Advice/Help I'm a newbie and I'm excited and intimidated

[theoscout]

I used to roleplay ALL THE DANG TIME as a kid. As an adult, I think that it's good for my mental health, which is why I'm here.
But I had a look around and everyone's writing extremely long replies, using fantastic grammar, excellent descriptions, the code of the site, inserting pictures, and while I'm extremely impressed by what you all have going on here, I'm quite intimidated. It feels like I'm a highschooler who, after several years of not being at school, has abruptly gone to university.

I want to join a roleplay and have fun while also practising my writing, so are people here okay with a bumbling newbie who probably has the writing comprehension of a 14 year old coming here? You all have been on this site for years and today it's my first day. I might make a roleplay later with lenient rules saying that you don't have to make a novel-quality complex reply, but I'd like to see your thoughts for now!

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Hello, welcome to the site!
Enjoy your stay here. All those fancy codes, novella paraghraphs and pretty pictures are all optional. Some enjoy them and some don't so no need to mind it too much. Don't be afraid to make mistakes and keep learning, we're all must start somewhere afterall.

 

[theoscout]

Spoiled Bread Thank you!

 

[nerdy tangents]

I recommend starting by joining a 1x1 (a roleplay with one other person) with someone who doesn’t mind shorter replies.

The benefits of this is that it’s a lot easier to adjust to your current level and get direct feedback.

It’s also a lot easier to have someone else take the reigns of running a roleplay, specifically someone who knows what their doing.

As it’s a lot harder then you might think to keep a roleplay going. It requires a lot of patience, a gift for coordinating, and most importantly of all : extremely thick skin.

Because a vast majority of roleplays fail. I would say easily 9/10ths of them don’t get passed the planning stage.

So to give you the best chance of getting started I would see if you can’t find a roleplay mentor.

(( I’m a little busy with the holidays at the moment but I can at least give you tips on how to make an interest check or some of the basic codes. Your welcome to send me a PM if you have any specific questions ))

 

[theoscout]

nerdy tangents Thank you for the advice! I will definitely try that! My experience from previous roleplays affirms what you have told me. I'll think about this for a while and take the time to plan before beginning, learn to use site code and all that jazz!

 

[GojiBean]

Hoyo!

Welcome to RpNation!

No matter one's perceived writing level or style everyone has a place and is welcome here!

My advice for you would be to look for a roleplay, either 1x1 or Group, which is focused on a subject or source material which you're interested in and enjoy. It's been scientifically proven that when you focus on things which make you happy you are more productive than when you are in unfamiliar or uncomfortable territory. Can you be productive when unfamiliar or uncomfortable? Yes. However, it's largely dependent upon your personal motivation, determination, and your mental energy as to whether or not you can still be productive. And since all three are regularly in flux based on irl circumstances and day to day shenanigans, you're far more likely to be consistently productive when focusing on things which make you happy.

As such, I can think of no better way for you to shake off the rust than to find an RP that focuses on a series or a subject matter you really like, or are interested in, as it'll be a way to already have something to talk about with the other participants, and you'll already have the necessary information to make a character and get involved quickly.

Cheers!

- GojiBean

 

[theoscout]

GojiBean Thank you! I will do that! I don't have any current hyperfixations that would translate well into roleplay, but I'm determined to find some! Or make them myself. I think I'll wait for the right time to start writing.

 

[DovahBeat]

Hello! as someone who has literally done the hs then wait a few years to do uni/college thing, i totally understand your analogy! lmao
I don't mind if you wanna be friends/me be a mentor for you if you'd like, My friend and I are trying to revitalize a group rp we got going on, I'd say it's pretty lax. We do have a few rules but theyre not anything profound, and we're pretty patient with folks, so if you wanna check it out the Interest check is Here and the sign up thread Here
Alternatively I don't mind discussing interests somewhere and doing a 1x1 either! go ahead and shoot me a PM if you feel like!
-dovahbeat

 

[theoscout]

Hello! as someone who has literally done the hs then wait a few years to do uni/college thing, i totally understand your analogy! lmao
I don't mind if you wanna be friends/me be a mentor for you if you'd like, My friend and I are trying to revitalize a group rp we got going on, I'd say it's pretty lax. We do have a few rules but theyre not anything profound, and we're pretty patient with folks, so if you wanna check it out the Interest check is Here and the sign up thread Here
Alternatively I don't mind discussing interests somewhere and doing a 1x1 either! go ahead and shoot me a PM if you feel like!
-dovahbeat

Ooo, I'll take a look!

