Advice/Help Thanks for the Responses

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bastion

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Update: Thank you to everyone for all the kind words and reassurances. It's really helped me recenter and stop blaming myself. I've stopped watching this thread and recommend anyone checking it out for the first time move on, since a bit of an argument broke it that's not worth giving attention to.


It seems like every rp I get into nowadays ends after a handful of replies. I desperately want something that will last, even if it's just a series of smaller rps. I feel so discouraged lately. I can't help but feel like I must be a bad writer, even if no one's every said as such.

I guess I'll share some writing samples to see what people think:

It wasn't a difficult mission, or even all that important. Still, Toshiaki performed the task to the best of his abilities, using all the charisma he saved for the stage. He spoke carefully and with grace, clearly laying out the terms of the trade agreement. It was probably more effort than a glorified notary trip required, but Toshiaki never slacked on a performance.

Half an hour after entering, Toshiaki finally came out. His perfect smile dropped with a sigh. Most of the meeting had been unrelated chatter, a drawback to putting out all the stops. Surely it would help ensure good relations with the merchant. Besides, it would have been rude to brush off the old man's attempt at conversation.

"I apologize for the wait," Toshiaki said as he reached Yonsuke. "We don't need to head out until tomorrow morning. Is there anything you would like to do?"

"I'm sure the bigger missions are," Toshiaki hummed. "This was basically just a mission to sign paperwork. The negotiations had basically all been worked out before I was involved. I just had to confirm the details and get a signature. That's what most my diplomacy missions are like.

"I've met many different types of people during these missions. Sometimes they're chatty like today, which is fun but a bit tiring. Other times they're quick and business-focused, which is fine but a bit boring. One time the man was so nervous he could barely speak and his shirt was soaked with sweat. I kept worrying he was going to faint!"


"Thank you for coming on such sorry notice, Maedayama. I wish the reason for this meeting weren't such as they are."

Masao served tea before taking his seat, looking over the father and daughter in the office. He held a stern expression, morning like his usual friendly self. He gave Myorin a look of disappointment before focusing on her father.

"Myorin got in a fight with one of the other students. I'll allow her to explain herself, but it is important to understand we do not allow violence outside explicit training lessons."
 
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I think it's more of the way roleplay goes. You can have some successful stories one minute and ones that won't make it beyond a single post. It also comes down to people's schedules. Some just drop for who knows what, others have outside commitments, that's just the nature of it. I know it can be discouraging but, from what I read of your sample I see nothing wrong with your writing. Definitely not anything to say you are a bad writer. I understand how you feel, though, you should give yourself credit. Your writing is fine. I think it is just how roleplay is and I would encourage you to keep trying.
 
This is an unhealthy perspective to have.

You aren't a bad writer and the fact that you're looking to improve just proves that. You should always be looking improve, even if you're the best writer in the world, but I don't think that should ever equate to "I am a bad writer". Roleplaying is kind of a hectic hobby because you're always relying on another person and that other person may not always be reliable. Sometimes people don't know their limits and take on too many Roleplays (I know that I've done that before—) or sometimes real life just gets in the way. Something new suddenly happens, classes return (if they're in school or attending university), or they're just busy with work. It can be any number of reasons, really.

But you shouldn't blame yourself for it.

It doesn't really help that, a lot of the time, we're writing with virtual strangers too. If you keep losing Roleplays, then my advice is to keep trying and maybe strengthen your friendships with whoever you're writing with? I feel like the closer you are with someone, the less likely they are to drop the Roleplay or ghost you. And, maybe, more likely to discuss an alternative Roleplay with you instead (in the case that one of you gets bored)! I hope this has offered some insight?

But either way, good luck!

And I hope you find what you're looking for.
 
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As those above me have said, there doesn't appear to be anything noteworthly (I guess that's not a word, but you get my point) bad about your writing. The samples were a bit short but that's no crime, it's not even necessarily an issue seeing how many styles actually prefer shorter posts. More importantly, it's an entirely normal thing to happen that RPs just don't last. Like 99% of them just kind of fizzle off for most people.

So, those are the bad news I suppose: It's not really a bug in the system, it's part of how things work in the world of roleplay. And there isn't much of a solution. As I suggested to many before with this same concern (you are most definitely not alone) the best approach is to find a way to cope with it rather than trying to simply avoid it. Because avoiding it is borderline impossible, but coping with it can let you enjoy the hobby despite the hard parts. For me, this coping is to put my all into what I do- posts, characters, settings etc.. So that I may look back on them proudly, knowing they have value in of themselves and this way I won't ever feel like I just wasted my time. Of course, this is a method that works for me, so its best to try to find one that works for you personally.

