Post by Lawman on Mar 29, 2008 1:58:28 GMT -5
Right, so, the staff have agreed to let me make a thread of 'help' as it were, so that any issues that might be brought by applications, characterizations, or playing fouls that you might not have known about. First, a bit about myself.
I've been role playing since I was 15 (maybe 16, I don't quite remember that long ago.), and considering that I am now almost 21, well... you should get the picture. I've been at this for a long time. In my tenure as a player I've owned many boards, ranging in talent and skill, some of which have closed and some of which are still open. (That should merely explain how I can explain what I have to say; the knowledge bit part will come next, so really, all I am trying to say is that I have said what I am about to say so many times in the past that it's really become second nature to me, and might be harsh to you, or long-winded, or dull, but in the long run, if you are open minded and are willing to learn and grow as a writer and character developer, then you'll probably benefit from what I have to say.)
Right, how do I know all this? I'm a sort of Jack of All Trades when it comes to my real life. I started reading when I was three, and really haven't stopped (though there was a period where I felt I had read all the books that were a challenge [meaning that all the 1000 page novels from the library had my name written in the back at least twice]), and have mastered the 'art' if you want to call it of reading four to eight books at a time, all by different authors, all with different genres, varying in length, but still managing to keep the plots and characters to their respected story. I love to read. Then comes the part where I found out that I love to write as well. When I was in the second or third grade I wrote a book on dinosaurs (ok, everyone say 'aww'), and drew the pictures and everything. At the time, it was a great book. I had done all the research myself, meaning I had gone to my encyclopedia set (yeah, my mom got me encyclopedias when I was five) and read all about the different types of dinos. (My personal favorite at the time was the t-rex, though that has nothing to do with this story.) Anyway, as I grew older I started to write poems in the backs of my notebooks from school, and then I started writing down short stories, then dreams that I had dreamed, which turned into longer short stories and I began writing longer poems and playing with the pentameter and just generally having fun with the written language. (I didn't start on my first fan fic until 2002? 2003? I was a sophomore in high school, anyway.) I went to public school, I didn't learn anything different than you might, but the difference was my passion for it (and my OCD not to get anything below an A.)
High school English really taught me the basics, which is your basic grammar and punctuation skills, as well as learning vocabulary and spelling, though you can do those last two by playing scrabble with some competitive people. My sophomore year the majority of my learning about writing was done through reading of books and doing projects on them, studying the complexities of the characters and trying to explain their motives. (I will have a suggested reading list and a few exercises to do when you read them.) The projects weren't too dull; use music to retell the story, make an art project of what you believed the message of the book to be, etc. It was really fun, and we read a lot of really neat books and did a lot of digging into the different types of characters. Later that same year I was introduced to Shakespeare, though I had already loved his plays (I had memorized Romeo and Juliet by the time I was 12, and was in the process of learning the Taming of the Shrew and A Midnight Summer's Dream at the time.) We did a lot of actual language skills, which basically focused not on the interaction of the characters but on the words and the way the words were phrased. You can be an amazing writer, using the words and the placement of those words (with the proper punctuation, of course) and still have shotty characters and dodgy plots. Look at, oh, I dunno.... The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. It's not that good of a book, but when you start to read it you can't put it down, because his words [should] captivate you.
Anyway. Moving on. Junior year in high school I actually took college classes for English, and started to develop my critical thinking, which is basically taking a step back from the situation, gathering all the facts and details and then taking those to fuel your argument. I had my mind changed about a lot of things, not because I was swayed by the professor, but because I found new details that I had not known before, and could formulate a new, informed opinion about it. My senior year in high school rolled around and I had taken all the English classes they could offer (as well as all the French classes that they could offer. Can't learn all that grammar and not be curious about another language, after all.) So, I decided to take a few literature classes (which was more reading and analyzing characters, plots, methods of writing, stylistic choices, affects of culture influencing novels, etc.) Even if you can't write at the end of all those classes, lectures, and assignments, you eventually begin to understand the writing process and how stories and characters are formed and developed, and how to make those stories interesting enough for other people to want to read them.
Yada yada, more classes go by, English, French, literature, theatre, music, all the while beginning to develop my novels, fan fictions, and RP based self.
That is where all my little notes about characters, how to make them better, how to make them deeper, more rich and colorful come in to play. Not only does it come from years of role playing, but also years of studying and writing. I want you to literally breathe your character, to know how they bat their eyelashes and what kind of mannerisms they might have. How do they talk? How do they walk? Of course, these questions will come later as well, but for now, please understand that what I have to say is not meant in harm nor jest, but out of care, understanding, and respect as a fellow writer.
That said, allow me to get to a few things that are quite common in role playing. Mary Sues and Gary Stus, God Playing, and How to Better Develop Your Character. Of course, I have also added in a few "Firefly" touches, since this is a Post-Serenity RPG after all.
Cheers, and good writing!
Lawman
Hey..... hey you! Going to audition? Have you read the rules, the canon characters, or the plot? If there is something in your application that counters any of these, then I will make no comments, but rather direct you to them so that you can figure out what is wrong with your application. (Had you read them before you started, I am sure that you wouldn't need me to say anything in those regards, now would you?)
