Advice/Help Writing length advice??

[smollDemonn]

So I know a lot of people on here are advanced or literate roleplayers. I was wondering if you guys have any tips for writing longer responses and paragraphs? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Chordling]

Hey Demonn! There was actually a recent discussion thread that talked about literacy and post length. The general consensus was that literacy does not always equate to the length of the post, so please do not let quick, general statements judge how you feel about your work. However, if you're still looking to buff up your posts, there are a few things you can think about.

I like to consider all of the actions that are happening in a scene, particularly when people are talking. I like to think about what the character is doing with their body when they are speaking to other people. Do they fidget with their hands? Did they change the direction that they looked in? How can I describe how the character is feeling? Those are just a few ideas to start with. You could maybe post a writing sample or two here (or dm them to me) if you're comfortable to do so and have it critiqued for length, too.

 

[Phantom Thief of Hearts]

Big word of advice, friend. When you're making a long and detailed post try to avoid rambling on minor details and also vary in your sentence lengths.

 

[Idea]

What I have found on this topic is that writing length- at least that which is competently made- has more than anything to do with mentality, with a certain sense of values. What you find important about a post, what you find to be relevant, or the opposite, will determine the sort of post length you naturally produce.

For instance, let's take you have a tense scene, something thrilling and action packed is happening. Now, some styles of writing will cut all thought, focus only on quick and sporadic actions intercut only very occasionally, perhaps to lower your guard as a reader momentarily before bringing the next big plot beat of the action. Others, however, might use a style with more inner dialogue, jumble up that dialogue, make it as sporadic as the narration, use it to drag you as a reader into the character's own frantic mindset and see the options dwindling in their mind, letting you understand their situation better by understanding how they think.

One of these styles would say "the inner monologue is in the way, it undercuts the flow of the scene and dissipates the tension from the action", while the other would argue "the inner monologue helps understand the character's situation more deeply and thus better relate to it, better understand just what it is they are going through and make the stakes more intense". yet although either side has a point, one side ends up with significantly greater length than the other, because it uses tools and values things that require more writing.

Another example is how a writer who is really interested in fashion and thus ends up describing in detail all the ways in which the people in a restaurant are dressed, thus using that as a way to communicate their general lifestyle, who they might be and so on... A treasure hoard of information ripe for the picking. But, one might say, I don't need to know that information for the plot.

Again, one side is gonna write significantly more than the other. Picking one side or the other is the matter of whether you find that information a valuable thing.

If you find fashion to be important information to share, you'll think of bringing it up more easily. The same applies for pretty much any other aspect of writing. if you think them unimportant, it'll be harder to consider something an option as you write.

So on a fundamental level, if you want to increase how much you write, you need to change how you think, how you approach writing and structuring that writing.

However, at the same time remember that more writing isn't necessarily better writing. It's just a different style of writing, and trying to fit into something that just doesn't suit what works for you at all isn't necessarily the best idea in the world. Nonetheless, if really really wanna change, then the mindset is the thing to change first.

Hope this helps and happy RPing!

 

[Onmyoji]

There were already tips on what to add to expand your posts but also don't forget to read more. But when reading, don't just consume the content. Take mental notes of what your favorite author is doing. How they describe action scenes, calm scenes, introduce dialogue, use character inner monologues. Note all that and try to incorporate into your writing. reading various authors will also help to expand your own writing styles.

 

[Crayons]

If you want longer posts (which is not necessarily best as others have said but lets assume you do cos that's what you asked) here are my tips for what you can include:

Thoughts: What is your character thinking? Is it the same or different to how they are acting or speaking? Does the scene evoke any memories for them?
Emotions: How does your character feel? Are they open with their feelings or hiding them? Do they not even know how they feel because they are so emotionally repressed? Why do they feel that way?
Sensations: What can your character see/hear/touch/taste/smell? Is there an environment you can describe? Are they feeling pain? Itchy? Is the birdsong a pleasant background or noisy squawking?
Speech: What does your character say? Is it related to what they are thinking or feeling? Why do they choose to say what they do? Do they choose it or does it just blurt out because they have no filter? How do they speak?
Action: What is your character doing? Are they in the middle of a battle? Are they scratching their bum? Drawing in the dirt? Standing funny? Rolling their eyes? Drinking coffee? How are they doing these things? Why are they?

Also don't forget to read your partner's post thoroughly and react to whatever they do. Did they mention there is a breeze/an ice cream van/a beggar? Do they interact physically with your character? Pick up on small cues and develop them in your post.

 

[Phantom Thief of Hearts]

If you want longer posts (which is not necessarily best as others have said but lets assume you do cos that's what you asked) here are my tips for what you can include:

Thoughts: What is your character thinking? Is it the same or different to how they are acting or speaking? Does the scene evoke any memories for them?
Emotions: How does your character feel? Are they open with their feelings or hiding them? Do they not even know how they feel because they are so emotionally repressed? Why do they feel that way?
Sensations: What can your character see/hear/touch/taste/smell? Is there an environment you can describe? Are they feeling pain? Itchy? Is the birdsong a pleasant background or noisy squawking?
Speech: What does your character say? Is it related to what they are thinking or feeling? Why do they choose to say what they do? Do they choose it or does it just blurt out because they have no filter? How do they speak?
Action: What is your character doing? Are they in the middle of a battle? Are they scratching their bum? Drawing in the dirt? Standing funny? Rolling their eyes? Drinking coffee? How are they doing these things? Why are they?

Also don't forget to read your partner's post thoroughly and react to whatever they do. Did they mention there is a breeze/an ice cream van/a beggar? Do they interact physically with your character? Pick up on small cues and develop them in your post.

This is good advice, I'll keep that on note.