skeleton you can fill in the gaps with subjective information like interpretation of surroundings, feelings, opinion and stuff like that.

You'll be surprised how quickly your posts can get out of hand, I know mine do. Lol

You also have to keep in mind many people here having been Rping and writing in general for a decade or more, I'm pushing almost 15 years myself. Experience plays a large factor in length of writing, at least I think so.

tl;dr

Don't worry too much about it, it'll all come with time. :)

 

[Marf]

I'm an incredibly visually-minded and sensory person. Watching films, viewing images and art, going for walks and listening to music are what help me write the most. Even the feels and tastes of things can help bring detailed descriptions to mind. I just write down exactly what something looks/feels/sounds like in my head.

Admittedly, I don't read novels that much. I read a voluminous of non-fiction and reference material (history, true crime, psychology) in order to research topics and issues I'm writing about in my stories, but very little fiction. I know I should, but I simply get more pleasure from visual things rather than words. When I watch a film, things like imagery and music inspire me much more. A picture most definitely does paint a thousand words. When I'm starting a thread I usually look at different wallpapers and photography to help me set the scene.

You'll notice all the threads I start have a picture and a link to theme music XD

 

[Logan]

I'm an incredibly visually-minded and sensory person. Watching films, viewing images and art, going for walks and listening to music are what help me write the most. Even the feels and tastes of things can help bring detailed descriptions to mind. I just write down exactly what something looks/feels/sounds like in my head.

Admittedly, I don't read novels that much. I read a voluminous of non-fiction and reference material (history, true crime, psychology) in order to research topics and issues I'm writing about in my stories, but very little non-fiction. I know I should, but I simply get more pleasure from visual things rather than words. When I watch a film, things like imagery and music inspire me much more. A picture most definitely does paint a thousand words. When I'm starting a thread I usually look at different wallpapers and photography to help me set the scene.

You'll notice all the threads I start have a picture and a link to theme music XD

Haha, see, I'm almost the exact opposite; except for in regards to music. I have several different playlists on my spotify for different kinds of threads to get me into the mood. There's a "tiem2fite" playlist, a "set the mood for lovin'" playlist, a "OH NOEZ MORAL DILEMMA" playlist, and a few others I can't remember. xD

Reading, for me, has always been a way to escape reality and immerse myself into a world that isn't my own. The authors I tend to gravitate towards, Palahniuk, Gaiman, Vonnegut, King, F. Paul Wilson, among dozens of others can facilitate so much imagery and emotion through nothing but simple written words and that's what I try to emulate myself.

 

[Marf]

Yeah, it's really a personal thing. Everyone's imaginative process works differently. You also made a good point about experience. Practice honestly helps more than anything. I've been writing for 13 years and making up stories and characters before I could even read or write.

This is getting a little personal and embarrassing, but I also act out my scenes, quite vigorously might I add. I do it compulsively and it's both enthralling and addictive. I listen to my iPod while I say allowed my characters' dialogue and act out their movements. I used to study drama and theatre as well so there's that.

 

[Logan]

Yeah, it's really a personal thing. Everyone's imaginative process works differently. You also made a good point about experience. Practice honestly helps more than anything. I've been writing for 13 years and making up stories and characters before I could even read or write.

This is getting a little personal and embarrassing, but I also act out my scenes, quite vigorously might I add. I do it compulsively and it's both enthralling and addictive. I listen to my iPod while I say allowed my characters' dialogue and act out their movements. I used to study drama and theatre as well so there's that.

Lol don't be too embarrassed, I do the same thing. I think it helps out tremendously in PvP scenarios, it helps me visualize what would actually be physically possible for a person to do - at least with hand-to-hand and sword play, anyway. :P

 

[Cross]

Spoiler: Relent already covered this

Writing revolves around description, which is all the more true when it comes to the "genre" that is RP, if you will, and descriptions can easily take up worlds of space. Therefore, to a certain extent, most "long" posts can be considered decent. But reaching a point where more turns into less is very simple. Like Relent wrote, it's super easy to get bogged down in details, and overly descriptive writing gets dull and hard to swallow.

Likewise, "less" can be considered more. Succinct sentences and paragraphs allow the reader to more easily grip the storyline and follow it through in one sitting which is an absolute must have for a good piece of writing and something I tend to lose track of, from time to time. But you can end up sacrificing too much for reduced length and end up with a barebones thing that lacks meat.

Unlike the other posters it seems, my views are slightly different. I think that there is something you can actively do in how you RP that might bring about improvement:
Play to your weaknesses (no, I don't mean strengths). If your issue is with achieving length, that probably means that your posts have a lack of information and, as such, it is my honest belief that if you force yourself to write longer posts, you just might find that treating the symptoms might actually rid you of the "illness" altogether. Contrarily, if you're like me and tend to write more than you should, then you should focus on trimming needless fat off of your pieces and making sure you stay on point and avoid (most) tangents. It's not just about experience. People tend to be either analytical or synthetical (either talk/write too much or too little, respectively) and, generally speaking, virtue is somewhere in between. So, if you find that you naturally steer towards one of the two, try to counter it enough to find a middle ground. It's never easy, but it is very rewarding.

Finally, it's already been sung, but it really can't be said enough: Read, Watch Films, Listen to the Lyrics in certain pieces of Music, Pay attention to anything that tells a Story. You need to be aware that there are people out there who do this so much better than any of us ever will, and not trying to learn from them is criminal.

 

[Phoenix]

Lol don't be too embarrassed, I do the same thing. I think it helps out tremendously in PvP scenarios, it helps me visualize what would actually be physically possible for a person to do - at least with hand-to-hand and sword play, anyway. :P

I'm glad to hear that i'm not the only one that does this :D

 

[Commissar Brett]

Yeah, it's really a personal thing. Everyone's imaginative process works differently. You also made a good point about experience. Practice honestly helps more than anything. I've been writing for 13 years and making up stories and characters before I could even read or write.

This is getting a little personal and embarrassing, but I also act out my scenes, quite vigorously might I add. I do it compulsively and it's both enthralling and addictive. I listen to my iPod while I say allowed my characters' dialogue and act out their movements. I used to study drama and theatre as well so there's that.

Marf, you're not the only person. I've done literally the exact same things. Sometimes I'll repeat a line to myself exactly as I imagine and then try to find the words to describe the way that it's being said. When your head is bursting with ideas, it's a lot of "what do I want to use next". There are scenes sometimes I have planned out with any context at all, so I just look for opportunities to write them in somewhere.

The key to writing the way someone like I or Marf or anyone else like us does is taking the word "Vicarious" to heart very seriously. Learn it, love it, live it (vicariously, of course)

 

[Bee]

Long posts are overrated.

 

[Logan]

Long posts are overrated.

You're overrated.

;)