Other How do *you* write your posts?

[weldherwings]

im the worst. I write my posts on word doc on a pale green background (to reduce eye strain), in comic sans, size 18pt. I do it with everything -including uni work- and when I’m happy with it, I then transfer it to where it needs to be.

 

[FrostyDragon]

I don’t do anything special for formatting. I just go with default text.

My writing process is pretty simple. First, I read my partner’s post, then I sit back and think about my character’s response. If it’s a more challenging scene, I’ll re-read my partner’s post and then think again about what I think my character would do. Sometimes, I’ll think of a few other alternatives and see if they fit better.

I write in 3rd person, but can have a terrible habit of getting my tenses mixed up and accidentally write “he stands up” instead of “he stood up”.

 

[Purr]

I write in 3rd person, but can have a terrible habit of getting my tenses mixed up and accidentally write “he stands up” instead of “he stood up”.

I have done this too!

Sometimes, I have written entire paragraphs in the wrong tense and had to rewrite them (I write my first draft with my heart and then I edit with my head). =)

Here, FrostyDragon you get a "You Are Not Alone" gif! Heh! =)

 

[Redfork2000]

I have done this too!

Sometimes, I have written entire paragraphs in the wrong tense and had to rewrite them (I write my first draft with my heart and then I edit with my head). =)

Here, FrostyDragon you get a "You Are Not Alone" gif! Heh! =)

This is something I used to struggle a lot with. Back when I wrote on other sites, when I asked for feedback on my writing, the one thing everyone always told me is: "Make up your mind. Use present tense or past tense, but not both of them!"

Nowadays I tend to stick to just one, usually either one my roleplay partner uses, for me there's no real difference, but I've learned to stay consistent with the tenses. It's still a mental effort I have to make to double-check every verb I write to make sure the tense is right though XD.

 

[Seabunny]

I don’t do anything too out of the ordinary. In order to not lose my work by accident, I generally write in google docs first. It also helps me to catch typos. Then I just copy and paste it over to here or wherever. Sometimes I change the font type of my text, but that’s about it.

 

[Purr]

Sometimes, simple is best. =)

 

[Ravenborn]

I'm sort of new to this whole thing (never done rp writing before this in any capacity), and I currently write for one group campaign that requires me to actually put heavy effort into my writing/formatting.

So I guess for the two (?) or so posts I've written, since they tend to be about 1.5k words each, I have them just sort of vibe in google docs for editing over the week, before trial pasting it in the workshop with the relevant code, seeing that nothing is broken, before sending it off to 'once i posted it it's not my writing i do not claim it' land.

I don't know. Am I doing things wrong somehow?

 

[Purr]

'once i posted it it's not my writing i do not claim it' land

Hmm! If that works for you, cool! For me, I claim every word I write. I appreciate having wrote it and claiming it as part of that appreciation process. At least, that works for me!

I don't know. Am I doing things wrong somehow?

My first thought is, "is it working for you?" If it is, great! If not, what appears to be broken? Are your Players and having trouble understanding what you're expressing?

In case this is the case, I say don't doubt yourself for the sake of doubting; that's just a waste of energy that can be put to more positive use elsewhere, if you get my meaning. =)

 

[Ravenborn]

Hmm! If that works for you, cool! For me, I claim every word I write. I appreciate having wrote it and claiming it as part of that appreciation process. At least, that works for me!



My first thought is, "is it working for you?" If it is, great! If not, what appears to be broken? Are your Players and having trouble understanding what you're expressing?

In case this is the case, I say don't doubt yourself for the sake of doubting; that's just a waste of energy that can be put to more positive use elsewhere, if you get my meaning. =)

I mean, it does seem to work for me for now, but after all posts aren't limited to what one would write specifically for one thing. It's more an issue of 'will the way I work still work if I maybe tried writing something else?' type thing.

