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NEOBOARDS - This article has been written to address a rapidly growing problem
on the role-play boards. Badly and hastily written, non-descriptive and senselessly
brief posts cloud the message boards, giving the impression role-playing is
not the art form it is, but merely general chat with a few twists.
You may ask why I believe role-playing is an art form. You are learning to
write posts that flow correctly with other player’s messages, developing interesting
characters, and learning to express yourself in a way other people will understand
takes time, patience, and practice. It is my opinion almost any skill attained
through time and practice is a form of art.
Perhaps you’re new to role-playing. If so, you can learn more about this art
by reading sedus88’s article on the basics of role-playing (Week 88). If you
would like to heighten the level of your role-play skills, then keep reading
and we’ll go over several simple ways to improve your role-play messages.
Why don’t we begin by reviewing a weakly written post:
*St43ra r!des her b1ack sta1130n S3must0 in a 4rest she iz
l0st.*
This is a good example of a very poor quality message. Look at it carefully.
What do you see that we can improve on? You should be able to spot at least
three things right away.
Let’s look at punctuation first. A role-play should follow a book format
as closely as possible. This means sentences should have a period (.) after
them, dialogue should be contained within quotation marks (“ ”), commas (,)
should be used appropriately, etc., etc. This means the asterisks (*) in this
post need to be eliminated, and periods and commas should be put in where needed.
It should be noted there are times the neoboards remove capitalization and
certain punctuation. This is the only time when alternative punctuation
should be used, such as using asterisks (*) as quotation marks. If this happens,
write down the URL for the chatboard you were using, close your browser, and
then try restarting it. Remember, proper punctuation should always be used
whenever possible.
Second, if we’re trying to maintain a book format, chat speak is certainly
a no-no. Never use abbreviations or numbers-for-letters in a role-play.
Your post will look much cleaner and neater without chat speak, and people will
respect you for taking the time to spell out entire words.
Thirdly, spelling and grammar should always be paid attention
to. If a word’s spelling is in doubt, use a word processing program with spell-check
to make sure the word is spelled correctly. If you don’t know how to use this,
simply write ((sp?)) or SP?- after the word in question to indicate you aren’t
sure the spelling is correct. This will save you from embarrassing comments
from other role-players picking on your errors.
Here’s another look at the same post as above, but this time with proper spelling,
grammar, punctuation, and without chat speak:
Staera rides her black stallion, Semusto, in a forest. She
is lost.
Though this post is greatly improved from our last example, it still lacks
substance and depth. If you were in the process of painting a
masterpiece, this post would only be the first sketch. There’s no paint to give
this piece life - no color, no shading, and no background whatsoever. In other
words, the message only focuses on Staera and Semusto, therefore it gives very
little useful information to fellow role-players concerning other aspects of
the environment the characters are in. Let’s ask ourselves the following questions
so we can "paint" our post:
- What time of year is it?
- What time of day is it?
- What is the weather like?
- How big is the setting (i.e. the forest)?
- What does the landscape look like?
- What is/are the character(s) thinking?
- What is/are the character(s) looking at?
- Is it necessary to introduce the character(s) by name in the first post?
- Is there a better way to describe the character(s)?
Giving your post color and background takes time and thought. I encourage you
to find a pen or pencil and some paper, settle down in your favorite dung chair
recliner and write your own version of the post in your own way, keeping in
mind the questions above. Go on, take some time and do it – right now! This
issue of The Neopian Times will still be here when you get back.
Did you do it? Great! Now, think about how long you took writing your improved
version of the post. I probably took 15 to 20 minutes writing my version. I
spent extra time thinking of synonyms for commonly used words, inventing ways
to phrase my sentences creatively and describing the landscape and weather to
let other people know what their characters should be prepared for. This all
takes time, but it pays off.
Your fellow role-players are not looking for the quantity or speed of your
replies, but the quality of them. Though it is much easier to do in a
one-on-one role-play, I strongly encourage you to take your time while
writing. Read over your reply once or twice to make sure everything looks good
before you post it. Taking time to respond is a sign of a careful, skillful
role-player who cares about his/her work.
After taking a sufficient amount of time to write, here is my ‘painted’ version
of the message:
The pale moon shines brightly down through the leafless limbs
of a vast forest. An unearthly cold wind whips violently through the branches,
creating a great groaning amongst the trees. Barely perceptible above the moaning
of the woods is the sound of a cantering horse.
