-Roleplaying and Writing Tips-
Advice for smooth roleplaying, interesting characters, and overall fun! These tips also work well for other writing projects, from the occasional short story to full-fledged novels and sagas.
Other Roleplay and Writing Tips:
Content and Writer's Block
Sometimes you start writing and suddenly hit a brick wall. Your brain doesn't cooperate. You don't know what to do. You have nothing to go off of, or you don't know how to utilize the information you have. You can't have a post due forever, or you'll slow the entire roleplay down, maybe even kill it! What to do?
Put yourself in the shoes of your character.
What would you do in such a situation? Would you crack a joke? Stare cynically? Grab a weapon and charge right in? Hide in a corner and cry? Granted, this technique is only useful if A: the character in question has your personality, or something similar, or B: you really have no better solutions for your lack of ideas. Only use this technique if necessary, unless you're a great actor or empathizer; then this is a super efficient way to solve your problem!
What would you do in such a situation? Would you crack a joke? Stare cynically? Grab a weapon and charge right in? Hide in a corner and cry? Granted, this technique is only useful if A: the character in question has your personality, or something similar, or B: you really have no better solutions for your lack of ideas. Only use this technique if necessary, unless you're a great actor or empathizer; then this is a super efficient way to solve your problem!
Play the scene you're supposed to respond to in your head.
What would happen? Who's doing what? Can you respond to anything in that? Sometimes it's easier to view the scene as if it's a cut from a movie, and then write about that. This will especially help you in the case of describing things, whether it's gazing upon a crystalline something or observing a sauntering someone. You might realize after rereading your work that some things that you see easily in your head simply aren't mentioned in the post; add them in! I have characters with very unique, identifiable postures, even in just standing there, but constantly forget to point them out. By sticking them into movie form, you'll see them clearer, and learn how to put those visuals into words. Sometimes it helps to both have read a book and seen the movie it's based on, too, and do comparisons to see what the filmakers took right from the book and what they had to improvise on. After all, I was disappointed by the Guardians of Ga'Hoole movie due to the shocking amount of inaccuracies it had, but I still have to give it to the development team for those visuals!
What would happen? Who's doing what? Can you respond to anything in that? Sometimes it's easier to view the scene as if it's a cut from a movie, and then write about that. This will especially help you in the case of describing things, whether it's gazing upon a crystalline something or observing a sauntering someone. You might realize after rereading your work that some things that you see easily in your head simply aren't mentioned in the post; add them in! I have characters with very unique, identifiable postures, even in just standing there, but constantly forget to point them out. By sticking them into movie form, you'll see them clearer, and learn how to put those visuals into words. Sometimes it helps to both have read a book and seen the movie it's based on, too, and do comparisons to see what the filmakers took right from the book and what they had to improvise on. After all, I was disappointed by the Guardians of Ga'Hoole movie due to the shocking amount of inaccuracies it had, but I still have to give it to the development team for those visuals!
Think about what your character might be thinking.
Is it judging someone? Going off on a tangent in its head? Wondering about something? Observing an object, or maybe a friend's apparel? Recalling memories? These questions, as long as they fit your character's personality, can help you flesh out your posts with more monologue, which gives your character more life and seem more real. It can also prompt action when the character realizes something as a result of its introspection.
Is it judging someone? Going off on a tangent in its head? Wondering about something? Observing an object, or maybe a friend's apparel? Recalling memories? These questions, as long as they fit your character's personality, can help you flesh out your posts with more monologue, which gives your character more life and seem more real. It can also prompt action when the character realizes something as a result of its introspection.
Observe how the other characters are acting.
Would anything they're doing influence how your character behaves? What changes? What doesn't? Is your character easily swayed by its peers, or is it completely independent, and may act differently, maybe even stupidly? This will also make you consider how your character behaves: is it stoic? Boisterous? Does it wear its heart on its sleeve? Is it level-headed or temperamental? These factors will also affect how your character responds to the actions of other characters. It can be fun to envision a bunch of your characters in a room all reacting to the same thing, but in their own ways.
Would anything they're doing influence how your character behaves? What changes? What doesn't? Is your character easily swayed by its peers, or is it completely independent, and may act differently, maybe even stupidly? This will also make you consider how your character behaves: is it stoic? Boisterous? Does it wear its heart on its sleeve? Is it level-headed or temperamental? These factors will also affect how your character responds to the actions of other characters. It can be fun to envision a bunch of your characters in a room all reacting to the same thing, but in their own ways.