Also regarding words- I'm a little myopic when it comes to when I write v.s. when it's been posted/published somewhere, so usually within even just a week or two after I write something and it goes out there, I'd be unhappy with how I've written the post because once I'm off the thrill of finishing something all the issues with flow and expression show more strongly to me than it would've while I was writing it. And so the easier way is to just delete it from my mind once it's been written lmao (especially since I don't consider myself a very strong writer)

 

[Purr]

It's more an issue of 'will the way I work still work if I maybe tried writing something else?' type thing.

Ah! It sounds like you want to expand the way you express yourself. Well, what could be more human than that?

And so the easier way is to just delete it from my mind once it's been written lmao (especially since I don't consider myself a very strong writer)

Ravenborn, I had tremendous difficulties communicating in my early days. Today, I still sometimes have trouble.

However years of practice, learning from good influences, and working seriously at it have brought much, much improvement! I can write clearly and creatively now whereas before I could not. Why? Because I put the work in.

Writing is a skill. The more you read and write, the better your vocabulary, grammar, and overall ability to express yourself the way you want to.

But be warned - the opposite is also true. Want to be a bad writer? Stop reading. Stop writing.

The really cool thing is, you have your entire life to improve! You get to decide what is useful and what is not! What to take in, and what to throw away. It is your system.

And that is a beautiful thing!

Honor and fun,
Dann =)

 

[macheath .]

This is something I used to struggle a lot with. Back when I wrote on other sites, when I asked for feedback on my writing, the one thing everyone always told me is: "Make up your mind. Use present tense or past tense, but not both of them!"

Nowadays I tend to stick to just one, usually either one my roleplay partner uses, for me there's no real difference, but I've learned to stay consistent with the tenses. It's still a mental effort I have to make to double-check every verb I write to make sure the tense is right though XD.

that actually kind of makes me sad. write however you like to write. no one else but you can tell your story. i've received a shit ton of criticism for my lowercase writing and it used to make me extremely self conscious to the point i didn't fully enjoy writing anymore. i stopped caring at one point and got back into it. now i'm about to publish my own novel, and guess what? it's in all lowercase because i enjoy writing that way. don't stress too much about how you write, let alone what tenses you use. writing's about setting your own rules and making the "laws" work for you.

 

[Purr]

Well said, moccalad! Finding your own voice as one of the best things about writing. Seeing published writers writing in their own voice as always inspired me. Thanks for the inspiration and congratulations on publishing your novel! =)

 

[Redfork2000]

that actually kind of makes me sad. write however you like to write. no one else but you can tell your story. i've received a shit ton of criticism for my lowercase writing and it used to make me extremely self conscious to the point i didn't fully enjoy writing anymore. i stopped caring at one point and got back into it. now i'm about to publish my own novel, and guess what? it's in all lowercase because i enjoy writing that way. don't stress too much about how you write, let alone what tenses you use. writing's about setting your own rules and making the "laws" work for you.

I mean, I don't really have much of a problem with it. I've always liked to try and improve my writing to the best of my ability. I never took any of that criticism personally, I understood that what they were saying was just a way to help me improve. I'm sorry to hear that the criticism you received made you feel so bad. One lesson that I learned early on was to not take criticism personally, to look at it objectively. I know it can be hard to separate our own emotions from what we write, since we tend to pour so much of ourselves into what we write, but the only way I improved my writing was by learning to not take offense to the criticisms I received, and just look at them objectively, understand what points they are making, and try to see what parts of it I can implement to improve.

I have to admit that if I hadn't listened to any of the feedback I got from other writers over the course of the years, I would've never been able to improve my writing so much over the course of the years I spent writing online. It can definitely hurt to be criticized, particularly if the person giving that criticism isn't being tactful with how they give you that criticism. On another writing community that I joined when I was just starting out writing online, some of the more experienced writers were more gentle and objective with their criticisms, but others gave their feedback in such a hurtful manner that it felt like they were insulting and mocking you all at once. Admittedly, I did feel bad at first, but then I learned to not take it personally. Some of the things they said were actually true, and once I learned to take their advice without letting their words offend me, I managed to improve my writing much more.

