Roleplay For Beginners!

Sometimes when joining a site like this for the first time can be difficult to adapt to. My earliest posts struggled to go over a paragraph and had limited to no punctuation whatsoever. This is a helpful guide for roleplay beginners that can be used to really enhance your posts.

#1: READ; If you aren't the first person in the post, (Say someone else started it) Read every section of their post, from top to bottom, take in what they said, if they described clothes, the weather, where they were before, make sure you know the back story before you post.

#2: I know this doesn't sound like it will help your posting.. but Punctuation and Capitalization.. It sounds stupid, I know, but when someone can actually read the sentences put down in the thread, it not only makes it easier for the other person to respond, but it puts the ideas together for you, and makes it easier for YOU to see where the sentences are split and where they begin again.

#3: Description, Description, Description; Long posts are what people like to read, they like to know everything about your character, including:
-Where they were before the post started (If it's the first post or your first reply to a topic)
-what they are wearing, I like to know everything from hats to shoes. Even if it doesn't seem important, put it in! Not only does it raise word count, but it gives a lot more description (Again, clothes are for either beginning posts for the topic, or first replies to the topic, clothes don't need to be mentioned every post, unless there is something making your clothes stand out, such as a wind, or it's sunny and you have a bright shirt on and it hurts your characters eyes)
- Weather: (Again first or first reply to topic) Is it sunny? Raining? Did the thunder scare your character? Why did it scare them? There are so many questions you can ask yourself not only about your character, but what is going on and why.
-Remember, everyone thinks, and remembers. If something someone just said made your character remember something else, say it! Sometimes if it sounds better in first person as a thought, put it in italics, so everyone knows, "This is what I'm thinking."
-If there is a fight: Remember to keep it real. Everyone get hit, and it always depends on the situation. Is it a muggle area? Do you even know if the person you are talking to is a witch or wizard? Obstacles in your way, say you're in a fight and your character trips and falls, and when you trip, you get hurt! Blood on your hands and knees, imagine if you were to fall on concrete, it would hurt too, how does the pain feel? Like it's on fire? Like needles pricking your skin? If you got hit by a Cruciatus curse, what does it feel like? Like every atom in your body was set on fire? like thousands of pins are stabbing you? Everyone feels it differently.

#3: Paragraphs; Every person has a train of thought. And this is no different. When something feels like it has been adequately described, separate it in a paragraph! It'll not only make the post feel longer, but look longer and feel more organized.

#4: Spelling; Most programs have an automatic spell check, use it to your advantage! Sometimes I don't know that a word is spelled wrong until I see it underlined in red. I currently use Internet Explorer for Windows 8.1. Google Chrome I believe has the feature too!

This is everything I could think of and I really hope it helps!

Safari also has the spell checking addition, and I believe Firefox did if it doesn't still. I've long since switched to Safari, of course, so I don't pretend to make any promises about that.

I agree with a lot of what you've said, though long posts are in no way the single best posting style for roleplaying. If you're in a group of more than two, it sometimes is helpful to write shorter posts. School or Mass threads led by site or Hogwarts staff should be no more than 400 words at any time.

I am definitely known around here for mine and Eli's massively long posts when we write together. I can't say for certain, but I might hold the record at over 4k words. That doesn't mean I reply quickly or get in everything that is relevant, though. Selwyn writes short posts that efficiently communicate what she wants to get across, so if description isn't your thing, folks, don't force yourselves. But if you want to practice or learn how to describe surroundings or anything else, roleplay is a good place to start and to get help from those around you.

Firefox still has spellcheck.

One of the reasons my posts are short is because I write a really close third person narrative. I don't feel the need to distinguish my character's thoughts because the narrative is what he thinks.

But at the same time, I really reel from writing exactly what my character thinks. I've told Addie before, I love a slow build, so there are things I deliberately leave out of my posts because putting them in would break the tension.

Same way, not all description is equal, or even easy. I could infodump what Shylock wears and that would make my posts longer (and I do struggle to reach the wordcount) but I'd much prefer to write about how his chains jangle when he walks. You get the same image but less overtly. It's all just writing choices.

I didn't write this as a definitive way of trying to say "hey this is how you should write posts" by any means, but more as a way of giving a starting point to people who may not know where to start with their posts if this is a new experience for them.

Browser wise I've honestly only ever used two or three different ones so I wasn't aware what the others did with spell check.

None of that was meant to tear apart what you said but instead to add additional perspectives. Many threads in this forum become discussion-style posts and I think that's helpful. And no worries about the browser thing; I didn't know about chrome or IE, either!