LESSON A Post of Value

Diana

LOOK HOW CALM SHE IS
Original poster
ADMINISTRATOR
MYTHICAL MEMBER
Invitation Status
  1. Not accepting invites at this time
Posting Speed
  1. 1-3 posts per week
  2. Slow As Molasses
Online Availability
10AM - 10PM Daily
Writing Levels
  1. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Female
Genres
Romance, Supernatural, Fantasy, Thriller, Space Exploration, Slice of Life
Go look at your roleplay threads. Pick ANY random post that you have made recently. Don't pick one that is an obvious "big plot content" post.

If that post was deleted from the roleplay thread, would it matter? Would it be confusing if someone read through the thread? If they got to the spot with the missing post, would they then feel like they were missing something when they continued forward?

Is there something of value in that roleplay post?

It does not matter how long your post is - be it one single line or 3 pages - if there is not something of VALUE in your post, it's not adding anything to your character's story or to the roleplay.
If your post got deleted, it would be like you never posted at all. You don't want that! You WANT to be bringing something to the table!

Obviously, not every roleplay post is going to contain some point of plot altering importance. HOWEVER, each post SHOULD AT LEAST give something of value about your character or the scene you're in. Even the tiniest tidbits of information can be used to further a plot or scene, or develop/display something important about your character.

REMEMBER THAT ROLEPLAY POST YOU PICKED OUT? LETS GO DOWN THE CHECK LIST!

  • Did this post respond to and then forward a conversation between characters. Not JUST respond to another character, but also continued the convo? A post like - He scowled and said "No.". - adds nothing to the conversation. A post like - He scowled and then snarled, "I'm going to beat your ass with a fire poker." - shows him being pissed off about previous posts AND gives something other players can respond to.
  • Did this post respond to previous actions or create new actions in it? "He scowled." is a post with no contributing value. All you know is that this guy is making a cranky face. "He scowled and then kicked a puppy." Now other characters know that he is cranky, and kicking puppies. They will have to do or say something about this.
  • Did this post insert a description of your character that has not appeared in the roleplay yet? Something about their hair, or the way they dressed. Revealing a scar, or an item of clothing that is now noticeable that they always wear. Perhaps they're currently walking with a limp because of a fight in a previous scene. This little things help develop your character.
  • Did this post express your characters current feelings or thoughts? This can be expressed in a variety of ways, either through physical cues like pacing back and forth to show impatience, or nervously tapping fingers on a desk. Or it can be through verbal communication. Them talking about why they are upset at another character, or through inner dialogue with them making personal observations about what's going on.
  • Did this post help set the stage of the scene? The location characters are at is important. It gives you a stage to interact with, and it can set clues about the atmosphere of the scene. Writing about the warm glow of a fireplace tells other player's what's in the room, while also providing more content for them to embellish on in their own posts.

Did you see the key point in each of these? Make sure there is something that other players can build on and respond to.

Remember, you don't have to do all of these things in a single post to make it a valuable one. But there must be at least one thing in your post that is useful.
 
May I add something for GMing? If you're running a game, make sure that there is something for the players to do. A lot of these one liners and plot irrelevance comes form players having no direction, so they either have their character self-interact and that doesn't help anyone Or they post a one-liner. If you have them in a new area, explore what's there. What are their options? Even if the RP starts with them waking up tied to a chair, if they know what else is in the room, they can properly respond. Oh and one more added note, if you have NPCS, try to not sideline them, even if it is just giving them one line of dialogue.
 
This lesson is so important!

Imagine you are in a conversation with someone, and all they are doing is responding and acknowledging that you've spoken, but not giving you anything to work with to further the conversation. No room to go on tangents, no asking questions, nothing.

If you have ever been in this situation (or if you can imagine it), it is HORRIBLE. Even if that person is interested in you, or is an interesting person themselves, neither of you can do anything if they don't give you something to work with. This is the same in roleplay. When you don't give your partners something to respond to, it becomes stale and people lose interest!

Make sure to give your partners something to work off of!