Welcome to the big leagues, boys (and girls and non-binary folks).
The writing process is both incredibly subjective and incredibly personal. People tend toward specific genres for a reason, and this is true for writing as well. Ultimately, as you travel through writing, you’ll find that not everyone’s prose is to your taste – and you will find your own writing will sometimes be viewed as subpar by other people.
(Case in point, I absolutely adore heapings of imagery shoveled directly into my mouth, whereas others may find themselves choking on the comma-ridden sentences.)
Finding a place to begin with how best to write in roleplay is difficult, and I’m unlikely to cover absolutely
everything. This is just a simple guide that will hopefully help you further develop your skill.
I. Setting the Scene
Each thread should be a dance, partaken between willing participants. One of the most important things is to have a consenting partner and to keep communication clear between you. This isn’t implying that you should constantly be writing in OOC at each other. Nor should you always discuss your plans for the thread beforehand.
However, if you are the creator of the thread, it is
your responsibility to set up a situation that allows others to engage. Simply having your character sitting and waiting for something to happen can make it difficult for other characters to join – typically, only overly-friendly characters will be able to take advantage of this situation.
TIPS CORNER
Think of it this way. If you saw a stranger sitting at a coffee shop, reading a book, you probably wouldn’t walk up to them and say hello. Yes, there are exceptions to this rule. Maybe they’re cute. Maybe they’re reading a book that you absolutely love and have been dying to discuss with someone. I’d estimate nine times out of ten, however, that you would just pass that person by, probably on a mission of your own. Don't force someone to come up with a reason to visit your character. Give them one.
Instead, when creating a thread, try to write your opening post with some sort of purpose. You, as the author, should have a reason behind your writing. Sometimes this can be as simple as you wanting your character to make a friend. Or, if you want it to be more character-driven, perhaps your character is attempting to fulfill a desire they have. The purpose does not have to be grandiose, but it does need to be
there. There should be some sense of intent behind your creation of the thread.
Example: Dead Reckoning - rubedo seeks to fulfill one of Chaos' desires: to create a shrine for her
- the effort expended to create this shrine leaves him weakened and surrounded by blazing trees
- this was for the transform event, so he was also strangely mutated and dripping lava everywhere
- this opener offers a very clear hook for responding characters: there's a forest fire and in the center of it all is some grotseque creature that looks like it just emerged from hell
- almost anyone can reply to this sort of thread, with plenty of imagery to react to and a wide range of responses considered acceptable
Example: It's Not Enough - azain seeks to join the sharktooth island pack and travels to their territory
- being young and uncertain of how best to call out the alpha, she issues a summoning howl
- this opener is more selective: pack wolves are the best fit for this sort of thread, as another outside islander wouldn't be able to further azain's goal of joining the pack
- sharktooth pack members are preferred for this sort of thread and are given more to react to as a result: they have the right to question why such a young wolf is on their territory and why she's howling like a monkey
A proper opener is a necessity in good roleplaying. It makes it easier for other characters to interact with your own and gives those that reply something to work with.
Of course, a good opener is not all that is required for a well-written thread, and the first response is often just as important! We'll discuss it in the next section.
II. THE FIRST RESPONSE
Here I’ll discuss exactly what is expected from this first response, which is often just as important in setting the tone of the thread.
When you write the first response, you are essentially taking the other participant’s hand and saying, “Yes, I will have this dance.” Yes, that’s an incredibly flower-y way of putting it, but it’ll allow me to describe
why it is so important.
Imagine asking someone to dance, and they sigh heavily and seem to force themselves to take your hand. Maybe they roll their eyes, maybe they purposely don’t look at you. Their grip is weak, as if they can’t stand to touch you. Suddenly that dance you were looking forward to is starting to look like literal hell, but you can’t just immediately break it off with them. So you grit your teeth and dance with them long enough that you don’t seem rude when you do finally escape their fun-sucking grip.
Regardless, you come out of that incident promising you’ll never dance with that person again.
Sounds horrific, right? You don’t want to be that asshole dance partner, who goes into it with barely any enthusiasm. Sometimes you
can’t think of a reason for your character to interact with someone else’s. That is not your fault! Sometimes two characters aren’t compatible, and it’s best for everyone if you
don't try and wring some enthusiasm out – half-assed efforts are extremely discouraging and make it difficult for everyone involved to roleplay. Don’t do that!
Now, let’s say you have found a thread you want to respond to. Maybe you’re really excited for your character to interact with theirs. Maybe you’re hoping for some personal growth for your character. Regardless, you want to make a good first impression (and this is true for
every thread, even if it’s with someone you’ve roleplayed with again and again). Don’t get lazy just because you’re writing with a friend!
