Post by Uzumaki Naruto on Jul 28, 2007 11:45:13 GMT -5
Roleplay Guide
I am not a rude person, and this board if for other’s benefit- not a personal attack on anyone, so don’t take it as one. I could be better in my writing, myself, and I strive to work at it. It takes patience and practice, and I’ve noticed most posts here are… one liners. What is a one liner? It is a one sentence reply to a roleplay. While these may be quick, honestly, can you say that they’re very exciting? I’ve written a new set of rules, one of which happens to be no one-liners, so I’d like to enforce that in a more polite way than going around and telling people bluntly to stop it and put more effort in. This guide will give pointers on character development and writing longer posts. It really isn’t that hard. Just take it in stride.
I will start this out by saying: use rules of grammar. It may take more effort, but use what you learned. Capitalize all proper nouns-names specific places, etc.-, the word ‘I’, and the first word at the beginning of sentences. Punctuate your sentences accordingly- a mark is needed after any complete thought, and compound sentences require a comma to separate two complete thoughts. Take for example:
I walked my dog. I went to the park. (Each sentence has one complete thought.)
But, take this next:
I walked my dog, and I went to the park. (Notice it combined those two sentences with a comma and the coordinator and. Short sentences like those are better to make one compound sentence.)
Next is punctuating dialogue, the only major rule of English I will pick at for now. Put what your character is saying in quotation marks (“ “ ). There are several rules of this. The first is a declarative statement, which states a fact.
Ex 1) “It is cloudy today,” stated Name.
Notice that after the character’s sentence, there is a comma, and then quotes, followed by a dialogue tag (stated Name) and then end punctuation. This is the most common.
Ex 2) Exclamatory sentences. These express strong emotions.
“Look at that!” shouted Name.
There is an exclamation point after the quote, followed by “ ”, then the dialogue tag with a period at the end.
This same rule applies to questions. It will look like this:
“Do you have a dollar?” asked Name.
There. Not so hard, right? Also, dialogue tags are very important! It gives the reader a clue on how your character is speaking. Intonation cues are great to add as well.
Some dialogue tags are:
Stated, exclaimed, questioned, growled, pointed out, muttered, grumbled, groaned, etc…
See how these are better than the boring ‘said’? Avoid said as much as you can. It. Is. Boring.
Intonation cues are simply adverbs added to dialogue tags. They give cues to how your character said something.
Some are: Angrily, happily, sadly, jubilantly, cheerfully, etc…
Also, in dialogue, add actions your character does while saying something. Just by reading the section you can write better. Compare these two:
“It is cloudy outside,” said Name.
Name’s gaze was cast up to the sky, a frown crossing his/her lips as he/she let out a soft, disheartened sigh. Turning back to his/her friend, their disappointment that their picnic would be ruined was evident in his/her voice as he/she sullenly mumbled, “It is cloudy outside.”
Those were done as an example, and look how much better they are simply with just emotion added to dialogue. Much better.
As a final note on grammar, do not use chatspeak! It is bad, and it annoys others very much! When you are not roleplaying it is fine, but seeing it when you’re writing is distracting. To me, writing is an art, and I’m sure no one wants something beautiful to be ruined with laziness.
Alright. Now that we got through that section, let’s move onto characters, my favorite part. Now, this guide is by no means great, and I wrote it simply because I wanted to help people improve even slightly so they can write at least a paragraph for a response.
I’d like to start out by saying that your characters are very much alive- in your mind at least. They are people that have emotions and personality, which are both required to interact with other people’s characters.
Some people may think that it’s difficult to write a paragraph response because you just type what your character does.
But how do they do it? How do they feel while doing something? Put yourself in their head. If you know about how your character acts, really think… How would they react in this situation? That’s why replies take time. Describe their thoughts, their feelings, as well as their actions, and you’ll find that longer replies may be easier.
Maybe their situation reminds them of something in their past… Is it happy? Is it sad? Do they become afraid or angered if another’s character reminds them, or do they feel comfortable around the other character because perhaps they remind them of someone they loved?
How does the character react to the setting? Does their hair blow in the wind? Do they feel irritable and uncomfortable from the horrible heat and humidity? Are they shivering of cold? Maybe the grass feels itchy against their skin, or maybe the sun shines too brightly in their eyes. Does your character wonder how another seems unaffected by things that bother them?
Interact and react to other characters.
Does the other find the other character attractive? Annoying?
Why? Is it the way they look? Their voice? Their attitude? Maybe they just were in a bad mood, and were looking to pick a fight with anyone that comes their way. Know your character’s personality, and what they find annoying in others. Maybe get some pet peeves for them. You never know what small details may be used in roleplay.
