This might sound a bit elitist of me, but...

[TheGreyWarden]

I generally lose interest/don't have interest from people who write small paragraphs per post. By 'small paragraphs', I mean like one to four paragraphs. I know that it is a lot to write out, but I write out like five to seven or even eight paragraphs per post. I usually would write out an essay or more per post and usually I get like one or two paragraphs as a reply. I hate that and I will generally lost interest in that roleplay/person. I feel like, if I write out an essay and post it, then I should expect the reply to be the same length or more. Because, I put good, hard work into that I spent a hour and half on and all I get is just one paragraph that took that person five minutes to make. I'm sorry, but that's bullshit and I'd straight up tell them that.

I might get the argument of "If it annoys you that much, just ignore them, they can write the amount they want to, why do you care?" Well, I care for the same reason I joined this site. To write from a reason and to have fun. If that person doesn't write the same amount as me, then I might be bored of writing a paragraph or three and it would make me not have fun. But, if I do ignore that one person (who writes one paragraph in a roleplay while everyone else writes five or more paragraphs), then I will be a piece of shit from avoiding them. They shouldn't have joined a roleplay that needs people to write out five or more paragraphs per post.

"But people can write any amount they want to! Who are you to say that they should meet your requirement?" True enough, I'm not here to shame anyone who can't write out an essay that easy. However, people should be able to respect me too. If I ask from you to write more, then you should be able to respect my request or just leave if it's too much from you to handle. It will only take you a couple extra hours or minutes to increase your word count on your posts.

And I get it that length isn't always the best thing in a post, the best thing in a post is the detail it goes behind it. However, sometimes details are needed to be longer than shorter to explain what's going on. Like from example, I don't need to know that a pair of your character's jeans creaks in a weird way or that there was a fly down the street unless it's related to the plot or story of the roleplay.

And I should mention this or people will get on my case about it, I don't care if I see a typo, spelling error, or someone forgets a comma. We are all human and I make mistakes like that all the time. I just would like to see -some- effort put into the roleplays that I participate in.

And one more thing, I am not a douche bag who will get upset with you right away. If you avoid my request to write more after being told time after time, then I will kick you out of my roleplay or leave.

That's my little rant, that I needed to release. If you read all of this, then I thank you form reading my rant. I will also be happy if you gave your opinion on my post.

 

[Kestrel]

For 1x1's, state your preferences up front in partner request threads or ask how they feel about minimums if you're replying to someone else's. For group RP's, make it a rule if you're the GM, deal with whatever the GM's decision is if you're not, because GM's are your only gods in their respective threads.

If things turn out differently than communicated, ask about them. Just do so politely, yet assertively. If people give you shit, drop it like it's hot and find something new. Trial and error is required to get good games running, anyway. Yes, people can play or write whatever amount they want to, as long as it is in appropriate places. If you clearly state up front your threads aren't such places, I don't really see the problem.

 

[chillin]

I find it hard to write BIG paragraphs/multiple, even when my partner writes a lot, because words and actions just get jumbled up in my brain and I'm still not that good at writing.

If you want, we can call off our 1x1, unless you still want to try?

 

[Galzra]

Personally, I'd rather not be bothered to read a word-wall if it's pure nonsense. Roleplaying is not the same as writing a story on your own. You absolutely have got to have a sense of how much is enough, meaning you absolutely have got to pay attention to the structure of the replies. I hate it when my partner responds to my actions and adds a bunch of his own that completely deviate from the point we were initially trying to make. The age-old dilemma kicks in, thereafter - do I ignore half of their reply or get myself wrapped between the past and the present timeline of the rp?

I understand that the need to flesh out an essay in one post is a form of acceptance nowadays, that it somehow makes you a better roleplayer. Well, in my opinion, it truly doesn't. Writing an essay in one post is entirely the same as filling out one forum page with 2-3 paragraphs per post. I see it as a sort of breaking down into several well-constructed parts, emphasis on well-constructed. Of course, there are far too many examples of bad writing in the latter form, so it is only natural that people would scorn it. Then again, what many don't seem to understand is that you are not roleplaying against your partner, you are roleplaying with them. It is not MC x YC - it is MC and YC. What does it mean? Well, it means that they are a part of one story written by two or more people who contribute to the plot and character development in their own way. Briefly, it is not a competition to see who can write more.

In the end, it all comes to what Kestrel said. Communication is key.​

 

[TheGreyWarden]

I find it hard to write BIG paragraphs/multiple, even when my partner writes a lot, because words and actions just get jumbled up in my brain and I'm still not that good at writing.