TIPS CORNER
If you are writing with the intent to develop your character, take care not to focus solely on them. This is not a novel, and they are not the main character. It’s in your best interest to get invested in other characters and care about their growth as well. Selfish roleplaying is incredibly transparent, and your partners will know when you’re just trying to get their characters to do a set of actions that your character can react to. If you really have something in mind for your character, instead consider talking about what sort of development you want to see for them in a plotting thread and see if anyone is willing to help out.
When writing a response, it’s important to try and read what the opening thread’s intention was and mold your response to be somewhat in line with this intent. This
does not mean that you should twist your character to fit the situation. Again, if they don’t seem right for the scene, don’t place them in it. However, if the opening is focused on one subject, you should not immediately discard it and instead switch to a different topic. I repeat,
stay on target.
Example: Thick Skin - Euphoria, a young pup, finds herself cast out from her pack and wanders a wasteland
- she is near-death and only her stubborn refusal to die keeps her alive
- she attempts to face down a scorpion, only to turn tail and run
- she collapses, exhausted
➤
Good Response:- the responding character focuses on her, discarding the scorpion as a subject of interest
- the responding character questions why she is alone
- the responding character offers assistance
- the responding character pushes some purpose of their own, though not to a degree it overwhelms the premise of the thread
- as an example: rubedo is allowed to think of furthering his reach within the land, but he should not immediately be pushing his godhood onto euphoria; her own problems should be the main driving force for this thread, with his own ambitions acting as the incentive behind his kind actions
➤
Bad Response:- the responding character decides to ignore her for the scorpion
- the responding character focuses solely on their own situation without acknowledging her
- the responding character does not speak: while not always a bad thing, euphoria is in a state of exhaustion and requires a reason to interact
Example: What The Water Gave Me - naiad travels inland to speak with the pack alpha
- as a continuation of
Old Soul, it is left ambiguous as to whether salome accompanies her or not
- this is a joining thread, which means a response by the alpha is expected
➤
Good Response:- because salome is accompanying her from Old Soul, he is able to keep quiet in their journey
- this is a time of reflection for both; silence is expected and encouraged
- there are still small forms of communication, mostly in shared glances; body language is also used
- salome is here to assist naiad first and foremost, but this scene also offers an opportunity for his tumultuous relationship with iiona to be shown
➤
Bad Response:- salome doesn't give a shit about any of their previous character interaction and doesn't tie his worries back to naiad
- he purposely puts the focus on himself, taking away from the imminent confrontation between iiona and naiad
- he turns his attention to objects not set in the scene, chasing after a monkey or stopping to sniff a particular flower
- if salome immediately fights with iiona or acts out, he is purposely stealing the spotlight from naiad and is impeding the thread's original goal
In conclusion, a first response should be an acceptance of the purpose implied in the opening post, with the intent of laying the foundation for the rest of the thread.
In the next section, we'll go into general replies, once a thread is well-and-truly underway. Some of these can also apply to the opener and first response, so definitely read it!
III. General Responses
Well-written responses are the life-blood of a thread. They can inspire, they can entice, they can incense. Keeping up a respectable level of writing is a common courtesy toward your partners, as badly-written and half-assed replies can suck a lot of enthusiasm out of the thread. Without passion, your partners may struggle to reply, turning it into a chore – and a thread that’s turned into actual work is as good as dead.
This section will cover a variety of different things to keep in mind while writing. This shouldn’t be considered a checklist that you constantly refer to, but it’s all good stuff to keep in mind to ensure your threads are smooth and pleasant for all involved.
TIPS CORNER
Everyone has bad days! Don’t beat yourself up over a single subpar reply – we’re all human, and we all understand. However, if you find yourself consistently failing to supply an appropriate response, it might be time to look at what you’re doing. Are you struggling to write your character? Is the plot just not pulling you in? Maybe the character yours is playing with just isn’t a good match. There is nothing wrong with ending a thread early if you find that replying to it has become a chore! It’s better to wrap it up quickly than let it die a drawn-out death.
COMMON COURTESYOne of the most common reasons for a thread to die is lack of effort on the part of one of the participants. It's incredibly discouraging when it feels the emotions, words, and actions you so painstakingly wrote down are given a generic reply.
We're all guilty of it to a degree, and here I'll describe some tips on how to make sure you aren't ignoring your partner's needs.