Review the sheets belonging to the characters in question, including your own.
Maybe there's something about your character you forgot that you could use, or something you could use from other character sheets. (Even the ones for characters that you aren't interacting with!) Of course, this option is only usable in roleplays that require character sheets to be made, but if you're particularly intrigued you could always PM your roleplayers (or post in an OOC thread, if there is one) asking if there's anything interesting behind their creations!
Maybe there's something about your character you forgot that you could use, or something you could use from other character sheets. (Even the ones for characters that you aren't interacting with!) Of course, this option is only usable in roleplays that require character sheets to be made, but if you're particularly intrigued you could always PM your roleplayers (or post in an OOC thread, if there is one) asking if there's anything interesting behind their creations!
Need a template? Check D&D Alignments.
Some people have an easier time approaching a new post if they consider their characters' reactions as multiple-choice questions. This effect can be mimicked by comparing the reactions of stereotypical character types to your characters that closely match them; that is, what would a character of similar mind, that you already know the reaction of, do? You may find that you've already done this with your own life before: "What would my hero do?" By looking at what a character of similar mind might do, it can help give you ideas on what your character can do.
For this technique, I like to reference D&D Alignments and think about which one my character fits best, thus giving me a set of likely reactions my character would have to an event. D&D - that being Dungeons & Dragons, a tabletop RPG - combines two sets of three personality traits for a total of nine "alignments" that can be used to describe your character. I prefer them because not only are they simple, they also provide stereotypes that don't conform to a zeitgeist, meaning they'll work just the same no matter what era it is!
The sets are like this: the first set, Morals, determines if your character is Good, Neutral, or Evil, and the second set, Execution or Temperament, defines how the character acts on its morals: Lawful, Tempered, or Chaotic. There are a number of definitions on what sort of characters class into the nine combinations that result from these two sets. These are the definitions I personally use:
Logically resulting from this is the following table of all nine traits:
Some people have an easier time approaching a new post if they consider their characters' reactions as multiple-choice questions. This effect can be mimicked by comparing the reactions of stereotypical character types to your characters that closely match them; that is, what would a character of similar mind, that you already know the reaction of, do? You may find that you've already done this with your own life before: "What would my hero do?" By looking at what a character of similar mind might do, it can help give you ideas on what your character can do.
For this technique, I like to reference D&D Alignments and think about which one my character fits best, thus giving me a set of likely reactions my character would have to an event. D&D - that being Dungeons & Dragons, a tabletop RPG - combines two sets of three personality traits for a total of nine "alignments" that can be used to describe your character. I prefer them because not only are they simple, they also provide stereotypes that don't conform to a zeitgeist, meaning they'll work just the same no matter what era it is!
The sets are like this: the first set, Morals, determines if your character is Good, Neutral, or Evil, and the second set, Execution or Temperament, defines how the character acts on its morals: Lawful, Tempered, or Chaotic. There are a number of definitions on what sort of characters class into the nine combinations that result from these two sets. These are the definitions I personally use:
- Good: the character is compelled to protect living things, act with morality and understanding, and save whatever it can from harm.
- Neutral: the character is concerned more with its own well-being and is not opposed to doing anything as long as it promises a better life.
- Evil: the character is not afraid to cause harm or damage to anyone or anything, regardless of its or its target's motives.
- Lawful: the character's actions are based strictly upon principle, ethics, and ideology.
- Tempered: the character won't have a crisis when acting outside of principle whenever it deems necessary or when principles seem to conflict.
- Chaotic: the character does not behave according to internal preferences or rules, can behave erratically, and is unreliable.
