How to create a better look & feel in the layout of your roleplay.

[Taska Vilna]

I've reached a roadblock, I'm almost all ready to write out my latest grand idea into a fun group roleplay, but stuff me with brine shrimp I just can't formulate a proper layout.

I have all the ideas and things, but my brain is always so cluttered.


Do my lovely friends on Iwaku have any protips and hints and tricks to organizing beautiful thoughts into structured information?

 

[SamIO]

Outlining is something you could do. Just think about the big header-lines instead of worrying about the details. It should come naturally which order things go in from there, and then you can expand on the titles below once you're set! :D

Typically, I find two major parts to an overview: a portion that stays within the confines of the fourth wall, focusing on the setting, and another which describes the metagame of the particular roleplay in question. Generally, the latter outweighs the former, because it has the subsections about plot, character sheets, rules, et cetera, while the first part was more just an extended hook.

Seems like a pretty neat and tidy structure, and the logic can be modified to fit your roleplay's needs. Just my two cents. :3

 

[Gwazi Magnum]

[tabs]

Use the Tabs

(Though it's tricky to set up right. And doing it myself last since a few months ago I've getting issues with it myself. So someone else whose more familiar with it will need to go into more detail.
[/tabs]

Also you can centre your posts, those generally help things look more nice/professional.
Don't centre for the sake of centre though, too much of it just becomes obnoxious/painful to look at.

That and for OOC's, Interest Checks and In Character's OP adding a centred image on top can add a lot to the immersion and professionalism of the RP.

 

[ToxicLeakage]

I have found using both the rich text editor and the BBcode Editor simultaneously helps alot, also previewing your post frequently helps reduce the risk of fuck ups. I like having my characters' picture url in a notepad so I can use it besides my text (Using the insert image with options button in the rich text editor.) It gives it a structured yet personal layout, just for roleplay posts (Continuing your story.) Don't be afraid to mess around with the codes, just remember to have the original coding somewhere else and saved, beside you can revert back to it knowing what it looks like.

Browse threads and see if you like anything, maybe the poster could give you the code, you never know!~

Happy Roleplaying!~
Nyx.

 

[Roose Hurro]

First thing: Write it all down.

Once that's done, then organize. It's important to get it out of your head, first, especially if you're having "issues" with mental clutter.

 

[Kagayours]

First thing: Write it all down.

Once that's done, then organize. It's important to get it out of your head, first, especially if you're having "issues" with mental clutter.

I second this.

I always type a nice long block of content on Word or something before I even really think about organization/layout. Layout isn't something that should be too concerning when just writing the thing out, I think.

After it's all written out, then it's a lot easier to organize, because then it goes from being a matter of "hmm, how should I write and present all this information in a way that makes sense and looks nice?" to "ok, I have all the information I need -- now I'll just organize it in a way that makes sense" and, from there, polishing up the layout shouldn't be too difficult.

 

[Roose Hurro]

Kaga-kun, I give you my own "second"... this is how it's done, if you can't do it in your head.

 

[Sakura]

Everyone covered some great advice, I'll just add a tiny bit:

Break stuff up. I hate reading long drawling paragraphs about a roleplay, but if the same amount of text was broken into small paragraphs and divided by theme or titles/content, I'd be more likely to read it!