Do vs. Don't
Do:
✔ - try to further the plot; in the same way that you wouldn't just respond with one-word responses to people you have a conversation with, your character should make an effort to continue pushing the conversation forward - this also applies to actions
✔ - pay attention to your partner; when speaking, unless your character is naturally inattentive, they should almost always be giving the majority of their focus to their partner
✔ - stay on topic; again, unless your character is naturally scatterbrained, they shouldn't be jumping between different topics
✔ - try to respond to your partner fully; if they are purposely describing the way their character's eyes widen, your character should take some note of that, even if it's just a small thought in the back of their mind
Don't:
✖ - ignore their descriptions; oftentimes these exist to give some further hints into the inner state of their character's mind - while this won't necessarily show on their face, a character who is under considerable stress may come across as more curt and you should make an effort to have your character respond to this (again, allowances are made for ignorant characters or situations where your character may be distracted)
✖ - skimp on your words; there are no word count minimums but there are also no maximums - don't be afraid to fully detail your charcter's thought processes, how they respond with the smallest of movements; while your teacher may encourage brevity, I've found it easier to remove excess than try to insert artificial growth
✖ - shift the subject abruptly; it can be discombobulating for your partner, as they will have likely settled into a specific mood for the conversation - only to be suddenly thrown out of it
✖ - half-ass your responses. this is the simplest way to state this; yes, this is all for fun, but try to match your partner's effort - it's always obvious when someone has placed great care in their words and really thought about their response. don't insult them by offering them a reply that reads like you only skimmed their reply. yes, occasionally we misread, and that's obvious, but it's also insultingly obvious when someone has just breezed through a response. don't be that person.
Of course, this is all well and good. But what if you aren't quite sure of your writing ability?
I'll speak honestly right now - everyone has a preference. I mentioned it up at the beginning, if you remember. However, I tend to divide roleplay writing into two halves: those who purposely focus on the fantastical and those who stay grounded in reality.
Note that
neither side is better than the other, and both are equally effective for writing compelling posts. You may find your style naturally gravitates toward one or the other. I'll be speaking about both using some of our members' posts as examples.
Fantastical Writing - Old Soul Old Soul features the meeting between Naiad and Salome when she first washes up on Sharktooth Island. From the start Lexx's posts for Naiad focus upon the spiritual and the fantastical. In fantastical writing, the imagery invoked tends to be vivid and absurd in equal portions. Metaphors and similes are in abundance in such writing, utilizing a flowery prose that provides striking imagery.
Speaking from personal experience, I tend toward fantastical writing myself. Commas and dashes are a fantastical writer's best friend, as is finding the most obscure ways to describe actions and thoughts and feelings. This can be a difficult writing to master, and I've found success and failure equally.
When you write properly, fantastical writing can be incredibly powerful, immersing you in the scene itself. When written badly... well, it comes across as muddled and confusing. And what was once a feast of imagery becomes a great big lump of word vomit you have to force yourself to swallow down. That's disgusting.
You'll find this style of writing most often on fantasy sites, and it's overpowering on horse sites in particular - to the point it's too strong for even my tastes. (Ask me about horse sites, I have
such stories.)
Grounded Writing - Skyward Skyward features a journey up the mountain, Iiona leading Halcyon skyward as both struggle with their feelings. Almost immediately, there should be a stark contrast between their posts and Lexx's. Ray and Heika both keep their prose crisp and clean, using short, strong words to build up the imagery they create. They strike to the heart of the matter with their descriptions, whereas Lexx has a tendency to build up a scene through the use of intricate comparisons.
Note that this more grounded approach is not
lesser in any way, shape, or form. Again, fantastical writing is a double-edged sword and often hurts prose more than it helps it when employed without proper care.
This is not to say that grounded writing cannot be difficult. But it is far more forgiving to beginners and can still provide quality posting even when your muse is flagging or the words won't properly string themselves together.
This style of writing has a place everywhere, but I've found it most often on real person and modern roleplays. It lends itself to a chic style and can be employed in a variety of situations, as compared to fantastical writing, which can come across as stuffy when used in more realistic settings.
WRITING CONTENTWith that short introduction to the two types of writing available, I'll now go into the actual meat of replying: writing the content.
First and foremost: don't worry about replying to every single, tiny detail. Oftentimes posts will come with garnishes: small details that add flavor to the post but don't need to be individually analyzed and responded to.
Instead, try to think on your character's personality and what they're most likely to pick up on. I'll be using actual sections of a post for this upcoming example.
Example - Thick Skin Euphoria:Perking her ears forward to the appalled guise, her head came to slightly tilt in inquiry and soon an amused huff exited her nostrils. "I've no interest in devouring you, I only wonder why you are alone and dying." Oh, how she had to stop herself from breaking in the laughter of a sick wretch. To this her curled tail found an off rhythm and her head just shook. "If they catch you speaking with me they'll count you just as damned." Glancing around she resumed her muse. "Father said it was because I was different. Said my mind was not of what it should be for a pup my age and that I was a cursed thing or what not. He spoke a lot of things that made no sense." The soft color of her eyes rested on the dusted ground of the desert, contemplating and mulling over the rants.
Rubedo:He was aware, in that single second of her drying amusement, that her tail was strangely curled, and he momentarily mulled over its existence. Could it have been the cause of her abandonment? But, no – her parents would have dealt her a kinder end at birth, had the tail truly been the cause. And besides, a wronged limb could so easily spell doom – he saw nothing of consequence in its curling shape, however; it simply existed, unaware of its absurdity, content in its lot: a tail attached to a wolf’s hindquarters.