 

[Sleipnir]

Oh, hey! I clicked in without realizing we've spoken to offer my support!

It's great to see someone getting back into the writing scene! I for one am firmly of the opinion that you never need really long replies unless you just have a lot to say. If or when I take a stab at starting another game, you'd be more than welcome to join in!

 

[ManicMuse]

Greetings, fellow seasoned member of this community! It's wonderful to have you here. No need to fret about the changes in lore; everything from our youthful days has been given a fresh spin anyway. Besides, many of the world builds come with their own unique lore that you can peruse and absorb.

I'd like to recommend adding a text-to-speech widget to your browser. It's a game-changer for me; I get to enjoy the creations of others while keeping my eyes and hands-free to jot down some quick notes. I share your struggle with coding on this platform. Despite building websites for other professionals now and then, the coding intricacies here can be quite overwhelming.
If you're into RPs with coded content, many have connections to coders. Additionally, there's some free coding content available if you ever want to enhance your creations. Check out resource threads here: BBCode Center

Happy exploring!

 

[Cabbagefrog]

Don't worry, I am also noobing my way back into roleplaying as I used to do it all the time as a kid. Forum roleplaying was actually my escape ( started on an old webpage's forum called Ganon's Tower). BUT! So far this has been a fun place and I'm already part of an RP that hasn't been overwhelming at all, and I think generally new people to the forum, so I wouldn't be discouraged with all the pros and their pretty coding lol

 

[GreatSaiyaman31]

I used to roleplay ALL THE DANG TIME as a kid. As an adult, I think that it's good for my mental health, which is why I'm here.
But I had a look around and everyone's writing extremely long replies, using fantastic grammar, excellent descriptions, the code of the site, inserting pictures, and while I'm extremely impressed by what you all have going on here, I'm quite intimidated. It feels like I'm a highschooler who, after several years of not being at school, has abruptly gone to university.

I want to join a roleplay and have fun while also practising my writing, so are people here okay with a bumbling newbie who probably has the writing comprehension of a 14 year old coming here? You all have been on this site for years and today it's my first day. I might make a roleplay later with lenient rules saying that you don't have to make a novel-quality complex reply, but I'd like to see your thoughts for now!

I hope that you've found at least one good partner since you've posted this but if not, I'd be more interested to hear what it is you're actually looking for in a rp partner and what kinda story you've been trying to write.

I mean I have ideas rattling around in my head all of the time but we're here for your question for the moment. I am on the older side of the site so I do only write in third person and depending on how invested I am in the story and how much you give me to work with I can be guilty of those long replies with decent grammar.

 

[theoscout]

GreatSaiyaman31
Oh wow! I didn't expect anyone to reply after so long! I'll answer you then!
I wasn't really looking for a partner, as with strangers I feel a bit weird. I would only 1x1 someone I already know, who knows me and my boundaries already. I was looking more towards group roleplays.
I did find them! I found several. I had fun with them, they died out some way or another, but I had fun. I'm still wanting to roleplay, but this time I'd really like to worldbuild the shit out of it, make it seem as though it's a fandom of its own, with plenty of potential for people to explore. Joining this roleplay should be like joining a new ttrpg with its pre established lore and stuff. And if this roleplay dies as well, I can always try turning it into an actual ttrpg!

Also, after trying it out myself, I don't think that the 'writing long and detailed responses that are nice' is that hard anymore! It just seems superficially hard. I mean, I wrote this paragraph right? lol

 

[StrixDesmodus]

I too am not fond of 1 on 1 roleplays with strangers, but I'm running a group rp that's currently open and could use some new characters before the roleplay progresses too far for new characters to be plausible.

It's one of those ever so common fantasy high school roleplays, but with elements of sci-fi, alternate history, and dystopia. Basically, it's about a school of villainy and henchmanship where not all of the students and staff are there willingly.

If you're interested, I'll send the link to the interest check.


Edit: forgot to mention, we're flexible for post length and style, and all threads are onsite.

Another edit: A spinoff rp may be on the way involving a similar school for heroes.

 

[snooglebug]

omg hi! i’m also a newbie who’s rlly intimidated, i’ve just been straight up reading roleplays for the past 10 days i’ve been here because it’s like… is my writing good enough? i’ve only roleplayed with people i’ve known too. roleplaying one on one seems like it would feel awkward but i’m not experienced in group roleplays. buuuut it’s comforting to know that i’m not the only one :]

 

[cheeseburger90210]

I used to roleplay ALL THE DANG TIME as a kid. As an adult, I think that it's good for my mental health, which is why I'm here.
But I had a look around and everyone's writing extremely long replies, using fantastic grammar, excellent descriptions, the code of the site, inserting pictures, and while I'm extremely impressed by what you all have going on here, I'm quite intimidated. It feels like I'm a highschooler who, after several years of not being at school, has abruptly gone to university.