Logically resulting from this is the following table of all nine traits:
- |
Lawful |
Tempered |
Chaotic |
Good |
The character consistently performs good deeds out of principle and faith in humanity. Ex. "I'll save your kitten from the top of that tree!" Common for: superheroes. |
The character won't drop everything it's doing for a simple or petty cause, but is willing to help for more serious or greater causes. Ex. "I'll donate, but only if it goes to a good cause that needs it." Common for: less bombastic heroes, such as those in films, games, or anime. |
The character performs good deeds with bad, unintended consequences, due to recklessness or spontaneity. Ex. "The village is gone, but hey, so is the dragon, right?" Common for: video game protagonists from the 90s (Mario and Samus, anyone?). |
Neutral |
The character will act out of principle, but the principles aren't strictly geared toward helping or harming others. Ex. "I can only promise to do my job, and that is to uphold the law, even if it is stupid..." Common for: exhausted law enforcement and confused protagonists. |
The character concerns itself greatly with its own life and generaly disregards the choices of others. Ex. "You stay out of my business, I'll stay out of yours." Common for: 90% of the working people on Earth. |
The character has reckless disregard, and there is no guarantee on what the character will do or how it will affect people. Ex. "Oh, this? You don't need it, right? I need it, but you don't." Common for: teenagers and small children, and that one pesky character that keeps showing up just to ruin everything. |
Evil |
The character will only perform evil deeds when prompted by principle or law. Ex. "Look, I might be your friend, but you shouldn't have done that; and I'll see to it myself that you pay." Common for: religious zealots, crusaders, mafias, and the majority of my powerful characters. |
The character may cause harm to others, but can be influenced and controlled to the point of not being an immediate danger. Ex. "Sure, I'll have your back. Just don't cross me and there won't be a knife in it." Common for: that one rogue in your party that everyone's scared of. |
The character cannot be controlled and is a dire threat, and tends to launch large-scale, consequential attacks with the most kills for fun. Ex. "Orphan shelters? Who needs 'em?! BOOM!" Common for: the vast majority of supervillains and video game antagonists. |
As expected, Evil tends to be villains, Good tends to be heroes, and Neutral is for most NPCs caught in between (also most people on Earth). For this reason it's often easiest to identify your character's Moral alignment before figuring out the Temperament. Once you can align your character, it'll give you an idea of the options you have for your post. Is he Tempered Neutral? Chances are he'll be worrying about himself and whatever is precious to him. Lawful Good? He might be having a justice crisis over what someone just did. Chaotic Evil? Well... I hope you're playing the antagonist, hah hah.
Elaborate on simple sentences to make them larger and more lifelike.
Simply saying "The bird crossed the street to get the worm" isn't half as interesting as "The robin hopped onto street despite the rain, giving it a quick look over for any worms that might have crawled their way onto it. It took only a quick scan for it to spot a worm trying to escape the water. Quickly snatching it with its beak, it flew off before any cars came." However, be careful when elaborating things. If the bird isn't the main focus of your post, then saying "The bird crossed the street" is perfectly fine! The trick is to interweave the details with the story so it isn't boring or disruptive to the plot.
Adding details is easy: all you need to do is ask questions about your post like you're a reader, which will help flesh it out, and then you want to trim out any unnecessary information and details. Example:
Starter sentence: "I was sitting at the edge of the water." Why were you sitting at the edge of some water?
"I was sitting at the edge of the water, staring at the fish swimming in it." Why were you watching fish swim?
"I was sitting at the edge of the water, staring at the fish swimming in it. I was feeling hungry, but felt I couldn't catch them." Why did you feel you couldn't catch them?
"I was sitting at the edge of the water, staring at the fish swimming in it. I was feeling hungry, but felt I couldn't catch them. I wasn't used to my crocodile body yet." Crocodile body? We had assumed you were a human. Why are you a crocodile?
"I was sitting at the edge of the water, staring at the fish swimming in it. I was feeling hungry, but felt I couldn't catch them. I wasn't used to my crocodile body yet... Why was I chosen? I didn't ask for any of this!" That would be enough stagnant narration for now, even though the reader would have more questions. However, as the story progresses, these questions should be answered over time, already be answered due to previous posts, or even explained later on in the same post. So, what else will your character do? You need to keep your posts moving, otherwise you will bore your readers! Now, what if you add more, following this method?
"I was sitting at the edge of the water, staring at the fish swimming in it. I was feeling hungry, but felt I couldn't catch them. I wasn't used to my crocodile body yet... Why was I chosen? I didn't ask for any of this!
I was temporarily distracted by a dragonfly, which hummed by. Its body was shiny and bright green and blue, and it had iridescent wings, and it looked like a flying jewel. It looked at me for a moment with large, black, curious eyes with an umber sheen. I watched it fly off before glaring back at the fish."
There's a slight problem, where one slows down once one reaches the description of the dragonfly. The imagery is great, but the reader gets bored and skims because it's nothing but description. When you have a problem like this, and want to keep a nicely-paced post with your imagery, you simply need to tie in some action with the description, like so:
"... I was temporarily distracted by a dragonfly. It hummed in front of my nose, making me snort and think for a moment that it was a jewel with wings. The blue and green dragonfly buzzed around me for a little while in curiosity before darting off, leaving me to glare back at the fish."
