Baros Sal-Soren
dead too soon
Ever the bane of a role players existence, an incomplete thread can leave a character development moment in limbo for your beloved Mandalorian Twi'lek Dark Jedi Politician character. In this realm of co-operative storytelling you are going to have this happen. It is inevitable. People come and go from Role Play boards like ants around a cookie left over after your romantic picnic in the summer.
I have developed a few ideas that I try to implement in order to reduce this issue. They are presented in the following bullet point format for extra credit.
Please note that this is not taking into account characters with the clout to bring a whole faction into a thread just with a 'hey, what's up?' style in-character post. It is also mostly regarding intermediary character development threads, not Map related threads, though there is certainly room for some consideration of these thoughts there as well.
Role Play is supposed to be a co-operative collaborative experience, but I know that sometimes it can become a competitive collaborative experience, which is not as easy to manage expectation wise. This is especially noticeable in map based threads. However, I do think you will be able to complete more threads with my easy to follow 5 step process.
I have developed a few ideas that I try to implement in order to reduce this issue. They are presented in the following bullet point format for extra credit.
Please note that this is not taking into account characters with the clout to bring a whole faction into a thread just with a 'hey, what's up?' style in-character post. It is also mostly regarding intermediary character development threads, not Map related threads, though there is certainly room for some consideration of these thoughts there as well.
- Don't write waffles.
- What is a waffle I hear you say? A waffle is a thread that has no clear purpose. It just waffles on and on. The characters are not going anywhere, they are kind of doing something, but no one has any clear idea what or why. Don't write them. It will just burn through your reserve muse.
- If you are someone who has time and muse to burn on waffles, then please understand that others may not.
- A waffle is often, but doesn't have to be, a thread where characters are just chatting. Here are some thoughts on this matter:
- Conversation threads can usually be accomplished concisely and beautifully in a very small number of posts.
- Know the general idea of the conversation you want to have with said character before starting it.
- Get to the fun stuff right away.
- If there is going to be action in a thread, start in the middle of the action, or just as it's beginning.
- If the conversation is going to be an argument, or some romantic proposal, jump to the moment in question.
- Writing 3 pages of build up is OK if you have the stamina to maintain interest, but most threads like this burn out before you even start towards accomplishing your goal.
- Flashback the shiznit out of it.
- Dropping Jonny Epicjedi into a thread that is mid-action, or mid-argument and then through internal dialogue, or even flashback scenes trying to unravel how they got to that point is a fun challenge!
- Flashbacks can sometimes just be a passing comment to what happened before the first scene in the thread, or it could be a whole separate concurrent story you are telling. This can be trickier to manage, but it is fun as you can create moments that seed recurring jokes, explain moments that have already passed in the 'current' time line, but they can take some cognitive effort to maintain.
- Have a clear goal.
- Already mentioned elsewhere, but this still deserves its own bullet point.
- If you have a couple of people you a writing with, share the goal. Gives your opposition something to help you to work towards, but perhaps in some twisted variant to your intention, or help guide you towards it.
- Having a goal doesn't take away the freedom in posting, because not achieving goals can sometimes be more interesting a development than achieving them!
- Short threads are fine.
- You don't have to write in 80 posts over 17 months what could have been written in 20 posts over a few weeks.
- Use the early excitement of the thread being started to get the bulk of the heavy lifting done.
- Complete the thread when the embers are still burning in thy and thy fellow writers bosoms.
Role Play is supposed to be a co-operative collaborative experience, but I know that sometimes it can become a competitive collaborative experience, which is not as easy to manage expectation wise. This is especially noticeable in map based threads. However, I do think you will be able to complete more threads with my easy to follow 5 step process.
Finish the thread when you still want more.
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