Breaking through a maze of brush emerges a strong midnight
stallion, his tired eyes scanning the forest for a place to rest. Upon his back
is a petite young woman, dark brown curls cascading down her slender back. Her
dark, emerald eyes look worried, almost panicked as her delicate fingers pull
the reins, gently commanding the huge beast to halt. Before her are three roads,
their destinations unclear. She stands quietly for a moment, pulling her gray
cloak tighter around her small frame as she decides which road to take.
In the first sentence I answered the first three of the nine questions listed
above. Descriptive words can be used to include a lot of information in a sentence.
Adjectives can add a lot of information and detail to your messages.
Imagine if I had simply written, “The moon shines down through the limbs
of a forest.” While this sentence tells us what time of day it is, it does
not tell what season it is, how big the forest is, or how bright the moonlight
is. By adding descriptive words, this whole sentence can be made much more detailed
and interesting: “The pale moon shines brightly down through the
leafless limbs of a vast forest." We now know it is wintertime,
the forest is huge, and we even know our characters can see well because of
the brightness of the moon.
I try to describe characters by mingling their features in with other aspects
of the post. When referring to different parts of characters, be sure to note
what they look like - a petite young woman, slender back, emerald eyes, delicate
fingers, etc., etc. This all accomplishes the same thing as saying; “She is
short, with brown hair and green eyes and wearing a gray cloak,” but it is much
more creative.
Avoid commonly used words, like big, small, black, green, etc. A thesaurus
can help immensely when you’re trying to think of alternatives to frequently
used words. Using creative words can add levels of color and feeling to your
post that will make it stand out. More information on descriptive words and
phrases can be found in
_Insanity’s wonderful article on creating original role-play characters.
When I write, I try to be realistic in practical ways. Therefore I decided
not to disclose Staera and Semusto’s names since other characters coming into
the role-play wouldn’t know their names yet. I usually don't refer to any character
by name in my posts until that character introduces itself to my character.
If another character is a shape-shifter, my character will not know it is a
shape-shifter until it is either told about the ability of the other person
or until it actually sees the individual use its talents. Characters should
not act as if they know something they don't. This is a very simple way to add
an element of realism to your role-plays.
Find creative ways to state the obvious. Making it plain Staera is worried
about where she is going is a good way to let other role-players know she doesn’t
know the forest and is lost without actually saying it. If a character needs
something, describe an action that person would do to indicate they have a need.
If they're exhausted, make them stumble or sway. If they're scared, describe
their facial expression to indicate fear. Try to portray your characters in
ways that make them seem more real; there are hundreds of simple ways to show
emotions and physical conditions through facial expression and body-language.
When I write, I like to visualize what I’m describing. I love to add levels
and depth – to ‘color’ what I say with words so others can enjoy beautiful artwork
as they role-play with me. For me, role-playing is all about the beauty of the
written word; how complex emotions such as laughter and grief can be expressed
through language simply amazes me.
All of the questions and suggestions above can be used to make any role-play
‘sketch’ into a masterpiece. They are especially useful if you can’t think of
anything to write, or when your post seems too short and underdeveloped. If
it helps, print the list and the words in bold out and refer to them as a checklist
whenever you catch a case of writer’s block. If you are patient with yourself,
something beautiful and creative will come to you.
Skill in writing is not something that can be acquired with no experience or
practice. Style and basic skills must be developed over time. This is why it
is important for you to write everyday, even if it’s not in a role-play.
Journaling is a perfect way to keep up with writing on a regular basis. Recording
your thoughts and daily activities will also provide a way for you to look back
on fond memories in the future. You could also write short stories, letters,
or even try your hand at writing an article for The Neopian Times. Keep your
writing skills sharp! If you write consistently, your writing talent and style
will blossom and you will be able to express yourself in a beautiful, eloquent
way through the wonderful art of role-playing.
Author’s note: I hope this article has given you some ideas to improve your
role-playing skills. I understand the opinions expressed in this article are
mine and do not necessarily reflect the views of other role-players. Any comments,
suggestions, or questions are welcome! I will do my best to write back! _Insanity's
article can be found in Neopian Times Issue 103, and Sedus88's article can be
found in issue 88.
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