We still have a good image of the dragonfly, but now that part of the post isn't as stagnant! It does take some finesse to pull this off (and a lot of editing and self-criticism), but it will make your posts read smoother than silk if you do it!
Simply saying "The bird crossed the street to get the worm" isn't half as interesting as "The robin hopped onto street despite the rain, giving it a quick look over for any worms that might have crawled their way onto it. It took only a quick scan for it to spot a worm trying to escape the water. Quickly snatching it with its beak, it flew off before any cars came." However, be careful when elaborating things. If the bird isn't the main focus of your post, then saying "The bird crossed the street" is perfectly fine! The trick is to interweave the details with the story so it isn't boring or disruptive to the plot.
Adding details is easy: all you need to do is ask questions about your post like you're a reader, which will help flesh it out, and then you want to trim out any unnecessary information and details. Example:
Starter sentence: "I was sitting at the edge of the water." Why were you sitting at the edge of some water?
"I was sitting at the edge of the water, staring at the fish swimming in it." Why were you watching fish swim?
"I was sitting at the edge of the water, staring at the fish swimming in it. I was feeling hungry, but felt I couldn't catch them." Why did you feel you couldn't catch them?
"I was sitting at the edge of the water, staring at the fish swimming in it. I was feeling hungry, but felt I couldn't catch them. I wasn't used to my crocodile body yet." Crocodile body? We had assumed you were a human. Why are you a crocodile?
"I was sitting at the edge of the water, staring at the fish swimming in it. I was feeling hungry, but felt I couldn't catch them. I wasn't used to my crocodile body yet... Why was I chosen? I didn't ask for any of this!" That would be enough stagnant narration for now, even though the reader would have more questions. However, as the story progresses, these questions should be answered over time, already be answered due to previous posts, or even explained later on in the same post. So, what else will your character do? You need to keep your posts moving, otherwise you will bore your readers! Now, what if you add more, following this method?
"I was sitting at the edge of the water, staring at the fish swimming in it. I was feeling hungry, but felt I couldn't catch them. I wasn't used to my crocodile body yet... Why was I chosen? I didn't ask for any of this!
I was temporarily distracted by a dragonfly, which hummed by. Its body was shiny and bright green and blue, and it had iridescent wings, and it looked like a flying jewel. It looked at me for a moment with large, black, curious eyes with an umber sheen. I watched it fly off before glaring back at the fish."
There's a slight problem, where one slows down once one reaches the description of the dragonfly. The imagery is great, but the reader gets bored and skims because it's nothing but description. When you have a problem like this, and want to keep a nicely-paced post with your imagery, you simply need to tie in some action with the description, like so:
"... I was temporarily distracted by a dragonfly. It hummed in front of my nose, making me snort and think for a moment that it was a jewel with wings. The blue and green dragonfly buzzed around me for a little while in curiosity before darting off, leaving me to glare back at the fish."
We still have a good image of the dragonfly, but now that part of the post isn't as stagnant! It does take some finesse to pull this off (and a lot of editing and self-criticism), but it will make your posts read smoother than silk if you do it!
Don't ignore all of your character's senses!
Most people only write about what their characters see or hear, but there are other senses too that can be utilized for a post, which can add substance to a scene. The one that is most under-used is smell. Of course, the reader often doesn't need to read what a place smells like, and you won't want to dedicate an entire sentence to smell without good reason, but throwing in some nice adjectives here and there can automatically insert the description of a smell without interfering the writing or the reading flow. Consider this snippet from an actual book I'm writing:
“Oh, hold on a second!” Cheryl stopped him yet again. “Can you help me? I'm looking for someone named Jinx-”
“JINX?!” The fox suddenly dropped his jar again; luckily it landed on its end this time. He gaped at her, seemingly horrified, before rushing Cheryl underneath his coat. “Don't say that name!” he hissed.
“Why?” she asked, acutely aware of how minty his breath was. The fox looked around, making sure they wouldn't be disturbed, before snatching his clay jar again.
“This way,” he ordered Cheryl, hastily proceeding down the large tunnel. Perplexed by his alarm, Cheryl obeyed, figuring it was better than returning to a pile of nasty dishes.
