Title: RP-- The Ultimate Checklist
Description: The simple guide to RP, & tips
Athéniel Egleriannen - March 21, 2007 10:45 AM (GMT)
The Ultimate Checklist
Roleplaying-- It's really not all that hard. Beneath its misleadingly complicated guise lies a simple philosophy-- Take it straight from your imagination. We know no one's a block of wood; we all have something to share, something to tell. And this is what I tell myself when I get mindblocks, or simply have no muse-- simply write, and the words will begin to flow. For me, writing is therapeutic sometimes. Some people do art therapy, get a paint brush, and stick it on paper, and both things are extremely similar. It doesn't matter which picture you paint at all, as long as it paints you.
So here I've compiled a concise checklist of all the things you need to remember before starting every post-- for those I've come across who find the stuff either challenging or daunting.
-Stay true to the world you roleplay in~ Don't make things up, or jump elsewhere (In other words, know your world well. Some quick research doesn't hurt ;))
-Be unique~ Don't draw extensively from published tales set in the world, only use them for guidelines and inspiration.
-Stay true to the story~ Remember what you've written before, and roughly know where you're headed, so you don't stray off track.
-Stay true to your character, and other characters~ The questions: Is it in my character's personality to say that? Is any discrepancy in their personality something I've intended? Do I know the other characters well? (Reading their biographies might be a good idea at this point)
-Setting~ If you were your character, and you happened to look around you, what do you see? Consider sight, sound, smell, touch, taste, colours, ambience...
-Description~ Describe... (suggestions) what your character's wearing, what they're doing, what their motives are...
-Background~ The justification of your character's actions, the bigger picture (what's happening-- out there?)
-Consistency in timeline~ The question: Have I kept track of how time has passed, and kept this consistent? For example, it's daytime. A conversation or two later, you claim it is night time, and it is apparent only a few hours have passed. Illogical? yup.
-Know your character~ After all, you created them ;) What's the use in creating a biography if it's not for reference? 8-)
-Put in your charrie's thoughts~ If you don't, unfortunately, others won't get to know them very well, and you won't have the chance to learn about the depths of the individual you've created.
-Read the previous post~ There's nothing worse than writing something that contradicts what another person has said.
-Grammar, spelling, punctuation~ Word processor= a great tool ;) A comprehensive guide like this is good reference.
-Suspense~ It's not fun without an element of suspense ^^
-Metaphors~ Personally, I love them.
-Beginning, middle, and end~ You don't have to have one, but structure makes perfect :)