His eyes slid away from her rump, refocusing on the dulled eyes that stared back at him.
The words that spilled from her mouth made him snort, and he raked the claws of a single paw across the dusty ground, scraping up loosened topsoil.
[...]
“Damnation can only be placed upon mortals,” he told her, and he said it in a frank way, for he truly believed himself a god-creature. Let the fools return to hurl abuse – stuffed full of musty, outdated ideas, they’d surely alight as easily as any kindling he could procure. But he kept such thoughts to himself, only adding, “It sounds as if your father was a fool. Consider yourself blessed to be rid of his tiresome thoughts.”
Rubedo takes notice of Euphoria's curled tail (a mutation) almost immediately. However, he doesn't deign to comment on it, because he considers lesser matters beneath his notice. If it does not directly affect her and does not directly affect the situation they find themselves in, he has no real reason to mention it.
Contrast this against Salome, who would likely make some snide comment about it. This is their differing personalities coming into play and why it's so important to have a clear idea of what type of character you're playing.
Next, Euphoria tells him that should her old family catch him speaking to her, they may consider him damned as well. Rubedo believes himself to be a god, so the idea of lesser creatures,
mortals, being so arrogant as to
damn him is amusing. He cares very little for mortal lives and contemplates the thought of burning them to death, should they turn up. He does
not voice this thought, as he understands that most other wolves don't share his sense of morality. Again, this goes back to his delusion that he is a fallen god - as a god, he considers it his right to take and give life as he pleases. This philosophy, combined with his general affection toward children, is what led him to speak with Euphoria in the first place.
Finally, he states that Euphoria's father was a fool. Again, as a "god", he wouldn't have much familial affection to begin with. Mythology is filled with betrayal, patricide, matricide, anything-related-to-you-cide. But he also holds a great hostility toward his brother Elysium and this is what fuels his general distrust toward family members.
But how do you describe these details in the first place? Though I find it tiresome to mention
all five in every single post (and you shouldn't bring up a sense once it has been described unless there is a significant change), utilizing the senses can go a long way in helping you write content for your post.
Note that these senses don't just have to be constrained to physical manifestations. Consider the pinching feeling you sometimes have in your stomach when anxious. Think of the way your tongue tastes fuzzy after a particularly scary encounter. If you are writing in a fantastical way, you can further embellish these senses as shown in this example.
Example: Dead Reckoning It was the voice that roused him – alien and indistinct, for the roar of the flames that encircled him threatened a swift descent to hell should he succumb to the exhaustion that clung to his body like chains.
His head turned, slightly, and three double-pupiled eyes caught sight of her, a quick blink momentarily eliminating the light they cast. His mouth hung open in apparent exhaustion and lava flowed from between his fangs, pooling onto his legs, his paws, his ground.
He thought her a demon, for she must be – in the dizzying vertigo that held his head, it was too easy to slip her into the frame of Shadowfoot. But by her very appearance, she could not be so; the shadow creature was sleek and silent. She sought him only in the depths of his sickness, when the flames within threatened to char his insides.
Senses Used:Sound - "It was the voice that roused him – alien and indistinct..."
Touch - "...the exhaustion that clung to his body like chains."
Sight - "...three double-pupiled eyes caught sight of her, a quick blink momentarily eliminating the light they cast."
Touch - "He thought her a demon, for she must be – in the dizzying vertigo that held his head, it was too easy to slip her into the frame of Shadowfoot."
Obviously the two touches listed aren't him truly touching something. However, even exhaustion can be described in a tangible way if written properly, and it provides a much more powerful sensation than plainly stating he was tired.
With that, I'll wrap up this section. My final piece of advice is to
read.
READ AND ASSIMILATEExactly what it says on the tin. One of the best ways to become a better roleplayer is simply to read. Take notice of what sentences stick out to you and see how the writer goes about formatting the surrounding text. Feel free to experiment with different writing styles: avoid first-person writing but play with structure, tenses (don't swap between them mid-post), and descriptions.
If you're lucky, you'll reach a point where you're automatically picking up specific structures just from a single reading of a new book. For others, it may take a bit more analysis, picking apart sentences and taking note of how words are used for maximum impact.
There really is no guide for this section as it's as subjective as writing. But if there's a type of writing style you're interested in, let us know. Someone, somewhere, must have some books to recommend you.
Likewise, don't be afraid to try copying other roleplayers. While you shouldn't copy their characters, trying to emulate their style can help greatly in developing your own.
Really, just get out there and write. And read. And find yourself!
Unless you're like me and swap writing styles every time you pick up a new book and it's not intentional. Don't be like me.
XX. Resources
No resources at this time - but if you have any guides or books you might want to suggest for this section, tell me, and I'll add them!