Even more tips!The dreaded 'One Liner' posts.
Have you ever been accused of "One-lining?" Has your character ever entered a thread only to be ignored or worse, have the other characters leave almost immediately? Let's try to fix that shall we?
Definition of a "One-liner"A "One-liner" is a person who posts only one line of action and/or dialog and expects an appropriate reaction to their post. One-liners are notorious role players, racking up large post quantities but failing in what matters the most in role playing: quality. You see, in order to really develop a character, it is not the quantity of your posts that matter, but the quality of what you have written.[/color]
A proper post should have the following components (parts):
- The beginning of the post should be a physical and/or mental reaction to what was said/done in the previous post.
- A bit of dialogue and more physical description. The dialogue can either end the post, but I find that if you include a post-movement, such as making the character move, sit, stand, dance, jump, etc., it rounds things out nicely.
Now then, lets break down each part to give you a better idea of how to do it.
ReactGenerally speaking, only one person begins a thread and everyone else is reacting to how the thread began and/or what was posted directly above their reply. So, if you are starting a thread, a reaction is not necessary to the dialogue, but you can put their reaction to walking into what ever area they are and what they are doing there. When I say your character should react physically to what was said/done in the previous post it is only mirroring real life. If someone says something to you, you have a reaction. Even a non-reaction is technically a reaction, because your character is attempting to look as if they are not reacting. If that is confusing, let me give an example.
RP example:Bob listened as Jane explained the reasons as to why they could no longer be together. Inside he was seething with anger at her lame attempts to explain the situation, but outwardly he barely gave a hint of what he was feeling. If she looked closely, she may have seen the little tick of a muscle in his jaw as he stood before her, but she was off in her own world. In this example you see how no or very little physical reaction can be played out. After all, think of it in real life. Put yourself in Bob's shoes, how would you feel in his place? What would your reaction be to what Jane was saying? Put yourself in your character's head and get your character's responses.
Remember to keep yourself out of it. This is a totally fictional character you have created and the less you react as if it is a personal attack and react as if it were an attack on Bob, the better your post will be.ThoughtsRemember to put your character's thoughts into the post, whether you do so in third person, such as saying "
Bob wondered why Jane would seek to hurt him so" or in the first person (usually put into italics to differentiate between description) "
Why does she want to hurt me like this? I thought things were going great."
Often the difference is simply how deep you want others to read into your character. But know this:
Posting your character's thoughts is as important as posting their actions. While the other characters may not be able to react as if they know what you are thinking (unless they are mind-readers, in which case, only give out what you want known), it develops your character to put their thoughts out there. It makes them "human(oid)" and gives depth to your posts.
If you have ever read a fictional story, a good one anyway, you will find the pages littered with thoughts, a necessary addition to create the best story possible. Without the thoughts, you have no clue what drives this character, what makes them who they are.
Physical Movement and Description[/size]
Physical movement should also be included at this point, whether they take a drink of something, walk across a room, or sit in a chair. Be sure to include a description of what ever the character is physically interacting with.
RP Example:Bob crossed the wooden floor, his sneakers squeaking on the worn boards. He found an old chair and plopped down carelessly, sending a poof of dust flying from the old cushions. His finger played in a hole on the arm as he listened to Jane, tearing the fabric of the chair even further and releasing some of the stuffing that had yellowed with age. There is a lot of description in just those few lines, enough to give your reader a clear mental image of the layout and the actions that Bob is taking. You don't have to say "the chair was old and smelled bad" rather simply by using alternate words, you can say the same thing this way: "the chair looked ancient and had an odor that usually accompanied a landfill."
A great way to find alternate words is the use of a
thesaurus. Also, when you are trying to compare something, think of an example, such as replacing "smelly" with "odor of a landfill." Even if you have never been to a landfill, you can imagine the noxious fumes one would find there.
DialogueA character's dialogue are the words that character speaks out loud that can be heard by other people in the room. Here's a hint:
never have you character say something, even under their breath, unless you want it heard by someone else. Just like in real life, you never know who is really listening, so watch what you say. There could be a character that enters the thread claiming they were "invisible" to you at that moment (ex: hiding behind something such as a door or chair) and over heard what you whispered to yourself. However you CAN have your character THINK such things they otherwise would have muttered to themselves.
When writing dialogue, be sure to use proper grammar and punctuation. Spelling is also important.(The site offers the use of a spell checker before posting, so make use of it.
) Nothing shows that you put no time into your response more than a post filled with misspelled words and bad punctuation.
Dialogue should also avoid using "he said," "she replied," and "he asked" (and any other version of these) repeatedly. One time is ok, twice is pushing it, and beyond that is ridiculous. Dialogue should be written as if it were really spoken. A tip is once you have written the dialogue, read it out loud to see if it sounds ok. Some things look fine written but don't work once you try saying it.
AccentsThis should
not be attempted by a novice role player as it takes practice and experience to write an accent properly. The best suggestion I can give here is to go find examples of the accent you wish to use that have already been written. Good resources are cheesy romance novels.
Romance novel authors often use accents in their work and most times just by looking at it you can get an idea of how it should be written. When attempting to write in an accent, be sure to write it so people still understand what it is supposed to be. A good way to do this is to write how it sounds. My personal favorite accent is a troll accent. Don't know why by it just makes me melt.
Example of light Scottish accent:"I didna think tha' is what she meant ta say, but ifin that be th' way it is, then there's no' I canna do aboot it."
Example of French accent:"I weesh you 'ad told me zis beefore, beecause now I 'ave no way of getting ze informatión to 'er."
Another thing you can do is simply tell people you are speaking in an accent by saying something like: "His deep voice spoke with a hint of a Romanian accent." By doing this, you don't have to write in an accent while still speaking in one.
More on DiologueSometimes it's not what you say but how you say it. If you character is responding sarcastically, be sure to tell them. These words can be used in most cases with or without the "ly" at the end. Words to use when describing their response include but are not limited to:
hotly
flatly
fierce
sarcastically
deadpan
humorously
laughing
seductively
wistful
longingly
achingly
jokingly
crisp
darkly These are but a few examples and while I encourage their use, do not overdo it. Only one per post or it can be considered overkill.
(Most of this information was found Here.)
Founded April 26, 2005