Now a bit more advise:
1. Try to really understand yours and our partner's preferences. It will make it harder to find RP partners, but it will also make it that much more rewarding when you do find one with whom you work well with. If you unsure what you prefer, try to experiment and see what works.
2. Try to make sure both you and your partner are being realistic about the timing in which you want to do things and expectations about the RP. Trying to start an RP right before you have exams or a work trip or something like that for instance, is often a difficult thing to sustain. Expecting a post every day is also often unrealistic since all it takes is a day to be particularly exhausting to miss the deadline. Rules of thumb of course.
3. Avoid falling into the Hype trap. When we consume media that leaves us wanting to explore it for an RP, it can be easy to take that hype to be something that will last, which likely it won't and can lead to a loss of motivation early on. I personally use a three week rule, in that I don't start an RP with an idea unless I've had that idea for at least three weeks and still want to do it.
4. Keep an active OOC. Dead OOCs are a big signs of an RP's impending death. Regular communication can help not only build a connection between the players, but also keep them aware of the RP.


Hope this helps. Best of luck and happy RPing!
 
bastion bastion I find my own words here may do little good in consoling you, but I am sorry for what's happened. In that regard, it simply means that the connection was not established, needless to say, even amongst those who write novella and spend hours--sometimes days formulating responses find ourselves utterly crushed when all that effort is put into something and have someone step away from the table. Though, that's a part of the grand search for a solid partner or group, it never quite goes exactly as planned and there are moments of self-doubt, which is what I presume you've got going on here. However, keep your chin up, there's likely a grander purpose for these losses to push you on towards finding the partner who is willing to write the distance with you until you're both satisfied.

Your writing is just fine as far as I can tell from your samples. Though it's outside of my preference range, for those that are within your preference range; you possess good grammar, punctuation and your overall ebb and flow seems to mesh together well, though mind you there are only my assessments from three samples. I truly believe you're just being hard on yourself, keep trying and find someone to lean on if you need to talk about things with them or deal with those nagging thoughts that often persist in the back of our minds. I do hope everything will be okay for you and if you're ever in need of a shoulder or someone to go over things with you, my door is open.
 
As one who's been role-playing and writing for around 20 years (yes, I'm old, lemme alone), I'd like to add my two cents here.

You're not a bad writer.

In fact, I'd argue it's exactly the opposite. And I'd like to use your examples to point out why I think this:

Example 1

It wasn't a difficult mission, or even all that important. - Immediately you've accomplished something very important that a lot of inexperienced writers miss in their posting. You've established the tone, your character's mindset, and our (the reader's) expectations in one simple and streamlined sentence.

It might not sound or even feel like it, but this is a difficult technique to master. And here you are doing it naturally. But over my 20 years I can't tell you how many times I've seen young, inexperienced writers miss this step in their posting because they're so eager to get to the talking or the action because that's what they think is important. Not so. In every single post a writer should briefly, and efficiently, summarize the current atmosphere before a single word or action is taken. Why? Because time is moving forward and the situation is constantly evolving. Our characters need to evolve in sync with that time shift.

In the case of a scene of battle or horror, for example, something as simple as this would do fine after a character/NPC death: "Her brows shot up and her mouth hung low as the sight of blood splattering across the floor assaulted her eyes."

Like I said, it's a bit gruesome. But this reaction sentence does the same thing your first sentence did. It establishes the tone, the character's mindset, and sets the reader's expectations. And not a single word or major action was yet taken because it's not ready for that yet. This female character, whoever she is, is shocked, horrified, and feeling sickened by the gruesome scene which she's now witnessing. The audience expects more blood and action, and they're most likely going to get it. But that comes next. Not now.

Still, Toshiaki performed the task to the best of his abilities, using all the charisma he saved for the stage. He spoke carefully and with grace, clearly laying out the terms of the trade agreement. It was probably more effort than a glorified notary trip required, but Toshiaki never slacked on a performance. - Here, you are doing exactly what I said should come next. Giving us the actions and following up on the expectations of the reader. In the case of your example, the expectation is to see what makes this job so simple and why Toshiaki is feeling nonchalant about it. And you do that brilliantly by describing how easily he uses his personal traits and assets to move through this with grace and simplicity.

Half an hour after entering, Toshiaki finally came out. His perfect smile dropped with a sigh. Most of the meeting had been unrelated chatter, a drawback to putting out all the stops. Surely it would help ensure good relations with the merchant. Besides, it would have been rude to brush off the old man's attempt at conversation.
- Here is a continuation of the scene. Time is moving forward at a steady and easy-to-follow clip. Nobody would get lost reading from one section to the next in your example thanks to this sequence because you answer several important questions which include, but are not limited to, the following:

* How much time has passed? - Half an hour.
* What's next for Toshiaki? He is relaxing, and a bit tired from the tedium of the experience.
* Why was it tedious? The fact that a lot of the conversation and meeting was unrelated to his task. It's always boring and unfulfilling to get stuck in a conversation you want no part of. Especially during work. Again, super relatable.
* Why is he tired? He pulled out all the stops in his performance and duties to ensure the best result which is an extremely relatable thing for him to do to anyone who knows what it's like to put in the extra effort at work.
* What purpose did the previous sequence serve? Toshiaki improved his standing with the merchant and fulfilled a personal obligation of being polite.

* What's next? Read on.

"I apologize for the wait," Toshiaki said as he reached Yonsuke. "We don't need to head out until tomorrow morning. Is there anything you would like to do?" - And so we reach the conclusion of your scene. A conversation with someone he'd clearly been waiting to speak to, and whom he considers to be an important person not to keep waiting as evidenced by his apology. And not only is he continuing to be polite, he's courteous. Another trait you reveal in the way he asks if Yonsuke wants to do anything.

And with these simple words of dialogue, you've again established a tone, your character's mindset, and set the audience's expectations for what comes next.

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In summary, you're a fine writer who has far more skill and talent for writing than they seem to realize.

You have a solid grasp on many of writing's fundamental principles, and your natural sense of flow and setting and fulfilling expectations before setting up anticipation for new ones is on point.

Whatever problems the RP's you've joined so far have had, they did not start with you.


Those RP's biggest issues were most likely caused by players without a sense of commitment, or life getting in the way of too many people at once. Sadly, these things happen very frequently. And there's nothing anyone can do to stop it. Players will always lack commitment. Life will always get in the way. They're as certain to happen as the sun rising and setting each day.

The best thing to do is not take it personally, and focus on continuing your own desire to move forward in your journey as a storyteller and enjoy what time in an RP you do get to experience.

Cheers!
 
I firmly believe that anyone who does believe that they are a 'good' writer certainly has plenty more to learn.

In a positive or negative way? You left quite a lot of gray area in your statement to interpret it both ways.
 
I firmly believe that anyone who does believe that they are a 'good' writer certainly has plenty more to learn.
Everyone always has plenty more to learn, especially in this hobby. I don't believe in this performative humility thing, tbh. Yes, I am a good writer, and I have more to learn still :) Conversely, people who are concerned about their style should also try harder. Self-doubts don't actually make you good.

That being said, OP, your style is fine. You can learn to be descriptive if you want to, but a lot of people will be happy to roleplay with you as you are. The reality is that most rps never work out and it's rarely because of one's writing.
 
You are not a bad roleplayer! It's just that sometimes people tend to get busy, or often enough, people just drop out because they are, (excuse my language), dick-heads. Normally, this just tends to happen, even to the most advanced, incredibly role-players/writers.
 
I don't believe in this performative humility thing, tbh. Yes, I am a good writer, and I have more to learn still :) Conversely, people who are concerned about their style should also try harder. Self-doubts don't actually make you good.

Mrm. Humility by definition is not 'performative', and saying so is just a thinly veiled insult intended to discredit what I'm saying.

True humility is the only way to kill pride and pride is the source of shame, which is what I believe is what the OP is feeling. Self-doubt absolutely will make you better over time because it will encourage you to expand your style and skills. Take the OP for instance - he's not proud of his writing so he has taken this step as an attempt to isolate and determine what, if any, his problems are. A person who is proud of their writing style is a person who will likely cling to their tried and tested methods, which can easily lead to stagnation.

Of course there are exceptions to this, but as the saying goes; the exception proves the rule.

edit: As an aside, I'd just like to say that I'd much, much sooner play a game with a humble novice than a proud professional.
 
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Mrm. Humility by definition is not 'performative', and saying so is just a thinly veiled insult intended to discredit what I'm saying.

True humility is the only way to kill pride and pride is the source of shame, which is what I believe is what the OP is feeling. Self-doubt absolutely will make you better over time because it will encourage you to expand your style and skills. Take the OP for instance - he's not proud of his writing so he has taken this step as an attempt to isolate and determine what, if any, his problems are. A person who is proud of their writing style is a person who will likely cling to their tried and tested methods, which can easily lead to stagnation.

Of course there are exceptions to this, but as the saying goes; the exception proves the rule.
An insult? Someone not agreeing with what you're saying isn't an insult, lmao. I just don't like this cultural phenomenon where people pretend that ego is the devil for some reason. Often, it does seem performative to me and I feel like many people have an unhealthy relationship with confidence due to these things. You are free to disagree.

Anyway, not necessarily. What makes you better isn't self-doubt, but effort-- and you can put effort into your hobbies without putting yourself down in the process. Like, I am legitimately terrible at a lot of things and remain terrible at them because I don't really care to change it. Self-doubt doesn't help here. Conversely, I keep getting better at the things I already know I am good at because I still try to bring my A+ game.

Also, I won't reply to this anymore in order not to derail the thread. If you want to discuss this, feel free to message me.
 
Syntra's right about effort being the key to improvement, but wrong about everything else.

They laugh at my pointing out that saying that humility is 'performative' (which suggests acting as if you are humble instead of actually being that way) is belittling what I'm saying, which I find annoyingly dismissive and rude. They go on to conflate humility with some kind of moral paradigm, saying that its opposite is culturally equated with the devil? If that isn't some kind of logical fallacy I will eat my own hat. I do indeed disagree with this person, and strongly.

Bastion, you're on the right path by accepting that you might have faults and trying to identify them. This is humility, and it will serve you very well. If you stick with your desire to be better and learn, I would bet my bottom dollar that you'll improve faster than anyone who doesn't.
 
Xillia Xillia , I am not a horse and I refuse to be commanded around like one. A person does not get to mandate the end of a public conversation just because they feel like it. They are free to not reply, but their desire to leave the debate does not extend to me.
 
Mrm. Humility by definition is not 'performative', and saying so is just a thinly veiled insult intended to discredit what I'm saying.

True humility is the only way to kill pride and pride is the source of shame, which is what I believe is what the OP is feeling. Self-doubt absolutely will make you better over time because it will encourage you to expand your style and skills. Take the OP for instance - he's not proud of his writing so he has taken this step as an attempt to isolate and determine what, if any, his problems are. A person who is proud of their writing style is a person who will likely cling to their tried and tested methods, which can easily lead to stagnation.

Of course there are exceptions to this, but as the saying goes; the exception proves the rule.

This will be my only reply to this conversation because I don't want to overtake this thread with a discussion that's rapidly becoming unrelated to the original post.

While I respect everyone's right to their opinion, there are numerous fundamental flaws in your viewpoint on this subject which I'm happy to point out for you for the sake of discussion and/or educational purposes.

Before I get to that, though, let me just say that your conduct in this thread started off strong, but almost immediately fell into a rather undignified display.

You spoke of "true humility," yet you displayed absolutely none in the way you argued with Syntra in the replies above. One example to prove the point is in how you replied to their comments with "you were right about effort, but wrong about everything else." This is not only false, but incredibly egotistical. The very notion that you were right about "everything" except one detail cannot be described as anything except ego. Especially when it's so easy to prove you wrong as I will below in the analysis of Syntra's comments versus your perception of them.

Anyway, my advice to you is this: If you aren't going to live it, don't preach it.

Humility is a mindset wherein the self becomes unimportant in the face of the truth, and to be open-minded enough to accept that truth whether or not you agreed with it.

How can you accept and be open-minded to the truth when the only truth you believe in is your own? And yes, that's exactly what your arguments thus far have implied about you. With the way you phrased your arguments above it's obvious that you feel an incredible sense of pride in your own intellect and knowledge base, and that you can't stand to be wrong or allow others to point out when you're wrong. Proof of this is in your wording as described above with the nonsense about Syntra being wrong about "everything else" (and this comment will continue to haunt you throughout this analysis, by the way).

What truth is there in your response to Syntra and the idea that they were wrong about everything else? None whatsoever.

And to prove it, let's analyze Syntra's comments.

"An insult? Someone not agreeing with what you're saying isn't an insult, lmao." - They were right to call you out on the suggestion that their disagreement with you or saying that your comment is "performative" (which it was, and we'll get into why later) was an insult in any way. Go back and read their reply again. None of it was an insult. It was all observation and/or a stated opinion that was contrary to your own. That's not an insult.

Insults are deliberately disrespectful, scornful, and/or abusive remarks intended to harm the recipient at a mental and/or emotional level. Nothing about Syntra's comments fit that description.

What happened, whether you want to admit it openly or not, was that you decided to take their comment and disagreement personally and turn it into a personal attack (aka an insult) in your own head. Why? Because your pride was damaged and you felt the need to find a way to defend yourself because that was the only way to salvage your original statement as being "true" (even though it's absolutely untrue for reasons we'll get to later when I analyze your viewpoints in more detail) and trying to make Syntra look like the bad guy.

There's no need to make a mountain out of a dirt clod just because someone disagreed with you. So Syntra was 100% right to call you on this. I would have as well if they hadn't done so already.

"I just don't like this cultural phenomenon where people pretend that ego is the devil for some reason." - The way you phrase your statements reeks of a philosophical viewpoint that ego and pride are the downfall of humanity. Whether this is exactly true for your own philosophy remains to be seen. But the way you communicate makes it seem like this is what you believe which, while not entirely untrue, is still flawed and incomplete at best.

However, to the contrary of your stated beliefs, pride is not a/the singular causes of shame and/or anything negative on its own. There's always more involved. And even if Syntra didn't exactly articulate it as well as they could have, this was their point. And they're absolutely right.

I'll reiterate: If you don't practice it (true humility), don't preach it.

There is no humility in claiming to know something as an absolute truth when there is proof aplenty that it is not so (more on this later as well). And yes. Any blanket statment left on its own like "pride is the source of shame" or "only true humility can cure shame" are statement of absolute truth. And even if they're both 99% correct depending on how you want to craft an argument in their favor, that still means they're both 100% wrong.

"Often, it does seem performative to me and I feel like many people have an unhealthy relationship with confidence due to these things. You are free to disagree." - In the original context of your use of humility, it was in fact performative. Why? Because the implications of your original statement about the matter was that if someone performs in writing and considers themselves to be "good," they've got more to learn (as if that's some kind of a negative). "Performative" literally means relating to performance. And that's the crux of your entire original point. If you perform and consider yourself "good," then you're not and have a lot to learn. So your statement was, by matter of fact, performative. You can try to argue otherwise. But the proof is in black and white for all to see.

"Anyway, not necessarily. What makes you better isn't self-doubt, but effort-- and you can put effort into your hobbies without putting yourself down in the process." - Here, Syntra was calling out the idea that true humility is the only cure for pride and the negatives that come with it. And they're absolutely right. True humility is not the only cure for pride. Pride is a general emotion that has many cures relating to humility, but not always reliant on them. And Syntra was 100% right in how they said it's not self-doubt, but effort that will lead to improvement. And they're 100% right that you can put effort into your hobbies without putting yourself down or doubting your abilities.

"Like, I am legitimately terrible at a lot of things and remain terrible at them because I don't really care to change it. Self-doubt doesn't help here. Conversely, I keep getting better at the things I already know I am good at because I still try to bring my A+ game." - You say Syntra was wrong about "everything else." But how is this in any way wrong? Syntra is talking about themselves and their own experiences here. What right have you to say they're "wrong" about anything they themselves have experienced and acknowledge about themselves? Do you know Syntra better than they know themselves and somehow know that they're wrong about their own self-analysis?

You are not always right, The Great Sage. And you most certainly have not been right about most of what you've said or in the accusations you've made here in this thread.

If you want to be a student of true humility, stop being defensive and get your pride in check. Stop thinking you have to be right and others have to be wrong, and start being more open to actually accepting opposing viewpoints and give more thought to why they came into existence rather than brushing them off as falsehoods as soon as you read them. The faster you brush them off, the more closed your mind actually is whether you realized it or not.

It's okay to be wrong. We all are from time to time. But if you get defensive, you're not living in humility. You're living in ego.

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Okay. We're done analyzing Syntra's comments and why you were wrong to suggest that they were wrong about "everything else."

Let's take some time to analyze the fundamental flaws in your views.

First, "pride is the source of shame."

This statement is 100% dependent on the individual. It is not, in and of itself, a singular truth that stands on its own no matter how many coincidences may align and seem like they prove otherwise.

Personality, influences (like friends and family), inspirational sources, personal experience, life lessons learned (such as whether or not they've learned and believe in humility first), and many, many other factors all play into whether or not someone falls into shame as a result of their pride.

The more accurate way to phrase your statement is "pride can be the source of shame." It never just is.

People can experience shame for any number of reasons. A good example is simply doing something they know is wrong. And this isn't always because of pride. It can be ignorance, anger, sorrow, doing it on a dare due to peer pressure, etc. Pride, which is pleasure born of one's own achievements, plays no role in the shame that follows when they get caught and exposed for what happened because there was no pride leading into or coming out of the event.

Given the proof provided it would be wise to reconsider your perception of what pride is and what it means as far as shame is concerned.

Pride can also lead to great success and prosperity so long as someone has the right mentality to reign it in and not allow it run away from them.

Secondly, the notion that "self-doubt absolutely will make you better over time" is unequivocally false.

Ask any psychologist anywhere in the world and they will confirm that self-doubt can be, and more often than not is, crippling and self-defeating. And this is especially true when it's allowed to sit and fester without any influence to the contrary. This is a psychological fact which has proven to be true since the rise of humanity. Self-doubt can lead to a lack of motivation, low self esteem, and a lack of confidence in one's ability to improve, let alone achieve results. These thoughts are all self-destructive and lead almost universally to the abandonment of goals and dreams because we convince ourselves that it's all out of reach and that it's easier to change focus than persevere through the pain we're experiencing as a result.

More dreams have perished to self-doubt and its crippling effects and after-effects than anything else. And this too is a fact.

Self-doubt is toxic to the self. And on its own it's not helpful or beneficial in any way. Can it be present before improvements are made. Yes.

But to suggest that it was the "cause" of the improvement is a fallacy.

It was the obstacle. Not the solution. Any relation they have is coincidental, not causal.

Third. "A person who is proud of their writing style is a person who will likely cling to their tried and tested methods, which can easily lead to stagnation."

This, like my first remark on pride, is a blanketly false statement on its own and with how it's currently phrased. And, as before, it does not acknowledge individuality and the many factors which go into whether or not the person is even susceptible to the negative aspects of pride based on all of the experiences and influences they've had leading up to the point where pride enters the equation.

Take me for example. I've been a role-player/writer for around 20 years. But I was raised on the belief that there's always more to learn and room to grow (humility). My parents, friends, classmates, and teachers throughout all my early developmental years encouraged me to be curios and open-minded. And as a result I grew up wanting to become better tomorrow than I am today. This belief extends to my writing as well. Even early on when I first started I was proud of what I accomplished in the writing world. I wrote (though did not publish because it was garbage) a 72 chapter book when I was 20. And that story has become the basis of my "Assassin's Pledge" RP endeavors over the last decade or so across multiple sites. I am very proud of Assassin's Pledge. But if you look at its history and how it developed over the years you'd see a host of changes ranging from minor character tweaks to a near entire world wipe and restart in mid-late 2019.

Even today, Assassin's Pledge continues to evolve because of my thirst for improvement and development within the craft of storytelling. Nobody who has ever seen or read and Assassin's Pledge RP before on any website will ever tell you, given where the story and my writing skills are now compared to back then, that either the story, or me as the writer, have become "stagnant." And I am immensely proud of Assassin's Pledge and continue to enjoy its continuation and development into the future. Have there been moments of shame along the way? Absolutely. Every journey has them. But those moments of shame, in my case with this story, were not born of pride. They were all born of regrettably simple misunderstandings between myself and others which did not resolve in a peaceful manner.

Lastly, I encourage you to re-read the original post here. bastion bastion didn't write this because they necessarily doubted their writing. They were discouraged by the way RP's were dying and were wondering if it was because of their writing. There is a thin but fundamental difference there between uncertainty and self-doubt. They are not one and the same no matter how similar the wording of their respective definitions might be based on where you look them up.

Uncertainty is a general ailment born of a lack of knowledge or understanding. Self-doubt is directly aimed at the self because one believes they are unworthy of the goals they've set for themselves and the belief that they know they are not good enough.