I've been role playing since I was 15 (maybe 16, I don't quite remember that long ago.), and considering that I am now almost 21, well... you should get the picture. I've been at this for a long time. In my tenure as a player I've owned many boards, ranging in talent and skill, some of which have closed and some of which are still open. (That should merely explain how I can explain what I have to say; the knowledge bit part will come next, so really, all I am trying to say is that I have said what I am about to say so many times in the past that it's really become second nature to me, and might be harsh to you, or long-winded, or dull, but in the long run, if you are open minded and are willing to learn and grow as a writer and character developer, then you'll probably benefit from what I have to say.)
Right, how do I know all this? I'm a sort of Jack of All Trades when it comes to my real life. I started reading when I was three, and really haven't stopped (though there was a period where I felt I had read all the books that were a challenge [meaning that all the 1000 page novels from the library had my name written in the back at least twice]), and have mastered the 'art' if you want to call it of reading four to eight books at a time, all by different authors, all with different genres, varying in length, but still managing to keep the plots and characters to their respected story. I love to read. Then comes the part where I found out that I love to write as well. When I was in the second or third grade I wrote a book on dinosaurs (ok, everyone say 'aww'), and drew the pictures and everything. At the time, it was a great book. I had done all the research myself, meaning I had gone to my encyclopedia set (yeah, my mom got me encyclopedias when I was five) and read all about the different types of dinos. (My personal favorite at the time was the t-rex, though that has nothing to do with this story.) Anyway, as I grew older I started to write poems in the backs of my notebooks from school, and then I started writing down short stories, then dreams that I had dreamed, which turned into longer short stories and I began writing longer poems and playing with the pentameter and just generally having fun with the written language. (I didn't start on my first fan fic until 2002? 2003? I was a sophomore in high school, anyway.) I went to public school, I didn't learn anything different than you might, but the difference was my passion for it (and my OCD not to get anything below an A.)
High school English really taught me the basics, which is your basic grammar and punctuation skills, as well as learning vocabulary and spelling, though you can do those last two by playing scrabble with some competitive people. My sophomore year the majority of my learning about writing was done through reading of books and doing projects on them, studying the complexities of the characters and trying to explain their motives. (I will have a suggested reading list and a few exercises to do when you read them.) The projects weren't too dull; use music to retell the story, make an art project of what you believed the message of the book to be, etc. It was really fun, and we read a lot of really neat books and did a lot of digging into the different types of characters. Later that same year I was introduced to Shakespeare, though I had already loved his plays (I had memorized Romeo and Juliet by the time I was 12, and was in the process of learning the Taming of the Shrew and A Midnight Summer's Dream at the time.) We did a lot of actual language skills, which basically focused not on the interaction of the characters but on the words and the way the words were phrased. You can be an amazing writer, using the words and the placement of those words (with the proper punctuation, of course) and still have shotty characters and dodgy plots. Look at, oh, I dunno.... The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. It's not that good of a book, but when you start to read it you can't put it down, because his words [should] captivate you.
Anyway. Moving on. Junior year in high school I actually took college classes for English, and started to develop my critical thinking, which is basically taking a step back from the situation, gathering all the facts and details and then taking those to fuel your argument. I had my mind changed about a lot of things, not because I was swayed by the professor, but because I found new details that I had not known before, and could formulate a new, informed opinion about it. My senior year in high school rolled around and I had taken all the English classes they could offer (as well as all the French classes that they could offer. Can't learn all that grammar and not be curious about another language, after all.) So, I decided to take a few literature classes (which was more reading and analyzing characters, plots, methods of writing, stylistic choices, affects of culture influencing novels, etc.) Even if you can't write at the end of all those classes, lectures, and assignments, you eventually begin to understand the writing process and how stories and characters are formed and developed, and how to make those stories interesting enough for other people to want to read them.
Yada yada, more classes go by, English, French, literature, theatre, music, all the while beginning to develop my novels, fan fictions, and RP based self.
That is where all my little notes about characters, how to make them better, how to make them deeper, more rich and colorful come in to play. Not only does it come from years of role playing, but also years of studying and writing. I want you to literally breathe your character, to know how they bat their eyelashes and what kind of mannerisms they might have. How do they talk? How do they walk? Of course, these questions will come later as well, but for now, please understand that what I have to say is not meant in harm nor jest, but out of care, understanding, and respect as a fellow writer.
That said, allow me to get to a few things that are quite common in role playing. Mary Sues and Gary Stus, God Playing, and How to Better Develop Your Character. Of course, I have also added in a few "Firefly" touches, since this is a Post-Serenity RPG after all.
Cheers, and good writing!
Lawman
Hey..... hey you! Going to audition? Have you read the rules, the canon characters, or the plot? If there is something in your application that counters any of these, then I will make no comments, but rather direct you to them so that you can figure out what is wrong with your application. (Had you read them before you started, I am sure that you wouldn't need me to say anything in those regards, now would you?)