To do all these things and incorporate them into your replies without finding it too hard, you need to develop your character! This is actually very fun, and I can find several exercises that help very much. Ask for help if you need it. I love helping anyone who needs it, and would be happy to develop your character with you. For all of these, open a blank document, and… write a story!
Let’s say your character writes journal about them self. What would they write there? Their appearance likes or dislikes, friends and family, maybe how their day went, or who they’re thinking about. This helps learn how the character feels about them self, and their surroundings.
Next, let’s say it’s pouring rain, and your character has to…I don’t know, fix a leak in the roof. Let’s throw in something else. They have to fix this leak with their worst enemy or their best friend. How do they feel about this? Do they love sitting on the roof in the rain? Do they hate how the rain makes their hair look? How do they react to the person they are working with? Do they like it? Hate it? This exercise helps develop how your character solves problems and reacts with others both friendly and not.
Also, ask questions and have your character answer them. This fills in your character’s likes and dislikes. You never know what can be used in story writing or roleplaying.
What is your favorite color? Favorite food? Favorite thing to do?
Don’t just have them answer, have their reactions as well! Do they think it’s a stupid question? Have they never thought of it?
These are a few examples. Be creative and make your own!
I will end this section with this note. Be creative! That is the most important! Don’t use clichés or anything unreasonable. These characters are ninjas. They cannot wear miniskirts, high heels, and tank tops. Let’s face it, they’re hard to move in, and enemies could use such revealing clothes to their advantage. Long hair is okay, but it’s best to wear it in ponytails on missions. Long hair could snag in branches if they’re jumping around a lot. Remember this: No Mary-Sues! Mary sues are perfect characters: perfect looks, perfect friends, best in their class, extremely powerful, etc… No, Uchiha Sasuke is not your boyfriend. I am sorry; he isn’t thinking of reviving his Clan with a prissy little girl at all, and not even thinking of restarting it at all until he kills Itachi. If you describe your character anywhere as ‘all the boys love her’ or ‘she is extremely beautiful/powerful/etc…’ you may want to reconsider it. Here is a great test to see if your character is okay!
www.springhole.net/quizzes/marysue.htm
Use it. It helps a lot. Or this one for only Naruto characters:
www.animespiral.com/viewstory.php?sid=181960
I am not a rude person, and this board if for other’s benefit- not a personal attack on anyone, so don’t take it as one. I could be better in my writing, myself, and I strive to work at it. It takes patience and practice, and I’ve noticed most posts here are… one liners. What is a one liner? It is a one sentence reply to a roleplay. While these may be quick, honestly, can you say that they’re very exciting? I’ve written a new set of rules, one of which happens to be no one-liners, so I’d like to enforce that in a more polite way than going around and telling people bluntly to stop it and put more effort in. This guide will give pointers on character development and writing longer posts. It really isn’t that hard. Just take it in stride.
I will start this out by saying: use rules of grammar. It may take more effort, but use what you learned. Capitalize all proper nouns-names specific places, etc.-, the word ‘I’, and the first word at the beginning of sentences. Punctuate your sentences accordingly- a mark is needed after any complete thought, and compound sentences require a comma to separate two complete thoughts. Take for example:
I walked my dog. I went to the park. (Each sentence has one complete thought.)
But, take this next:
I walked my dog, and I went to the park. (Notice it combined those two sentences with a comma and the coordinator and. Short sentences like those are better to make one compound sentence.)
Next is punctuating dialogue, the only major rule of English I will pick at for now. Put what your character is saying in quotation marks (“ “ ). There are several rules of this. The first is a declarative statement, which states a fact.
Ex 1) “It is cloudy today,” stated Name.
Notice that after the character’s sentence, there is a comma, and then quotes, followed by a dialogue tag (stated Name) and then end punctuation. This is the most common.
Ex 2) Exclamatory sentences. These express strong emotions.
“Look at that!” shouted Name.
There is an exclamation point after the quote, followed by “ ”, then the dialogue tag with a period at the end.
This same rule applies to questions. It will look like this:
“Do you have a dollar?” asked Name.
There. Not so hard, right? Also, dialogue tags are very important! It gives the reader a clue on how your character is speaking. Intonation cues are great to add as well.
Some dialogue tags are:
Stated, exclaimed, questioned, growled, pointed out, muttered, grumbled, groaned, etc…
See how these are better than the boring ‘said’? Avoid said as much as you can. It. Is. Boring.
Intonation cues are simply adverbs added to dialogue tags. They give cues to how your character said something.
