[Major Despard]

Okay, there seems to be a little strife due to people entering storylines with little or no understanding of the plot. So here are some basic guidelines I've thought of:


ALWAYS understand the storyline before you enter it. Know the characters and the plot and have a general understanding of where it is going.

Out of courtesy, PM the major players in the storyline and tell them of your intention of entering the storyline. Also, you can ask any questions about the storyline. This may seem tedious, but I think it would be beneficial in the end.

DON'T have your character randomly show up on the scene. It throws things into disarray and can be irritating for those who are trying to RP to have a random character suddenly show up on the spot. It will either end in minor turmoil or disppointment for you - your posts are likely to be completely ignored if they are unreasonale. This leads me to my next point:

Keep within the boundaries of the storyline. Unless you know exactly what is going on, don't throw random curveballs. Respect those who are firmly involved in the storyline.


I don't know how everyone else would feel about these ideas, but I reckon they may help some of the newer RPers to know how to get involved.

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I also thought that some people may like some tips for getting longer posts. I think that everyone is doing a GREAT job picking up and making posts longer, but if you're still struggling, here's some general advice that came to my mind:


Try to avoid one word dialogue. I haven't seen much of this lately, but it doesn't really move the plot along. To twist a frequent saying: If you can't say something worth saying, don't say anything at all. This leads me on to say:

Don't make bland, unnecessary posts like: James picked up the phone. He waited for a response. It is clear that a post like that does not move the story anywhere at all, so don't post it. It clutters the boards and is just generally unnecessary.

If you're struggling for things to make the posts longer, go back to your English class at school and remember what they said about writing. Use descriptions to give the other RPers a better idea of what is happening. Describe the surroundings, the character's facial expressions, actions and reactions and all that jazz.

Also, describing the character's thoughts are a great way to fill out the story and make it moreinteresting and meaningful. How does the character feel about what is bein said or what is happening? Does the action in the scene remind them of a past event. You could also tie this to a short flashback which could give the character history and depth. However, don't get too carried away with this. It can make the actual, present storyline disjointed if it is filled with too many tangents.


Obviously, there is more, so please feel free to expound on this brief guide.

[Kilfer]

I have to generally agree with this, but I must say, a majority of the board follows these guidelines well so I must commend everyone for that.

I think it's also generally a good idea to make sure grammar is used correctly. It might just bug me, but saying

"So I looked at there book they were reading."

and random mishaps like that. Just make sure you're grammatically correct?

[Hearts Desire]

I Agree In Everything MD said I'm gonna post it on the Chicago Thread.

[Craig]

From now on ill use google for words im not sure how to spell. lol hope that helps, also ill maek sure to read over my post making sure to correct any typos. i always spell making like makign because of my keyboard. lol it gets annoying.

[The Dark Daimon]

I have never subscribed to the whole "grammar Nazi" attitude, at least not on a forum. I do use a spell checker (from Google Toolbar) but it will not catch mistakes like "their", "there" and "they're", for that you need a Grammar Checker. I do believe people should proofread their posts, that is what the preview button is for, but I willingly forgive simple grammar mistakes since I make them too.

None of use are perfect and we do not always have to resources available at hand to check our spelling and grammar. Sometimes we just want to send off a quick post during a coffee break or before we retire for the night without having to spend 20 minutes just correcting our typos. On top of that, we do get a fair amount of people from other countries who's second language may not be English. It would be unfair the penalize these people when we do not know their language either.

That being said, I do not think "text-speech" is appropriate on in-character posts. I would even suggest limiting it in out-of-character posts as it is really hard to read.

On thing I totally agree with MD on is the one-line posts. Nothing is more annoying than waiting for three days for someone to post and all they give you is a single line that does nothing to advance the plot (not that it has happened to me). The burden is then put back on you to move the story along. To me, that seems like laziness. I understand that sometimes you just cannot think of anything or all you can post is a single reply or a question, but it is when it becomes a habit it is a problem.

I would suggest that everyone follow this simple guideline, in every post in which a character speaks, there should be also an action, a description or a thought.

[Craig]

Ta i totaly agree i hate waiting for ages to find a 1 line reply that does nothign and then you have to wait for another day for a reply . Right now im waiting for a reply from Aly XD or Riley or Jake or Billy lol

[Mad4Milo]

I find everyone is doing better lately, the only thing that ever bothered me in the past was one line posts. I'd type out a paragraph and get a 'John followed her down the street' response. Besides that I'm happy with how everything is working. I know in the Chicago thread we have all been improving our posts lately to make them longer.

[Craig]

lol yay Milo/ Riley is back now we can move on with the SL

[Ikin]

This should be stickied.

[karambit]

I knew my annoying ability to show up at inoppertune times would cause trouble.

My apologies to all that have had to deal with my off-the-cuff RPing style.