I'm actually very happy that I did listen to the feedback, even if it wasn't always given in the most tactful manner, because thanks to those criticisms, and applying the little bits of helpful advice among them, I was able to improve my writing, and now I enjoy writing even more than before. There's nothing wrong with writing how you want to write, and you have my respects for publishing your novel, it's definitely a big achievement, but there's nothing wrong with wanting to improve. I found great joy in improving my writing, and I feel like whatever I write just has much more flavor and depth to it than it had years ago when I started, and a lot of that was thanks to hearing the feedback of others and applying the suggestions they provided. So while I respect the point you are trying to make, I have to say that personally, listening to the feedback others have given me and applying it to my writing has helped me grow as a writer.

 

[macheath .]

I mean, I don't really have much of a problem with it. I've always liked to try and improve my writing to the best of my ability. I never took any of that criticism personally, I understood that what they were saying was just a way to help me improve. I'm sorry to hear that the criticism you received made you feel so bad. One lesson that I learned early on was to not take criticism personally, to look at it objectively. I know it can be hard to separate our own emotions from what we write, since we tend to pour so much of ourselves into what we write, but the only way I improved my writing was by learning to not take offense to the criticisms I received, and just look at them objectively, understand what points they are making, and try to see what parts of it I can implement to improve.

I have to admit that if I hadn't listened to any of the feedback I got from other writers over the course of the years, I would've never been able to improve my writing so much over the course of the years I spent writing online. It can definitely hurt to be criticized, particularly if the person giving that criticism isn't being tactful with how they give you that criticism. On another writing community that I joined when I was just starting out writing online, some of the more experienced writers were more gentle and objective with their criticisms, but others gave their feedback in such a hurtful manner that it felt like they were insulting and mocking you all at once. Admittedly, I did feel bad at first, but then I learned to not take it personally. Some of the things they said were actually true, and once I learned to take their advice without letting their words offend me, I managed to improve my writing much more.

I'm actually very happy that I did listen to the feedback, even if it wasn't always given in the most tactful manner, because thanks to those criticisms, and applying the little bits of helpful advice among them, I was able to improve my writing, and now I enjoy writing even more than before. There's nothing wrong with writing how you want to write, and you have my respects for publishing your novel, it's definitely a big achievement, but there's nothing wrong with wanting to improve. I found great joy in improving my writing, and I feel like whatever I write just has much more flavor and depth to it than it had years ago when I started, and a lot of that was thanks to hearing the feedback of others and applying the suggestions they provided. So while I respect the point you are trying to make, I have to say that personally, listening to the feedback others have given me and applying it to my writing has helped me grow as a writer.

oh, no, i definitely agree with your statement. there's nothing wrong with constructive criticism. not one bit. i was more so referring to the pressure one might feel to fit into someone else's perception of what "good/proper writing" is. i've also received constructive criticism that i ended up implementing into my own writing because it motivated and/or inspired me to grow as a writer. i think i misunderstood your post. to me, it just felt right to let you know that there's no "true" way of writing. thank you for clarifying your original point!

 

[macheath .]

I mean, I don't really have much of a problem with it. I've always liked to try and improve my writing to the best of my ability. I never took any of that criticism personally, I understood that what they were saying was just a way to help me improve. I'm sorry to hear that the criticism you received made you feel so bad. One lesson that I learned early on was to not take criticism personally, to look at it objectively. I know it can be hard to separate our own emotions from what we write, since we tend to pour so much of ourselves into what we write, but the only way I improved my writing was by learning to not take offense to the criticisms I received, and just look at them objectively, understand what points they are making, and try to see what parts of it I can implement to improve.

I have to admit that if I hadn't listened to any of the feedback I got from other writers over the course of the years, I would've never been able to improve my writing so much over the course of the years I spent writing online. It can definitely hurt to be criticized, particularly if the person giving that criticism isn't being tactful with how they give you that criticism. On another writing community that I joined when I was just starting out writing online, some of the more experienced writers were more gentle and objective with their criticisms, but others gave their feedback in such a hurtful manner that it felt like they were insulting and mocking you all at once. Admittedly, I did feel bad at first, but then I learned to not take it personally. Some of the things they said were actually true, and once I learned to take their advice without letting their words offend me, I managed to improve my writing much more.

