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Ignition
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« on: November 30, 2007, 06:34:12 pm » |
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The biggest problem I see in roleplays is the grammar. I am a freak when it comes to grammar; I'll freely admit that. Now I don't expect people to be perfect, no one is - not even me - but a little effort towards improving your grammar would be nice.
Simple things go a long way when you are writing a roleplay. If the basics aren't right, I find it difficult to keep reading.
The most common mistakes, in my opinion, are the use of there/their/they're and its/it's.
There: "There" is the most generic form of the three, and is used most often. Basically, check to see if you should be using "their" or "they're" and if not, and it will be pretty clear, use "there".
E.G. "Her house is over there."
Their: "Their" is possessive. It literally means "of them". If something belongs to "them", use "their".
E.G. "That is their dog."
They're: "They're" simply means "they are" [or "they were"]. When using it read through your writing, replacing "they're" with "they are", and see if it still makes sense. If not, you have the wrong word.
E.G. "They're over by the tree."
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Its: Like "their", "its" is possessive. It means belonging to "it". Now I know when using someone's name you say "John's" with an apostrophe, but for "it" it is different.
E.G. "Its wheels just fell off. Honest."
It's: "It's" is a contracted version of "it is" [or "it was"]. Simple really. Read through your writing, replacing "it's" with "it is", and see if it still makes sense. If not, you probably want the possessive - "its".
E.G. "It's cold today."
Those are very common mistakes to make, and you can often slip up when writing quickly; I know I have. Here are a few other little niggles:
Unneeded Capitalisation: Using capitals for every word in a heading is generally considered okay [as in "Unneeded Capitalisation" or "TWE Feedback"] but in prose writing, which is essentially what roleplaying is, only the first letter of names [not just of people; Shockwave, for example, is a name], the first letter of the first word of a sentence and "I" need capitals. You don't capitalise the first letter of the first word after a semi-colon, comma or colon. Also try and avoid random capitals in the middle of sentences, I have seen that happen a few times.
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Punctuation: Probably the hardest thing to get to grips with when it comes to grammar. When do you use commas, semi-colons, colons, etc.? Simply put: whenever you take a pause from speech you need some form of punctuation. Commas for the shortest pauses, semi-colons or colons for slightly longer pauses, full stops for long pauses and for longer pauses than that you should consider starting a new paragraph. Obviously it is more complex than that, but by following that outline you should be fine.
Commas are also used to separate points on a list. Commas are the most common punctuation mark after a full stop and are generally what you should use when adding an extra clause to a sentence.
Semi-colons are used when you are making a point indirectly related to the previous clause; colons are used when the point is directly related to the previous clause. See what I did there? The use of colons is along the same vein as the use of semi-colons but, as it is indirectly related, I used a semi-colon. Colons are also commonly used at the start of headings.[/ul]
That's it for the grammar tips, for now at least. I hope you read through that and digested it, rather than just thinking "Silly Slim, he's just being neurotic". While that may be true, I think pretty much everyone has at least something they can take from that to help them improve their writing.
The next port of call is to provide some general roleplaying tips, as requested by The Shape. Again, I feel there is something pretty much everyone can learn from this, so please take the time to read it.
Wrestling Slang: A pet-hate of The Shape. Using wrestling slang like "jobber" is a very noticeable way of stepping out of character. You very rarely, if at all, hear wrestlers use words like "jobber", "face" or "heel" on screen, so you shouldn't use it in roleplays.
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Development Of Characters: Another point specifically requested by The Shape. Very few characters are so one-dimensional that you don't need any character development. Ironically enough, the two characters I have at the moment are two of the most one-dimensional characters in wrestling, though I will be rectifying that by adding some layers and depth to them. Basically, if you want your roleplays to be interesting, and to hook the reader, you have to make you character interesting. Make the reader get attached to your character, make them care about what's going to happen next. It's very difficult to do well, but any added depth you can give your character should be a bonus.
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Storylines And Co-operation: The final point requested by The Shape. Storylines make roleplaying infinitely more fun, and definitely take the sting off losing. Find someone to feud with and plan an interesting and gripping storyline. It doesn't even have to be a feud, you could be on the same side, questing after tag team gold. It could be a love triangle, a bribery scandal, a bitter jealousy, it doesn't matter what it is, as long as it's interesting! Not only that, but having someone to bounce ideas off and someone to go up against consistently is very good for improving your writing. If you get beaten by someone you have a desire to do better to return the favour, if you beat them you have to be sure to keep improving so they can't catch you. If you are lower down the card, finding a feud with someone higher up the card with more experience can be very beneficial. You might lose a few matches on the trot, but the challenge of facing them will make you raise you game and improve. If you just bounce from week to week, being put into random matches, you'll soon become bored and want to quit. Storylines are the key to having fun in a roleplay.
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Presentation: Presentation is a key point to roleplaying. If you have a decent presentation then you are already one step ahead before the authorities even begin reading your roleplay. Sub-consciously authorities will immediately favour a well-presented roleplay. There's nothing that can be done to stop that. If your writing looks nice, it starts the reader off with a positive impression. If it looks terrible, they'll be expecting terrible content and are more likely to pick up on small flaws. It sounds ridiculous but the human mind can be easily persuaded.
Remember to use size one.
Bold the name of the person speaking.
Don't over-do or under-do the use of colour. Too much is off-putting and too little makes the writing look like an uninviting blob of black letters [kind of like this post].
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Spell Check: Simple enough, be sure to run a spell check before you post your roleplay. Simple mistakes can slip by you, especially when you're tired or writing quickly, so always spell check your writing.
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Mark Up Errors: Similarly, always check your mark up for errors. Nothing worse than not closing a tag properly and having it wreck the presentation of your roleplay.
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