How to Improve your Post Quality - a Guide

Introduction

Now, I'm sure you've all seen that class of roleplayer called the "super roleplayer". This particular species usually frequents the advanced sites, and can be identified by their good grammar, their characters - which usually have intricate backstories and personalities - and something else.
This mysterious something else has many exclusive names, and is usually whispered about mysteriously by other role-players.
It's called.....
....bring on the suspense.....
Post quality.
Not what you were expecting? Or were you onto my case all along? Either way, post quality is a big thing on how these role-players get up to their standard, and how they manage to get as good as they are. So, what's the secret on how to get this elusive post quality to become a better role-player? Well, luckily enough, you're reading on it in a guide right now. There are several steps to these - elaboration, structure/length and the (arguably) most important factor of listening. So, keep scrolling, and see how you can improve your post quality for good, and get better and longer posts.


Step 1: Elaborate!

I think I can guess what you're thinking right now. "How do I elaborate, Seagull?" Well, it's actually much easier than you think.

Look at these two posts here.


Okay, it’s exactly 200 words. When we look at the post dynamics, we only get a tiny peephole to look into the event. We know it's sunny, because Sky is finding it hard to see her friend in direct sunlight. We also know that she's friends with another wolf called Cloud, and there was a loud noise that could possibly be hunters. We know she has another friend called Alex who has been missing for some time, and she’s too scared to go out and look for him.
Aaaaand, that's it. We only know a tiny bit about Sky, and we're still none the wiser to what's actually going on. Of course, if we were looking at the roleplay, we might have known these things in advance and known a little more about what was going on, but, generally, if all of the posts are about that length, we’re not going to find out very much, are we? It lacks elaboration – explaining - and it lacks that lovely smooth factor that we are all looking for: the nice, long, easy-to-read-but-still-interesting-to-do-so post.

Now look at this post.

Now this post is a little more meaty, you see? We’ve elaborated on the things that were noted in the first post, and we’ve drawn it out and made it more of a proper post than just a “she went here, she went there”. We’ve explained about her feelings, and we’re seeing things from her own eyes. Of course, there are a lot of ways this post could be improved – after all, I haven’t mentioned the weather, the smells, what was going on with the other wolves. But this is a good starting point, and shows that elaboration really helps fill out a post and make it believable – as though the reader can see what was going on in the roleplay in their mind’s eye. Don’t just give me the taste of candy, tell me what it’s like! Tell me if it’s sweet or sour, if it starts off sweet and has a bitter aftertaste, what the texture is like, if it slips down your throat easily: give me as much information as to make me think I was there eating it with your character (which I would very much like to do – I do have a sweet tooth =D). If it’s stormy weather outside, tell me how the clouds are positioned, if the lightning is forked or is simply flashes of light, tell me if there is a cold wind, and, if so, describe how the wind thrashes at the window, along with the rain. Does the rain come down like bullets, or gently? Use similes (“The clouds looked like candyfloss”) and metaphors (“The clouds were candyfloss”) to appeal to the reader. Make them laugh, make them cry, make them feel alone: just do whatever you can to really bring the roleplay into reality, if it were. Just be careful! Don’t go overboard and start using emotive language and similes and metaphors everywhere. It’s a bit like sugar: you like sugar, yes, but you don’t smother your strawberries with it. These techniques have the best effects when they’re used sparingly.


Step 2 - Post Length and Structure

No one likes it when an author of a book jumps about and doesn't have a formulated order, do they? It's very important in roleplaying to have structure to your work, and to have a natural progression. For example, your character feels nervous at the beginning, and then the post describes the gradual change to the point of which he feels comfortable in his new surroundings. With each post, question yourself before you even start writing - what will be the point of your post? Is your character trying to learn something new? Okay, so have the first paragraph noting how your character initially feels. Do he or she feel nervous? Excited? The second paragraph should be the first go, and may or may not have your character experiencing difficulties. Then the third should be practising again, and the fourth a final conclusion that they have learn something new. Get it? Although this plan was very sketchy, you really need to think about what goes in each paragraph and where.
When it comes to post length, of course there is the 200 word minimum to consider. This isn't as hard as one might think: it's just about two or three structured paragraphs or so. If you find yourself short on words, try to, as previously said, elaborate on the environment and the situation regarding your character. Does a particular event spark a particular memory in your wolf? What about a particular smell? Think about body language, too - if your character(s) are embarrassed, show it in their position, in the way they conduct themselves! If you really want to succeed as a role-player, just google "wolf body language", and read the websites that come up. It really makes your post look "authentic", and shows that you've done your research and you know a little bit about wolves and their behaviour. It's also quite iterating reading if you're into that sort of thing, additionally!
If you type on Word, or even if you type directly into the site reply box, keep in mind that you won't be able to see the post count. However, to make sure you pass the minimum length, a good site I use is wordcounter.net. It's free, quick, easy and allows for accurate word count to make sure that you pass the requirements needed to post.

Step 3 - Listening

This is arguably the most important thing you need to remember: you need to listen to those you're roleplaying with. Make sure that even before you even start writing the post that you are happy with what is going on in the roleplay: that you understand it all and you know what's going on to provide an accurate answer. Be careful with seemingly minor details like the weather, the colour of a wolf, the time of day.....all of these things keep a roleplay consistant and also means that everyone knows what's going on and is up to date. An eye for detail really helps with roleplay: even the tiniest glance in your character's direction can make a big deal. If you don't understand something in a post, don't be afraid to ask! Better that you take a few moments to answer a question rather than spending an afternoon labouring over a huge post and then realising that you got a lot of the major details wrong and you have to do it all over again, or you have to restructure it to fit the information presented by the other plays. This is also a literal step - if you're friendly and you don't go screaming at everyone out of character, people will enjoy roleplaying with you more and will give you better quality posts that are well thought out. This in turn create a better roleplaying experience and gives you more to reply to, thus allowing for the quality of your own posts to increase.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading this guide, and I hope it helps you! If you have any suggestions on how to improve it, feel free to send me a PM. c: