Other Handling dialogue

[Owl Knight]

I've been wondering if people have noticed this or if it's just a me thing: Most people that I roleplay with one on one tend to shoot for two to three paragraph posts each time they respond.

This is great and all until our two characters need to have a conversation of any kind. In order to meet that two paragraph mark, one of two things needs to happen:

Either each post will be way overstuffed with descriptions and details about how the character is gesturing or what they are thinking, with one line of dialogue buried in the middle...

OR, each response is packed with dialogue to the point that the characters seem to be having two simultaneous one sided conversations.

Am I doing a good job of describing this? I don't know if I am.

How do you guys keep your dialogue exchanges snappy when you are trying to keep your post size up? Do you ever sacrifice the length of the post when it makes sense for you to just focus on your characters line of dialogue?

 

[undeadrat]

collab post.

as in, "hey my character said, 'blahblahablah' so give me your response and I'll add it in my post" sorta stuff.

either that or I just sacrifice length. long posts aren't necessarily better than short ones. especially in roleplays.

 

[Onmyoji]

as in, "hey my character said, 'blahblahablah' so give me your response and I'll add it in my post" sorta stuff.

This is what I usually do. We discuss the general idea of the scene with rp partner, and when it gets to writing dialogue I tell them what my character is going to say and ask how their character would react to that and then include their response in my post as indirect speech or some other way that would be appropriate in that particular scene. Could also be implied from my character's actions or thoughts etc.

If for whatever reason I don't do that, then yes, sacrifice post length. Not to the point of making it one dialogue line (unless we play real time and can actually rp the scene online), but adding something that leads to the dialogue, a bit of descriptions would be needed anyway, and I usually end my post with the phrase the other character should reply to.

 

[rae2nerdy]

So I think a big misconseption that people have with detailed posts is that they have to be about hitting a specific word count/paragraph count.

Any time that is your primary focus on a post (dialogue or no dialogue) than your post is going to suffer in terms of quality.

For me I never write below two paragraphs at minimum and tend to stay more in the three to four paragraph average.

This is not because I’m trying desperately to hit a specific length or anything. It’s where my writing naturally stops off.

I’m just a long winded person by nature and I enjoy describing the background and setting of each post.

And my partners have never had a problem responding nor have I ever pressured them to match my length.

So I think that might be the issue. Rather than have people focus on a specific length have them just respond to your post. If that response happens to be three paragraphs cool. If not as long as it’s readable and you can respond to it I wouldn’t stress over length

 

[Idea]

Honestly for us big posters this is one of the bigger faults of the way we roleplay. Detailed writing style simply isn't as organic or dynamic, and that is by design. It's kind of inevitable to be more long-winded and less immediate and if this is not something you can appreciate then I frankly don't think you should writing detailed in the first place.

Now, this can be overcome with planning ahead and cooperation, as mentioned by Onmyoji and undeadrat but in the majority of cases you may not have access to that degree of cooperation, and in those cases what I can tell you is that the answer is not in the dialogue. Those character thoughts are the thing you should make snappy. Rather than the back forth, a change in how you present the dialogue and the thoughts of the character is what should be reflecting the discussion.

While this will mostly depend on the kind of character you're trying to portray, breaking up the dialogue with description may help.

Example:

Spoiler: In Casual

"What did you say? You dare spew such insults when you know nothing about me? Go away you wench!" He threw his arms up in the air, shoving her down the hall like she was some servant. He scoffed, he coughed, he glared down at her. "And stay away."

He walked away into the arch, not even bothering to tidy up the dust.

Spoiler: In Detailed

His eyes widened into a fury and suddenly the figure towered upon her, a lighthouse with shaking foundations that offuscated her sight and will with ominous light.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" His voice echoed among the castle walls. "You dare spew such insults when you know nothing about me? Go away you wench!"

VOOM, up she went throw back by his suddenly raised arms pressing against her body. There was a mocking echo as her body tumbled down and she barely got to see the man wiping the tears. She wanted to reply, but such a glance he threw at her that even her arms felt weak like an infant's legs, barely enough to stand the weight of such a sight.

There was a scoff, a cough, and finally he turned around.

"And stay away."

She couldn't help but remain there, listening to the sound of the marching beneath the dark arch. Her arms gave in, and her eyes couldn't hold back her own tears anymore.

The advantange of detail is the ability to add more weight, context and atmosphere to the scenes. What it can sacrifice in the feeling of dynamic, it wants to gain by creating an experience that is more complete and immersive. It's a different approach altogether, and this shouldn't be ignored.

In the example, the extra detail is there to reinforce the helplessness of the characters and the weight of the drift between them.

Anyways, I hope this helps. Best of luck and happy RPing!

 

[Owl Knight]

Honestly for us big posters this is one of the bigger faults of the way we roleplay. Detailed writing style simply isn't as organic or dynamic, and that is by design. It's kind of inevitable to be more long-winded and less immediate and if this is not something you can appreciate then I frankly don't think you should writing detailed in the first place.

Now, this can be overcome with planning ahead and cooperation, as mentioned by Onmyoji and undeadrat but in the majority of cases you may not have access to that degree of cooperation, and in those cases what I can tell you is that the answer is not in the dialogue. Those character thoughts are the thing you should make snappy. Rather than the back forth, a change in how you present the dialogue and the thoughts of the character is what should be reflecting the discussion.

While this will mostly depend on the kind of character you're trying to portray, breaking up the dialogue with description may help.

Example:

Spoiler: In Casual

"What did you say? You dare spew such insults when you know nothing about me? Go away you wench!" He threw his arms up in the air, shoving her down the hall like she was some servant. He scoffed, he coughed, he glared down at her. "And stay away."

He walked away into the arch, not even bothering to tidy up the dust.

Spoiler: In Detailed

His eyes widened into a fury and suddenly the figure towered upon her, a lighthouse with shaking foundations that offuscated her sight and will with ominous light.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" His voice echoed among the castle walls. "You dare spew such insults when you know nothing about me? Go away you wench!"

VOOM, up she went throw back by his suddenly raised arms pressing against her body. There was a mocking echo as her body tumbled down and she barely got to see the man wiping the tears. She wanted to reply, but such a glance he threw at her that even her arms felt weak like an infant's legs, barely enough to stand the weight of such a sight.

There was a scoff, a cough, and finally he turned around.

"And stay away."

She couldn't help but remain there, listening to the sound of the marching beneath the dark arch. Her arms gave in, and her eyes couldn't hold back her own tears anymore.

The advantange of detail is the ability to add more weight, context and atmosphere to the scenes. What it can sacrifice in the feeling of dynamic, it wants to gain by creating an experience that is more complete and immersive. It's a different approach altogether, and this shouldn't be ignored.

In the example, the extra detail is there to reinforce the helplessness of the characters and the weight of the drift between them.

Anyways, I hope this helps. Best of luck and happy RPing!

That's interesting. I always tend to approach RP writing in the same way I would approach a short story. In that context, if I paused during every line of dialogue to describe a character's thought process it would cease to have weight and depth and simply be unwieldy to read.

It's a unique challenge to thread the needle of creating a substantive response without belaboring the point until things become redundant.

 

[Idea]

That's interesting. I always tend to approach RP writing in the same way I would approach a short story. In that context, if I paused during every line of dialogue to describe a character's thought process it would cease to have weight and depth and simply be unwieldy to read.

It's a unique challenge to thread the needle of creating a substantive response without belaboring the point until things become redundant.

Well, the thing about writing a short story, is that you are writing it alone. Writing in collaboration with someone else is a substancial difference, because the lack of control over one of the characters means a HUGE reduction to your ability to manage what comes when, to direct the story towards certain directions that maximize what you can show and do with the characters while also working within the narrative, and to prompt questions and responses that would help flesh things out. This is what makes players have to choose between a detailed approach and a casual approach in the first place: An author isn't limited to writing in posts.

 

[Owl Knight]

Well, the thing about writing a short story, is that you are writing it alone. Writing in collaboration with someone else is a substancial difference, because the lack of control over one of the characters means a HUGE reduction to your ability to manage what comes when, to direct the story towards certain directions that maximize what you can show and do with the characters while also working within the narrative, and to prompt questions and responses that would help flesh things out. This is what makes players have to choose between a detailed approach and a casual approach in the first place: An author isn't limited to writing in posts.

True. That's actually one of the reasons I love RPing. That lack of control really forces me to think outside of the box and react in a more organic way to what's gong on in the scene.

 

[Sara Sidereal]

I use as many words as I need to communicate whatever it is I'm trying to communicate. Minimum post length is a broken tradition that serves no one.

 

[Coward]

I agree with others that sticking to a minimum length is a bad idea. However in my opinion 2 paragraphs rarely feels like too much, even during dialogue.

The parallel conversations thing is also not always a huge issue once you get used to it. One thing I do sometimes to keep things feeling snappier is roll backwards through the various lines in my partner’s post when replying. Like, I reply to the last line first, and then go back through other points.

For example (imagine there’s a bunch of description with this dialogue as well):

PARTNER:

[this character is leaving town.]

“I told you I was going. Last week. You never listen anymore, you just make up what I said later to fit what you want.”

He paced the room, [blah blah.]

“Anyway I’ll be in a hospital room a lot of the time, so don’t expect to be calling me, okay?”

ME:
“Why the hell would I want to call you now?”

[...]

He dropped his head in his hands, mumbling. “You know you didn’t tell me...”

So after that, all of the partner’s dialogue has been addressed, but hopefully in a way that doesn’t feel totally unatural.