I'm actually very happy that I did listen to the feedback, even if it wasn't always given in the most tactful manner, because thanks to those criticisms, and applying the little bits of helpful advice among them, I was able to improve my writing, and now I enjoy writing even more than before. There's nothing wrong with writing how you want to write, and you have my respects for publishing your novel, it's definitely a big achievement, but there's nothing wrong with wanting to improve. I found great joy in improving my writing, and I feel like whatever I write just has much more flavor and depth to it than it had years ago when I started, and a lot of that was thanks to hearing the feedback of others and applying the suggestions they provided. So while I respect the point you are trying to make, I have to say that personally, listening to the feedback others have given me and applying it to my writing has helped me grow as a writer.

i'd also like to mention that i wasn't necessarily offended by the comments i received in regards to my lowercase writing. it was more so me pressuring myself to write in a way that did not feel natural to me in order for my writing to be received as "proper" by others. thus, i suddenly did not enjoy writing anymore because it felt like a stranger's work. i think one can grow as a writer without sacrificing their individuality in the process for the sake of other people's approval. either way, i just wanted to clarify myself as well. i wish you all the best in your writing process!

 

[Redfork2000]

i'd also like to mention that i wasn't necessarily offended by the comments i received in regards to my lowercase writing. it was more so me pressuring myself to write in a way that did not feel natural to me in order for my writing to be received as "proper" by others. thus, i suddenly did not enjoy writing anymore because it felt like a stranger's work. i think one can grow as a writer without sacrificing their individuality in the process for the sake of other people's approval. either way, i just wanted to clarify myself as well. i wish you all the best in your writing process!

I understand that concept, and I respect your stance on this topic. What I personally don't find that clicks with me is that writing with good grammar would constitute failing to be yourself, or sacrificing any of your individuality. I believe this might be subjective, and in no way am I trying to imply that you're wrong for writing in lowercase.

Personally I've never seen writing with proper grammar as being someone you're not, or forcing yourself to be something different. It might be that we view grammar in a different way, and if that's the case, I respect your opinion, and your right to write in any way you want, and I congratulate you for having published a novel, that's something that I aspire to do someday myself. But in my personal experience, following grammar is an essential part of making my writing more accessible and easy to understand to others. I don't believe that trying to improve one's grammar is sacrificing one's individuality, I believe it's simply a way to improve and grow as a writer.

In my personal understanding, grammar functions as the foundations of the way we understand each other in written language. To write with good grammar is simply a way of making ourselves easier to understand, and makes it easier for others to read and enjoy what we write.

In order to explain my point, let's say there's another writer who frequently misspells words. I don't judge anyone for how they write, but you will agree with me that if someone continues misspelling words frequently, or fails to use any punctuation symbols, or doesn't break their writing into paragraphs, their writing would be harder to read and understand. In fact, it would even bring us out of the immersion. At least in my personal experience, that's true. If that person enjoys writing that way, and wants to continue doing that, I don't have any problem with it, but I don't think it would sacrifice their individuality as a writer to attempt to improve their grammar. If anything, it would make their writing much easier for others to understand and enjoy.

Now, I understand that writing in lowercase letters isn't nearly as dramatic as the example I described, but I hope you understand the point I'm trying to make. I don't believe that writing with proper grammar robs someone of their individuality as a writer, since that individuality can be expressed through so many ways. Everything from the perspective, the choice of words, the way we narrate, the way we describe, and much more, are what in my humble opinion, help create a unique voice.

With all of this I'm not trying to say that what you're doing is wrong or that you should feel forced to adhere strictly to all grammatical rules. If you enjoy writing the way you do, then I encourage you to continue that way, and there's no reason you should change just because I or anyone else tells you to. But in personal opinion, which is subjective by the very nature of being an opinion, grammar is important, and I do not believe that you lose any individuality from writing with proper grammar.