Before self-doubt can exist, curiosity must die and be replaced by the knowledge that one is not good enough. And being curious about whether or not there's a causality between the death of RP's and one's writing skills has not yet crossed that line. It may have been heading that way. But with any luck bastion has managed to bounce back and move beyond that idea.

Thank you

~ GojiBean
 
There certainly is a lot to digest here GojiBean GojiBean and I hope you'll forgive me for only responding to the most critical points.

1) Most importantly, I think that if you didn't read Syntra's replies to mine as insultingly dismissive, you didn't really read them. Telling someone who is suggesting a certain mentality with which to approach creative work that such a mentality is 'performative' is basically the same thing as calling them a hypocrite. If that isn't insulting, then I don't know what is.

Furthermore when I suggested that I was insulted, I was laughed at. This isn't polite no matter which way you look at it.

2) Yes of course nobody is always right, but I think it is the duty of those who do have an opinion to stand up for it. Did I get defensive and curt? Yes. Do I regret it? Maybe a little, but there are lessons to be learned there and I'm thankful for that.

3) You have very little idea who I am or what I think about myself so I'd appreciate it if you kept any conjecture about my supposed pride or ego in check, regardless of whether you feel the need to defend your friend or not. I appreciate your intelligent and well thought out input, and I very much like the way you structure your arguments, even if I think you're reaching a bit on some of them.

4) Blanket statements are useful when discussing things that, as you say, are often 99% true. It's like the concept of an infinitive in mathematics. Yes, there are usually exceptions to any blanket statement and that's exactly why I mentioned it a few posts up.

5) If I, or anyone, had to be a paragon of whatever virtue they were extolling then there wouldn't be many people encouraging those virtues at all. Do I have pride? Yes of course; I am human and have many faults. Do I think that it's wrong for me to encourage humility despite it? No, never, and not you or anyone else is going to convince me that to drown in vices just because I am not a saint is an acceptable way to conduct myself.
 
There certainly is a lot to digest here GojiBean GojiBean and I hope you'll forgive me for only responding to the most critical points.

1) Most importantly, I think that if you didn't read Syntra's replies to mine as insultingly dismissive, you didn't really read them. Telling someone who is suggesting a certain mentality with which to approach creative work that such a mentality is 'performative' is basically the same thing as calling them a hypocrite. If that isn't insulting, then I don't know what is.

Furthermore when I suggested that I was insulted, I was laughed at. This isn't polite no matter which way you look at it.

2) Yes of course nobody is always right, but I think it is the duty of those who do have an opinion to stand up for it. Did I get defensive and curt? Yes. Do I regret it? Maybe a little, but there are lessons to be learned there and I'm thankful for that.

3) You have very little idea who I am or what I think about myself so I'd appreciate it if you kept any conjecture about my supposed pride or ego in check, regardless of whether you feel the need to defend your friend or not. I appreciate your intelligent and well thought out input, and I very much like the way you structure your arguments, even if I think you're reaching a bit on some of them.

4) Blanket statements are useful when discussing things that, as you say, are often 99% true. It's like the concept of an infinitive in mathematics. Yes, there are usually exceptions to any blanket statement and that's exactly why I mentioned it a few posts up.

5) If I, or anyone, had to be a paragon of whatever virtue they were extolling then there wouldn't be many people encouraging those virtues at all. Do I have pride? Yes of course; I am human and have many faults. Do I think that it's wrong for me to encourage humility despite it? No, never, and not you or anyone else is going to convince me that to drown in vices just because I am not a saint is an acceptable way to conduct myself.
I have something to say.

This is a thread made by someone who is seeking help. They wanted to know if they were a bad writer (spoiler: they’re not). So how did we get into a conversation- an argument- about “true humility” and subjects that barely pertain to the original topic?

I agree with Goji and Syntra, they have both made some excellent points. Also, what you are doing is egotistical in itself: you are turning a thread, asking for advice, into an argument about humility and how you were attacked, then laughed at.

One humble request, “Great Sage”: please stop
 
Dude, I think your writing is pretty good and a piece of advice is to ignore ghosts no matter how bad it hurts because believe me I have been ghosted for shit I cared about. Keep in mind its way easier to be a dick to a stranger online than in real life because strangers mean nothing to your life at the end of the day. The good thing though is that you have all these nice people here that will try to bring you up and now your ghosters feel stupid I bet.
 
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