Reread that if you need to. Do you see where I slipped in a mention of a scent? It practically sneaks up on you, but it doesn't go unnoticed. This is a good thing! You don't want to draw too much attention to something as under-utilized in writing as a smell or a taste, unless it is absolutely overwhelming, because in real life a creature can obtain data from these things without being ultimately distracted by them. So unless it poses a greater purpose in your post other than a fleeting mention to make things more life-like, there's no reason to elaborate on these things, which is why most writing focuses only on the two most relied-on senses: sight and hearing. On the other hand, if you need to make a post just a bit bigger and more interesting, some small mentions here and there of what your character perceives with its other senses will go a long way. It's also tons of fun to play more alien characters who perceive the world differently from us!
Most people only write about what their characters see or hear, but there are other senses too that can be utilized for a post, which can add substance to a scene. The one that is most under-used is smell. Of course, the reader often doesn't need to read what a place smells like, and you won't want to dedicate an entire sentence to smell without good reason, but throwing in some nice adjectives here and there can automatically insert the description of a smell without interfering the writing or the reading flow. Consider this snippet from an actual book I'm writing:
“Oh, hold on a second!” Cheryl stopped him yet again. “Can you help me? I'm looking for someone named Jinx-”
“JINX?!” The fox suddenly dropped his jar again; luckily it landed on its end this time. He gaped at her, seemingly horrified, before rushing Cheryl underneath his coat. “Don't say that name!” he hissed.
“Why?” she asked, acutely aware of how minty his breath was. The fox looked around, making sure they wouldn't be disturbed, before snatching his clay jar again.
“This way,” he ordered Cheryl, hastily proceeding down the large tunnel. Perplexed by his alarm, Cheryl obeyed, figuring it was better than returning to a pile of nasty dishes.
Reread that if you need to. Do you see where I slipped in a mention of a scent? It practically sneaks up on you, but it doesn't go unnoticed. This is a good thing! You don't want to draw too much attention to something as under-utilized in writing as a smell or a taste, unless it is absolutely overwhelming, because in real life a creature can obtain data from these things without being ultimately distracted by them. So unless it poses a greater purpose in your post other than a fleeting mention to make things more life-like, there's no reason to elaborate on these things, which is why most writing focuses only on the two most relied-on senses: sight and hearing. On the other hand, if you need to make a post just a bit bigger and more interesting, some small mentions here and there of what your character perceives with its other senses will go a long way. It's also tons of fun to play more alien characters who perceive the world differently from us!
Be objective.
Not everything you can do to try and destroy writer's block involves the characters in the roleplay. In fact, writer's block tends to be more common for those who try to write independently, and one common problem that creates writer's block is the author writing himself into a corner! How do you get Joe the knife he needs to defend himself from the hungry animal, but the beast has him cornered in his house? Or, less literally, how do you make both of your characters resolve a conflict that's necessary for the plot? One good way, I've found, is to be objective.
Take yourself out of the minds of your characters for a second. Look at the situation objectively, meaning you ignore the actual tension and all of the feeling that you put into the words. Study the situation, what the characters can do, and what they can't do, as if you were simply watching the scene from a distance without any clue as to who these people were. Take a closer look at the less possible solutions, and think to yourself, "Is it really that impossible?" Perhaps Joe can reach that knife! If he could, and it makes sense how he could, then go for it! People read for miraculous material, and nothing is more miraculous than a seemingly-hopeless event being trumped by the wit, reflexes, and strength of your character; the glory of an underdog shining through, if you will. Be wary of how miraculous you go though. If you make it too unbelievable of a save, it will come across as a Deus ex Machina, and that's just giving you another problem to try and fix. Stay focused on the logic of the situation, even if it means giving your character a moment to think objectively in order to realize the solution.
Not everything you can do to try and destroy writer's block involves the characters in the roleplay. In fact, writer's block tends to be more common for those who try to write independently, and one common problem that creates writer's block is the author writing himself into a corner! How do you get Joe the knife he needs to defend himself from the hungry animal, but the beast has him cornered in his house? Or, less literally, how do you make both of your characters resolve a conflict that's necessary for the plot? One good way, I've found, is to be objective.