Some are: Angrily, happily, sadly, jubilantly, cheerfully, etc…
Also, in dialogue, add actions your character does while saying something. Just by reading the section you can write better. Compare these two:
“It is cloudy outside,” said Name.
Name’s gaze was cast up to the sky, a frown crossing his/her lips as he/she let out a soft, disheartened sigh. Turning back to his/her friend, their disappointment that their picnic would be ruined was evident in his/her voice as he/she sullenly mumbled, “It is cloudy outside.”
Those were done as an example, and look how much better they are simply with just emotion added to dialogue. Much better.
As a final note on grammar, do not use chatspeak! It is bad, and it annoys others very much! When you are not roleplaying it is fine, but seeing it when you’re writing is distracting. To me, writing is an art, and I’m sure no one wants something beautiful to be ruined with laziness.
Alright. Now that we got through that section, let’s move onto characters, my favorite part. Now, this guide is by no means great, and I wrote it simply because I wanted to help people improve even slightly so they can write at least a paragraph for a response.
I’d like to start out by saying that your characters are very much alive- in your mind at least. They are people that have emotions and personality, which are both required to interact with other people’s characters.
Some people may think that it’s difficult to write a paragraph response because you just type what your character does.
But how do they do it? How do they feel while doing something? Put yourself in their head. If you know about how your character acts, really think… How would they react in this situation? That’s why replies take time. Describe their thoughts, their feelings, as well as their actions, and you’ll find that longer replies may be easier.
Maybe their situation reminds them of something in their past… Is it happy? Is it sad? Do they become afraid or angered if another’s character reminds them, or do they feel comfortable around the other character because perhaps they remind them of someone they loved?
How does the character react to the setting? Does their hair blow in the wind? Do they feel irritable and uncomfortable from the horrible heat and humidity? Are they shivering of cold? Maybe the grass feels itchy against their skin, or maybe the sun shines too brightly in their eyes. Does your character wonder how another seems unaffected by things that bother them?
Interact and react to other characters.
Does the other find the other character attractive? Annoying?
Why? Is it the way they look? Their voice? Their attitude? Maybe they just were in a bad mood, and were looking to pick a fight with anyone that comes their way. Know your character’s personality, and what they find annoying in others. Maybe get some pet peeves for them. You never know what small details may be used in roleplay.
To do all these things and incorporate them into your replies without finding it too hard, you need to develop your character! This is actually very fun, and I can find several exercises that help very much. Ask for help if you need it. I love helping anyone who needs it, and would be happy to develop your character with you. For all of these, open a blank document, and… write a story!
Let’s say your character writes journal about them self. What would they write there? Their appearance likes or dislikes, friends and family, maybe how their day went, or who they’re thinking about. This helps learn how the character feels about them self, and their surroundings.
Next, let’s say it’s pouring rain, and your character has to…I don’t know, fix a leak in the roof. Let’s throw in something else. They have to fix this leak with their worst enemy or their best friend. How do they feel about this? Do they love sitting on the roof in the rain? Do they hate how the rain makes their hair look? How do they react to the person they are working with? Do they like it? Hate it? This exercise helps develop how your character solves problems and reacts with others both friendly and not.
Also, ask questions and have your character answer them. This fills in your character’s likes and dislikes. You never know what can be used in story writing or roleplaying.
What is your favorite color? Favorite food? Favorite thing to do?
Don’t just have them answer, have their reactions as well! Do they think it’s a stupid question? Have they never thought of it?
These are a few examples. Be creative and make your own!
I will end this section with this note. Be creative! That is the most important! Don’t use clichés or anything unreasonable. These characters are ninjas. They cannot wear miniskirts, high heels, and tank tops. Let’s face it, they’re hard to move in, and enemies could use such revealing clothes to their advantage. Long hair is okay, but it’s best to wear it in ponytails on missions. Long hair could snag in branches if they’re jumping around a lot. Remember this: No Mary-Sues! Mary sues are perfect characters: perfect looks, perfect friends, best in their class, extremely powerful, etc… No, Uchiha Sasuke is not your boyfriend. I am sorry; he isn’t thinking of reviving his Clan with a prissy little girl at all, and not even thinking of restarting it at all until he kills Itachi. If you describe your character anywhere as ‘all the boys love her’ or ‘she is extremely beautiful/powerful/etc…’ you may want to reconsider it. Here is a great test to see if your character is okay!
www.springhole.net/quizzes/marysue.htm
Use it. It helps a lot. Or this one for only Naruto characters:
www.animespiral.com/viewstory.php?sid=181960