 

[Idea]

I agree with others that sticking to a minimum length is a bad idea. However in my opinion 2 paragraphs rarely feels like too much, even during dialogue.

I just want to briefly bring up I did not say this, just in case there is any confusion. I said if lengthy and detailed content is not the type of content one is looking for, then they shouldn't be forcing themselves to go through with it. There is nothing wrong with a minimum length, so long as one understand that there is a fundamental difference in the writing style that prompts and that it is the specific characteristics of that writing style one wants out of the roleplay.

 

[Coward]

I just want to briefly bring up I did not say this, just in case there is any confusion. I said if lengthy and detailed content is not the type of content one is looking for, then they shouldn't be forcing themselves to go through with it. There is nothing wrong with a minimum length, so long as one understand that there is a fundamental difference in the writing style that prompts and that it is the specific characteristics of that writing style one wants out of the roleplay.

Oh yeah for sure, I just got the general impression in the thread that some people feel like longer writing is agony during dialogue. I don’t think it has to be.

 

[MechanicalSnake]

This is super interesting, thanks!
I really like Idea's POV; sometimes I tend to have too many non-dynamic thoughts and desrcriptions cluttering the dialogue, but it didn't occur to me as a problem until I read this thread

 

[Idea]

This is super interesting, thanks!
I really like Idea's POV; sometimes I tend to have too many non-dynamic thoughts and desrcriptions cluttering the dialogue, but it didn't occur to me as a problem until I read this thread

It isn't necessarily a problem. I said that the detailed lengthy writing style and a casual writing style are different and later in discussion also mentioned the differences of this to writing a book.

Lengthy descriptions and lack of dynamism go hand in hand, but they are only a problem if the type of content you want is not in the lengthy descriptions themselves. Atmosphere, weight, dveelopment, structure , inmersiveness are all advantages of a more detailed writing style. But what it gains in those it sacrifices in being organic, in feeling spontaneous and in ease of use.

My main point was "find the entertainment you seek and stick to it, but if you want to transition here are a few tips" (then I proceeded to give some tips)

 

[Owl Knight]

Yeah, I think its definitely possible for RPs to have thorough descriptive posts and still have dynamism and flow. I've also experienced the opposite where my partners didn't know how to reign in their writing to fit the moment of the story and it always left me feeling like I had to scramble to keep up with the deluge of dialogue or description despite the scene consisting of two characters sitting and talking.

 

[MechanicalSnake]

It isn't necessarily a problem. I said that the detailed lengthy writing style and a casual writing style are different and later in discussion also mentioned the differences of this to writing a book.

Lengthy descriptions and lack of dynamism go hand in hand, but they are only a problem if the type of content you want is not in the lengthy descriptions themselves. Atmosphere, weight, dveelopment, structure , inmersiveness are all advantages of a more detailed writing style. But what it gains in those it sacrifices in being organic, in feeling spontaneous and in ease of use.

My main point was "find the entertainment you seek and stick to it, but if you want to transition here are a few tips" (then I proceeded to give some tips)

Yep, I get it. But hey. Thinking about it again, an action scene like the one you described is usually not the problem in terms of lack of dynamism/sacrificing post length/ cluttering the conversation.
The main problem is the type of dialogue that gets a bit personal, while not much is actually happening otherwise, except for the two characters sitting by the fire/traveling/lying in bed etc. while sharing something important. I mean what would you do then, go for long monologue, clutter it with descriptions/inner thoughts, opt for a shorter post, or do you have a magical solution?

 

[Idea]

Yep, I get it. But hey. Thinking about it again, an action scene like the one you described is usually not the problem in terms of lack of dynamism/sacrificing post length/ cluttering the conversation.
The main problem is the type of dialogue that gets a bit personal, while not much is actually happening otherwise, except for the two characters sitting by the fire/traveling/lying in bed etc. while sharing something important. I mean what would you do then, go for long monologue, clutter it with descriptions/inner thoughts, opt for a shorter post, or do you have a magical solution?

Well, I'm an example of someone who does want that detail and length. To me the enjoyment comes in the experience and immersion of well-built atmosphere and well-structured posts, in the life breathed into the writing by diving into the innermost perspective of the characters and being well informed about how things feel, look like and work. I enjoy reading detailed reactions to what I bring up and re-reading long posts.

As such, my approach is to give detail. Something I often do, especially for important moments, is really five into the character's perspective and try to stylistically depict their inner struggles and thought processes. I try to create new content but am not afraid of making use os stylistic repetition when a character gets particularly focused on an idea.

If the characters are say, travellig, I may create associations or contrast form the chharacter's inner thoughts and conflict with the outter journey or environment, mixing descriptions and reflection. I may use the environment to expand the range of actions my character may take to express themselves as well.

Of course, this is general. The situation and character is important in determining exactly what to do, but those are my general methods.