Post by Keena on Nov 13, 2005 17:27:38 GMT -5
Having a rough time keeping up? The do's and don't's of posting. I've asked several people what they find annoying in RPGs, and here's some of them.
- Do describe your character.
Tell us what your character looks like (no, your sig doesn't cover threads), or how he or she's feeling right now. Thoughts and clever dialogue help to explain things and put more meat into your post.
- Do describe the setting.
If you're opening the thread, we'll want to know. What's the weather like? Is it morning or noon? If you're continuing the thread, mark the progress of the sun or moon in the sky, or tell us about shifts in the weather.
- Do use different words.
Walked, ran, was... those words get boring after a while. Instead of, "She had fluffy white cheeks," try "The breeze ruffled the fluffy fur on her cheeks". It'll make for a longer post as well as make you sound smart. Instead of walked or ran, try padded, loped, set off, trotted, or other more descriptive words.
- Do keep things moving.
If it seems like your posts aren't leading up to anything, or if all the posts sound the same, maybe it's time to do something. Start a hunt, PM someone to join, or maybe let something find your characters. Or if it seems like the thread's come to an end, write up your leaving posts and PM me or another admin to lock it.
- - - - - -
- Don't "make up" for things.
Don't try to catch up to things that happened more than a couple posts before, even if it would make your post longer. If you want to answer a question or something, say your character just realized someone had said it, just don't make too much of an effort to recap.
- Don't make things complicated.
If things need explanations, give them, but only then. Don't explain your entire family tree in a post, and likewise, we don't need to know why you've never tasted a mouse.
- Don't use huge words to make yourself sound smart.
I don't think there are many of us who know what atramentous, nigrescent, piceous, or swart mean (for the record, they mean black). And I don't think many of us want to know. So when you mean black, say black.
Note: I'm not saying don't be creative, there are lots of ways to say black wolf. Black-furred wolf, raven-pelted wolf, pitch-colored wolf, dark wolf, sable wolf, sooty wolf, etc. If you want more words for anything, try Thesaurus.com.
- Don't act unrealistically.
Remember, these are wolves, not humans. They'll be much less intellectual, much more instinctual, and despite the fact that I'm allowing swearwords, they almost always do things because of urges. They probably won't think through a fight like a game of chess, or want a mate to mate (if they want pups, fine, but wait 'til mating season starts).
- And most importantly, don't godmode.
I'll have a section on this, and please, read it.
- Do describe your character.
Tell us what your character looks like (no, your sig doesn't cover threads), or how he or she's feeling right now. Thoughts and clever dialogue help to explain things and put more meat into your post.
- Do describe the setting.
If you're opening the thread, we'll want to know. What's the weather like? Is it morning or noon? If you're continuing the thread, mark the progress of the sun or moon in the sky, or tell us about shifts in the weather.
- Do use different words.
Walked, ran, was... those words get boring after a while. Instead of, "She had fluffy white cheeks," try "The breeze ruffled the fluffy fur on her cheeks". It'll make for a longer post as well as make you sound smart. Instead of walked or ran, try padded, loped, set off, trotted, or other more descriptive words.
- Do keep things moving.
If it seems like your posts aren't leading up to anything, or if all the posts sound the same, maybe it's time to do something. Start a hunt, PM someone to join, or maybe let something find your characters. Or if it seems like the thread's come to an end, write up your leaving posts and PM me or another admin to lock it.
- - - - - -
- Don't "make up" for things.
Don't try to catch up to things that happened more than a couple posts before, even if it would make your post longer. If you want to answer a question or something, say your character just realized someone had said it, just don't make too much of an effort to recap.
- Don't make things complicated.
If things need explanations, give them, but only then. Don't explain your entire family tree in a post, and likewise, we don't need to know why you've never tasted a mouse.
- Don't use huge words to make yourself sound smart.
I don't think there are many of us who know what atramentous, nigrescent, piceous, or swart mean (for the record, they mean black). And I don't think many of us want to know. So when you mean black, say black.
Note: I'm not saying don't be creative, there are lots of ways to say black wolf. Black-furred wolf, raven-pelted wolf, pitch-colored wolf, dark wolf, sable wolf, sooty wolf, etc. If you want more words for anything, try Thesaurus.com.
- Don't act unrealistically.
Remember, these are wolves, not humans. They'll be much less intellectual, much more instinctual, and despite the fact that I'm allowing swearwords, they almost always do things because of urges. They probably won't think through a fight like a game of chess, or want a mate to mate (if they want pups, fine, but wait 'til mating season starts).
- And most importantly, don't godmode.
I'll have a section on this, and please, read it.