If you want, we can call off our 1x1, unless you still want to try?

No, don't call it off.

I am trying to over come this habit. However, it is hard to do so.

 

[Zackymas]

Uff, what a man we've got here XD
Well I'm pretty much the opposite of you, like... I enjoy writing large posts but... there must be a reason of why these posts are large. Like, if you just told me hi, then do you really expect me to write 5 paragraphs of me saying hi back... Honestly I think it's very situational and to be totally frank here... when I see very large posts I usually loose interest, like... I like to leave my imagination do the job of describing, I don't want you to suddenly jump on me with 5 paragraphs of physical description with a plethora of metaphors, it just makes me take that little mental image I make in the first few sentences and change it over and over and over and over and over. (For me) It just destroys immersion. I'm not saying you shouldn't use metaphors or do long descriptions, but control it for God's sake. Most adept RPers AND writers get to the politician speech point (Saying a lot, but saying nothing).

So yeah I understand you want wall texts every minute, I'm no one to judge that, but y'know... just ask yourself, is it really necessary? Oh and... are they really disrespecting you when not writing something as long as what you wrote? (Note you mentioned something like that)
Oh and by the way, why in the freaging hell a writer's skill is now measured by their word count? Really? Freaging really? It makes me sick, honestly, there are writers like Horacio Quiroga y'know (At best his novels used to be like... no more than 4,000 words long, and still fucked you up anyways). Honestly for me a writer's skill should me measured in the quality of his work, not the quantity.

Just my two cents :3

 

[redblood]

Here's my two scents on the matter as a multi-paragraph reader and writer.

Firstly, here's five paragraphs that explains why I write multiple paragraphs and wants them in return from my partner, plus why some people might not be able to do the shorter posting style. (Obviously I can't keep things short :p)
[Spoili]
In a forum roleplayer, you will most likely get partners that can't write every single minute of every single day whenever you are ready. There is a lot of waiting done in a forum roleplay. It can be all from thirty minutes to weeks depending on how you and your partner's real life is looking at the moment. Taking a break from a story after having read and written one or two paragraphs is often times not enough to get back into the story or the characters heads (for someone like me). It is not like chat roleplay where you don't leave your characters head for maybe a couple of hours in a row.

Often I see people say things like "Just write your five plus paragraphs and let that other person write one or two paragraphs. Just because it's short doesn't mean it isn't good." or the likes. The problem with that is that everyone are different and becomes inspired by different things. I cannot write eight paragraphs if I get one paragraph from my partner. Sure, one paragraph can give me the details I need for the scene, but it might not inspire me to continue writing. I have met two people whom has been able to make me interested in a few paragraph roleplay, and that was because they had a great idea, we had great communication and we were perfect partners that had the same thought process and wanted the same things out of the roleplay. Such a perfect match is RARE. Some times you will find a partner that is so good that you don't care about some of the rules you've made for yourself, but most of the time, it is better to put up some rules for both yourself and your partner so that you don't get ten partners you have to drop because you got bored and uninspired.

If you don't understand why someone might get bored with a smaller text, think of it like this. You pick up a book, and every time you read the book you are only allowed to read half a page at the most per week. How do you get into the story and the characters if you have to force yourself out of the story immediately? THIS is my dilemma with short roleplay posts. You only get to read the post for a minute or two and then you might write for five-ten minutes at most and then you might have to wait for a week before your partner has time to post again. (and before anyone says, 'you can still post long posts'. No. I'm a mirror roleplayer, I give what I receive. I can't give five paragraphs if I don't get at least four.) It doesn't give me time to get into my character nor for me to get into their character. It gives me time to scratch the surface. Reading a longer post in which I get to see into the characters mind, I have to take out the bits and pieces my character can see and know of and separate them from what only me and my partner knows, and then write up a thirty minutes or longer reply, THAT makes me entertained. That makes me inspired. That makes me one with my character and makes me understand my partners character better.

I do not think less of people who write short posts, BUT I need people with a style similar to mine to be inspired, otherwise there is a chance I will get writers block and leave. Sure there have been those rare occasions when someone has matched me so well on every other level than just length, and sure I don't need length in every post, but keeping to some rules for yourself and for your partners is better than constantly having to drop roleplays because you can't get into them. Before I made my "At least 3 paragraphs" rule in my partner searching threads, I rarely got a long lasting partner. Now a days, when I have my rule list, I do tend to get partners that I enjoy playing with and who enjoys playing with me. The biggest reason the roleplays we start ends now a days is because my partners gets real life issues and leaves the site for extended periods of time. I have only lost one partner due to lack of interest on both our parts during the last year. Before the rules? Half the roleplays that was started after I had posted an interest check was often dropped within a couple of months because of lack of inspiration for them. Setting up rules for yourself and partners is a good thing if you know your limits.