Take yourself out of the minds of your characters for a second. Look at the situation objectively, meaning you ignore the actual tension and all of the feeling that you put into the words. Study the situation, what the characters can do, and what they can't do, as if you were simply watching the scene from a distance without any clue as to who these people were. Take a closer look at the less possible solutions, and think to yourself, "Is it really that impossible?" Perhaps Joe can reach that knife! If he could, and it makes sense how he could, then go for it! People read for miraculous material, and nothing is more miraculous than a seemingly-hopeless event being trumped by the wit, reflexes, and strength of your character; the glory of an underdog shining through, if you will. Be wary of how miraculous you go though. If you make it too unbelievable of a save, it will come across as a Deus ex Machina, and that's just giving you another problem to try and fix. Stay focused on the logic of the situation, even if it means giving your character a moment to think objectively in order to realize the solution.
Research or revisit material.
Sometimes people hit writer's block simply because their creative juices stop flowing, and by that, I mean they stop having interesting ideas. Their minds end up stuck in a loop with one or two ideas that they might not even plan on writing yet. In these cases, it helps to take a look at new material - often non-fiction, or other fiction authors' material - to try and spark some new ideas.
Looking at information related to the setting your working with also helps. When I first started the Rise of the Machines series I had three interests going: an excitement for two particular video games of the same genre, a love for one of these games' soundtracks, and two books that I read now and then that brushed on the history of mathematics and physics. I plowed right through my first book Once Awakened with these three aids, and whenever I find new music or read something new I tend to write better in general! After I exhausted myself of these methods, my progress on the rest of the series had slowed, but it hadn't stopped yet. Doing research that can be even a little related to the post you're trying to make - even if they're as different as a web page on sea bunnies versus your needed post on a supernatural being who desires a friend the most - will help renew your interest in the writing and push you past the writer's block.
Another, similar method you can use is called a "scene prompt". This involves even less-related material, but has the same effect of giving you ideas. Scene prompts can include everything from music you like, to browsing artwork online, to reading another author's work, to playing games, to chatting with friends or even sitting outside and watching the world go by. Sometimes, all you need is a little sleep so you think a bit clearer. I occasionally have ideas just because I made a typo! Regardless of which method you choose to try, both (or at least either) are bound to help.
Sometimes people hit writer's block simply because their creative juices stop flowing, and by that, I mean they stop having interesting ideas. Their minds end up stuck in a loop with one or two ideas that they might not even plan on writing yet. In these cases, it helps to take a look at new material - often non-fiction, or other fiction authors' material - to try and spark some new ideas.
Looking at information related to the setting your working with also helps. When I first started the Rise of the Machines series I had three interests going: an excitement for two particular video games of the same genre, a love for one of these games' soundtracks, and two books that I read now and then that brushed on the history of mathematics and physics. I plowed right through my first book Once Awakened with these three aids, and whenever I find new music or read something new I tend to write better in general! After I exhausted myself of these methods, my progress on the rest of the series had slowed, but it hadn't stopped yet. Doing research that can be even a little related to the post you're trying to make - even if they're as different as a web page on sea bunnies versus your needed post on a supernatural being who desires a friend the most - will help renew your interest in the writing and push you past the writer's block.
Another, similar method you can use is called a "scene prompt". This involves even less-related material, but has the same effect of giving you ideas. Scene prompts can include everything from music you like, to browsing artwork online, to reading another author's work, to playing games, to chatting with friends or even sitting outside and watching the world go by. Sometimes, all you need is a little sleep so you think a bit clearer. I occasionally have ideas just because I made a typo! Regardless of which method you choose to try, both (or at least either) are bound to help.
Have your character make a mistake.
Remember the section about character flaws on the previous page? There's no point in having flaws if you're not going to use them! As much as we love our literary children, sometimes it's best to not interfere with best chances, dumb luck, the help of friends or Deus ex Machinas, and to simply have them face the consequences (as long as it doesn't kill them. Arbitrarily killing off a character never reads well). Facing consequences will give you opportunities to mature and round out your characters more with valuable experience, just as we develop in the real world from our own experiences, as well as present a temporary sideplot that may help with a suffering main story. The richest characters are those who persevere!
Remember the section about character flaws on the previous page? There's no point in having flaws if you're not going to use them! As much as we love our literary children, sometimes it's best to not interfere with best chances, dumb luck, the help of friends or Deus ex Machinas, and to simply have them face the consequences (as long as it doesn't kill them. Arbitrarily killing off a character never reads well). Facing consequences will give you opportunities to mature and round out your characters more with valuable experience, just as we develop in the real world from our own experiences, as well as present a temporary sideplot that may help with a suffering main story. The richest characters are those who persevere!
