HELPFUL WRITING TIPS

[* NIKKI THE PEACOCK QUEEN]

A re-occurring problem for me, on most of the sites I have run, is applications that are borderline. There may not be anything really wrong with the character, but I have issues with the writing style. I don’t like denying someone just because of their writing style, unless the grasp on English is really so bad it becomes illegible. However sometimes it’s a fine line. So I thought posting a few basics tips on the things we look for in a writer that may help people wanting to apply firstly decide if this site is for them, and secondly some things to consider in applications and posts in general. Now, let me just start by saying that we do not expect perfection, or for you to be the next Charles Dickens. Everyone makes mistakes, or has weaknesses in certain areas and that’s okay - I, myself, am a terrible speller, and know there are times I miss things in my editing. This is only supposed to be helpful, not to make anyone feel inferior.

01. Post length. Because it comes up the most, I thought I would address it first. I am a firm believer in quality over quantity. However, with a certain level of quality comes quantity. For example:

Suzy looked up and said, “Hey.”

That sentence is grammatically correct and has no spelling errors. Awesome, Quality. However, it tells us nothing about how she is feeling about who she is greeting, and if it were a roleplay post, wouldn’t give much to go off.

Suzy looked up, an anxious smile on her features. “Hey,” she spoke softly.

Already, with just a few descriptions we get more of a feel for the situation. The word count isn’t there because we like long, flowery posts full of descriptions of trees. It’s just to encourage people to really give us a good feel for the character, and so there is some meat to the post to reply to.


02. Paragraph size is another thing that comes up a bit. Most of us were taught in primary school that a paragraph should be at least five sentences long. While ultimately it is your choice how you set out your posts, tiny paragraphs or huge walls of text can put people off. However in terms of the application, five small sentences on each personality trait really isn’t enough to really explain that trait. I try and shoot to make my paragraphs between 100-200 words, depending on the post.

03. While we are talking about paragraphs, I just want to explain the logic behind the three trait style personality section. It’s for a few reasons really. The main though, is it got really frustrating reading ramble for five paragraphs that never really tell you what the character is like. Paragraphs should have a subject. I’ve merely made you state the subject before you start the paragraph.

04. Spelling and syntax is important. You don’t need to be perfect, but it still needs to be clear what you are trying to say. There is a huge difference between “Lets eat, Joe” and “Lets eat Joe."

05. Starting each sentence with he/she or any variation of that should be avoided as best you can. It turns what should be fluid prose into just a list of actions. Which is both hard to read, and hard to reply to. It also not a good idea to pack too much action into one post, because remember the other person has to reply and respond, and can’t do so efficiently if you’ve powered through ten minutes of actions.

06. It is incredibly important for your words to make sense. Often times I will get to sentences that have so much going on in them that I have read them several times before I understand. Redundancy seems to be a big problem. Re-read your posts and each section of your application. How many times is it necessary to repeat a word? Have you said the same thing ten times in the span of two sentences?

• Georgia's parents disliked the town they lived in. The town they lived in was a horrible place and it smelled. It was the kind of town nobody wanted to live in.

These three sentences are perfectly fine sentences but the way they are being used so close together while saying the exact same thing and repeating key words over and over really takes away from the flow of whatever paragraph they are coming from. Try something like this:

• Monroe was a horrible and smelly town that nobody wanted to live in. Even Georgia's parents, long time residents, hated it.

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