The keyword here is 'inspiration' NOT 'as long as it has all the necessary info, it shouldn't matter if it's short'. Everyone are inspired by different things and it is important to figure out what styles you can easily work with and what styles gives you a dry out. Everyone can't be a perfect match for everyone. [/spoili]

Now to the main point. I will repeat myself a bit for those who don't care about my block of text up there.

Inspiration is the key word. You must find what inspires you. If you can't be inspired by short posts, you don't have to force yourself. It might feel cruel to leave a partner because their post length bores you, but that is not your fault. You can't help it if something is boring to you. Roleplaying is about having fun, and all participants should have fun. If you can't have fun reading those short posts, then you shouldn't do it. If your partner can't have fun writing longer posts, then they shouldn't do it. This of course means you probably aren't compatible with each other, but that's okay. You don't need to be compatible with every roleplayer you meet. Make sure to do what's fun for you, and find partners that fits those requirements. Understand and know your own limits.

Of course that doesn't mean you can't ever make exceptions to those requirements, if someone has a great idea you can get behind it even with shorter posts, go for it. Just make sure both you and your partner can be inspired, enjoy and have fun.

This though comes more from a one on one roleplayer perspective. When it comes to group roleplays it is fully up to the GM to set their standards and if no requirements on length has been stated, there will definitely be people all over the place, which means you must be comfortable with different lengths in at least that setting. Sometimes there will be GMs whom has set a minimum paragraph amount though, and if that's the case, it's just to tell them that "Hey, we have these requirements, that one paragraph isn't living up to this specific roleplay's expectations of a post. Can you do something about it?" If not they really don't have anything to do in that roleplay as the rules has been set and they should follow them.




TL;DR VERSION:
When creating roleplays, clearly state what you will and won't accept and if they don't meet those standards, you have all the rights to leave them (or in groups, tell them to leave), because you told them what you wanted from them and they didn't respect that. When searching for a roleplay, try to find something that fits your standards. Make exceptions if you find a super great idea that you might be able to stay in without the post length being to your liking. Practice reading smaller posts on those super great ideas, and hopefully the plot itself will be enough for you not to get bored by the post length. After a while you might get more into reading the smaller style. Of course if you still are unable to get into them after some time, or just don't want to get into them to begin with, it's just to accept that maybe it's just not an area you're comfortable with. Some people can't enjoy a four plus paragraph post, others can't get into a four minus paragraph post. Just do you, and state what you can and can't work with clearly before the start of a roleplay.

 

[Shounen Senpai]

I'm actually fine with a roleplay with participants that reply like once a day or two, but is packed with good content. It's a good roleplay if the reply is worth the wait. C:

 

[Lest]

Without length I feel a lot of characterization is lost. I tend to write a lot when I respond to posts and I think everyone should aspire to give people more to respond to. The more someone replies to me with the more ideas that come into my head. The best or even half decent writers are able to write a decent amount without sounding like they are rambling. It is true that some people care more about their characters than the actual story of the thread but In most cases I see the positive results of writing a "long" posts in roleplays.

It's especially important when building a setting in Sci-fi roleplays which I like to do.

 

[Jess Incognito]

I think both sides could pretty much say the same about the other. A short response is boring and uninspiring! A long one is tiring and equally boring! It's preference and that's fine. I really don't care one way or the other, because I've found that bad writers lurk in every corner and length simply isn't a good judge of them.

Now, I tend to go back and forth on length in a single roleplay. I've gone out with a monster and next post given a paragraph, no shame, because neither did more or less than was needed. My biggest sadness is that it's 'wrong' to submit a one-liner (or a few short sentences, anyway). I'm always tempted where dialogue is concerned, because I feel bad leaving my partner behind and having to catch up (the struggle of writing in past and present timelines as was well-stated by Galzra above). If you think about it, sometimes one character has a question and cannot move past it without an answer. The other may answer in a word and then wait for the first to respond. I find myself compensating and struggling for words in a situation that may require only a single action, unsure of whether or not it would be acceptable to my partner.

Of course, dialogue can be a tender thing.

Your situation seems more like a miscommunication as its consistently happening and others here covered that so I won't go there. But consider this is my defense of short responses. Sometimes you have to carry your partner and hope they'll carry you when you're stuck, too.