Think or write about another post you have planned, but don't post it yet.
A friend of mine once posted a screenshot of another user's advice for combating writer's block. While I disagree with most of it (fanservice, switching POV, killing someone off randomly, etc.), one piece of advice I was okay with was this: If you're having trouble with a scene, skip it and write the next scene. While I don't condone this due to my own experience of doing this, then ending up with potholes all over my books because I was still out of ideas, I can't contest it either because of my previous experience of it and the knowledge that it might help other people. So, with caution, entertain the events that might occur later in the roleplay if you're having trouble coming up with material. Don't set anything in stone, because the next person's post could change a lot! You might find out that the roleplay needs a small time-skip to go to the next scene because no one is doing anything but passing IC time. On the other hand, don't dwell on future posts for too long! It may make you lose interest in the current post you have to make, and if this causes the roleplay to stall everyone will be forced to time-skip, even if it's not convenient or if there are still things that need to play out in the meantime.
A friend of mine once posted a screenshot of another user's advice for combating writer's block. While I disagree with most of it (fanservice, switching POV, killing someone off randomly, etc.), one piece of advice I was okay with was this: If you're having trouble with a scene, skip it and write the next scene. While I don't condone this due to my own experience of doing this, then ending up with potholes all over my books because I was still out of ideas, I can't contest it either because of my previous experience of it and the knowledge that it might help other people. So, with caution, entertain the events that might occur later in the roleplay if you're having trouble coming up with material. Don't set anything in stone, because the next person's post could change a lot! You might find out that the roleplay needs a small time-skip to go to the next scene because no one is doing anything but passing IC time. On the other hand, don't dwell on future posts for too long! It may make you lose interest in the current post you have to make, and if this causes the roleplay to stall everyone will be forced to time-skip, even if it's not convenient or if there are still things that need to play out in the meantime.
You don't have to stay anywhere.
You only roleplay for you, right? Other people help make it fun, but you wouldn't join a roleplay if you didn't have some interest in it. So this last resort is simple: if you don't care for the way the roleplay is turning out, find it stressful because of an OOC rivalry, have a hard time getting into it, or whatever the reason, it's entirely possible that your interest in the roleplay has simply waned to nothing, and as a result you'll lose all ideas and motivation in posting for it. So hop off and go find another roleplay! Sometimes finding another roleplay to join will reignite your interest in posting for the old one, but even if it doesn't, no one would mind if you say you've lost interest and pull your characters for a while. In fact, most people prefer to have their fellows announce that they're leaving, rather than vanishing into thin air as they often do, because then the roleplay can easily proceed without problem. You'll also unload posting-need stress by simply taking a break, whether for a short while with your characters out of interactions or in a trusted fellow's hands, or for good simply because you have nothing more to contribute.
Roleplaying is a hobby, a pastime, and recreational entertainment. It's a means of detoxing from daily life and enjoying some time with friends and one's imagination. Letting yourself be stressed out by it when you don't even care for it anymore negates its entire purpose! Don't be afraid to bid adieu if you're no longer having fun; just be sure to let everyone know first.
You only roleplay for you, right? Other people help make it fun, but you wouldn't join a roleplay if you didn't have some interest in it. So this last resort is simple: if you don't care for the way the roleplay is turning out, find it stressful because of an OOC rivalry, have a hard time getting into it, or whatever the reason, it's entirely possible that your interest in the roleplay has simply waned to nothing, and as a result you'll lose all ideas and motivation in posting for it. So hop off and go find another roleplay! Sometimes finding another roleplay to join will reignite your interest in posting for the old one, but even if it doesn't, no one would mind if you say you've lost interest and pull your characters for a while. In fact, most people prefer to have their fellows announce that they're leaving, rather than vanishing into thin air as they often do, because then the roleplay can easily proceed without problem. You'll also unload posting-need stress by simply taking a break, whether for a short while with your characters out of interactions or in a trusted fellow's hands, or for good simply because you have nothing more to contribute.
Roleplaying is a hobby, a pastime, and recreational entertainment. It's a means of detoxing from daily life and enjoying some time with friends and one's imagination. Letting yourself be stressed out by it when you don't even care for it anymore negates its entire purpose! Don't be afraid to bid adieu if you're no longer having fun; just be sure to let everyone know first.
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