Doing something different will always feel unnatural at first, because you've never done that before. But it's only through practicing it that it starts to feel natural. I struggled with tenses at first, which is why I tended to mess up with them so frequently. But I've noticed that the more I write while keeping in mind the rule of using a consistent tense throughout my writing, the easier and more natural it becomes to be consistent with it. The more I apply it to my writing, the less of an effort I have to do to keep my tense consistent throughout my writing. So I don't think it's a matter of sacrificing your individuality, it's simply a matter of getting comfortable with what you've learned.

That's my personal opinion on the topic, and I respect your right to disagree with me. I do agree with you that no one should feel pressured to conform to what others say just for the sake of approval, and if someone just wants to enjoy writing the way they want, they should be free to do so. But what I believe, and what most of the other writers I've interacted with also believe, is that writing with good grammar is a good practice, and is beneficial to yourself, and to everyone who enjoys your writing. And I don't believe that you lose any individuality for doing so, if anything, it enhances your writing. In the end, the only thing good grammar does is make it easier for others to understand you, and to enjoy what you write.

Best wishes to you, and I hope you continue to enjoy the joy of writing. Don't let any of what I or anyone else tells you take that away from you. Have a wonderful day (or night, whichever it is where you live).

 

[macheath .]

I understand that concept, and I respect your stance on this topic. What I personally don't find that clicks with
Now, I understand that writing in lowercase letters isn't nearly as dramatic as the example I described, but I hope you understand the point I'm trying to make. I don't believe that writing with proper grammar robs someone of their individuality as a writer, since that individuality can be expressed through so many ways. Everything from the perspective, the choice of words, the way we narrate, the way we describe, and much more, are what in my humble opinion, help create a unique voice.

to be honest, i think it's the fact that i started out as a poet before anything else. never did i ever receive a comment about writing in lowercase before i started to be interested in becoming a novelist. in fact, people seemed to appreciate all of the messy "laws" in poetry due to its rawness. though i do understand that authors are held to different standards than poets, it was just something that i personally struggled with. in no way am i saying that one should not attempt to better their grammar or writing in general if that's what they wish to do. personally, i just can not imagine myself not writing in all lowercase as of now. it just feels natural to me and it's how i like to communicate with others. that might change one day, who knows! i'm not a native speaker so i hope i was making some sort of sense :')

 

[macheath .]

Doing something different will always feel unnatural at first, because you've never done that before. But it's only through practicing it that it starts to feel natural. I struggled with tenses at first, which is why I tended to mess up with them so frequently. But I've noticed that the more I write while keeping in mind the rule of using a consistent tense throughout my writing, the easier and more natural it becomes to be consistent with it. The more I apply it to my writing, the less of an effort I have to do to keep my tense consistent throughout my writing. So I don't think it's a matter of sacrificing your individuality, it's simply a matter of getting comfortable with what you've learned.

i think i agree with most of your stances, actually. as writers, we should all encourage and support each other to become better writers ourselves. thing is, i actually used to not write in all lowercase. then i got into poetry and started to notice that i simply like it. it might not be "proper" grammar but it doesn't take away from my communication.

to me, it simply feels right. once again, this might just be the poet in me, but it's okay to not abide by standard grammar rules in order to be good in what you do. i think what made me sad about your original post was the fact that i had this certain image in my mind that you were told "oh you don't do this? you're NOT a proper writer!"

again, i misunderstood your post since you clearly took other people's advice to heart by your own accord, and not because you felt forced to. that's what made me feel relieved; the fact that you did it for yourself and not out of pressure to fit in as i have in the past. i've seen so many young writers out there who feel as though they're not good enough, and it makes me, being a young writer myself, just feel somewhat sad because i also used to compare myself a lot to older and more experienced writers. as long as you're enjoying yourself during your writing process, there's nothing else for me to really say.

 

[.Arteries.]

I do some formatting stuff
uh
so

[image of the character]
name of the character, normally in a big font and specific colour depending on the character
some funny little note about the situation

Interactions: name of the character they're interacting with (mention the user)

normal writing yknow
"Dialogue is written like this, and most of the time it's the colour of their name."
inner thoughts are in italics
​

yeah thats about it