I want to join a roleplay and have fun while also practising my writing, so are people here okay with a bumbling newbie who probably has the writing comprehension of a 14 year old coming here? You all have been on this site for years and today it's my first day. I might make a roleplay later with lenient rules saying that you don't have to make a novel-quality complex reply, but I'd like to see your thoughts for now!

Make your own forum and play with yourself. Its what I do since no one roleplays with me or when I make a character, it gets turned down. I cant play on this site, so I play with myself. Sadly that is what alot of people do. They say they dont, but they do. They make two accounts and play with each other at the start. I only have one account, and just play with myself on one account instead of pretending to have a popular forum like so many forums do.

Do not be intimidated by these people. There is no such thing as a pro-roleplayer. Any person can roleplay. Anyone can do it. dont be intimidated, there is no such thing as a top skilled roleplayer. intimidated? dont be that way.

Yes everyone thinks they are the best, and have long posts. I myself have long posts. go deep into detail on things and tell everyone your characters feelings and emotions. if you need longer written details? use GTP, and load your story into the AI and tell it to give you deeper details about things that the character goes through. So add color to things, so,

'the door' becomes 'the newly pained yellow wooden door with a silver knob'

See, two words become ten.

To have long posts like them. Just go into a stupid level of detail. Then a series of five things or more becomes one, 1500 words or more. its kindof a trick everyone here uses. everyone thinks is a secret to posting more words but everyone knows and everyone does it.

there is NO wrong way to roleplay. if anyone tells you otherwise, they are a liar. roleplay however you want.

anyone can roleplay. you can make your own forum and do five liners like other people do on other roleplaying web sites.

however; rpnation is different, they have users who post long posts. but that is not a requirement on all forums. some forums have requirements of this amount of lines or that amount of lines, but some of the best roleplayers at other sites only use about maybe 15 lines. You can do that easy once you get started and out your mind to it. You CAN DO IT!

also if there are more then a few people on the forum, interaction with all of them as much as you can, will often make your posts longer. also remember to go deep in details with each interaction, of what you are doing. Adding color to everything helps to as you interect with as many people as you can. The blue car, the red car. so on and so on.

there is also no professional way to roleplay. posts can be short and you can still be a roleplayer.

yes you can insert pictures; that's cool. however if your on a old computer; i would just post the link. however some roleplayers want pics over links but that's not a rule overall in most roleplaying communities.

good luck with rpnation. this is a wonderful community and I am sure you will be posting long posts in no time.

good luck and have fun.

 

[Goonfire]

I used to roleplay ALL THE DANG TIME as a kid. As an adult, I think that it's good for my mental health, which is why I'm here.
But I had a look around and everyone's writing extremely long replies, using fantastic grammar, excellent descriptions, the code of the site, inserting pictures, and while I'm extremely impressed by what you all have going on here, I'm quite intimidated. It feels like I'm a highschooler who, after several years of not being at school, has abruptly gone to university.

I want to join a roleplay and have fun while also practising my writing, so are people here okay with a bumbling newbie who probably has the writing comprehension of a 14 year old coming here? You all have been on this site for years and today it's my first day. I might make a roleplay later with lenient rules saying that you don't have to make a novel-quality complex reply, but I'd like to see your thoughts for now!

It's funny this comes back to light after a few months. How goes your experience so far? While I don't recall seeing your posts elsewhere, I don't think you have much to worry about, in terms of grammar and readability. When you first wrote this in December, you seemed intimidated by the "more words + more pictures + more BBcode = quality post" mentality some people have. There are people like that on any writing/roleplay forum. Allow me to share my belated input on the matter.

To start, I'm simply not fond of "novella replies" (or walls of text, as I sometimes call them) for the same reasons I hate legal documents: the most crucial points often get lost in a sea of words. Believe it or not, there is such thing as conveying too much information. If it takes a thousand words to describe what something looks like, then just paint a damned picture. Sometimes, less is more!

Novella replies require a certain drive to read and write them. If you're still looking to hone your skill writing them, I suggest reading classic books first and taking notes if you must. Work to develop a style—your style—and try to avoid AI as an easy solution. Give your replies substance, and make those 1,000+ words meaningful.