Formatting is key - sometimes ...
May 21, 2020 11:16:34 GMT -5
Mongo the Destroyer, Kira Izumi, and 5 more like this
Post by Dave D-Flipz on May 21, 2020 11:16:34 GMT -5
Ok so we all love a good roleplay. There are many styles of roleplay as well. Though if anyone has an insight into this it isn't me. There's character development, story advancement, trash talk, back and forth, callback, etc. Honestly Technical Perfection would probably be a better person to consult for that than I. I am not a very skilled writer and it takes a lot of effort for me to put my ideas into works that actually a) make sense and b) are worth reading. I've improved over time but I don't think I'm the person to consult on that. HOWEVER one thing I have picked up on as a writer, RPer, fed admin, and now SITE admin with the ability to see all the hidden booking forums ... is formatting. I can't explain to you how important a formatting change can be to improving a character in people's eyes. Something as simple is ease of reading often slips by someone like me who takes GREAT pains to just get ideas down and turn them into art instead of word salad. I'm sure there are others with other hinderances that make the formatting of a post an afterthought to them as well.
That said I often find the same gripes popping up over and over among bookers in every fed with very different ideas of subjective quality and styles and what they like. SO while you will never impress a booker who ADORES Character work with a pure shoot promo, you CAN sway their opinion if you make it easier on them to read your words. Here I will go over a few of the common gripes I've seen and ideas and examples how to improve that. And remember, you won't please everyone so go with what feels organic to you but keep in mind some of these tips as you do:
1) THE WALL OF TEXT!!!
-Ok ... avoid this shit at all costs. See that intro to this post above? See how I put a line break in there? DO THAT SHIZNIT! It doesn't matter how good your dialogue is, how interesting your story is, or how witty your smack talk is if I see your post is a GIANT RUN ON PARAGRAPH and just click off it after skimming it. A wall of text is pretty much universally hated. Nobody wants to try to read a standard size font post as a giant jumble of words. It's easy to get lost, it's easy to nod off, and it is just ugly as sin. There are a few ways around this and I'll use examples.
Tactic 1: The random action break.
- Ok so this one is one I use in a lot of Death Trap RPs where it's just DT alone talking to a camera, you will also see this in a few recent RPs from top stars like Caffrey and Dillinger. Basically you break up paragraphs with actions. It can be something integral to the story like pausing for reflection or moving from one place to another to make reference to something. It can be a random *stops to take a breath*. And it is always a good idea to break up a post when changing subjects or when your character would pause for a moment. Mix it up, try different actions, do different things but just use these line breaks as a way to prevent the text wall. When used to perfection they don't just make the RP easier on the eyes and give nice bookmarks if someone is reading while doing other things but it can also ADD atmosphere and feeling to the RP and get across your character's emotions/motivations better than just their speech may be able to.
Tactic 2: Dialogue
- This one is easy. We are taught in rudimentary English classes that whenever a new person speaks they should get their own paragraph. Just do that here. And if one of your characters is droning on a little long have the other snap in with a witty retort or observation without breaking their train of thought to break the paragraph up and keep the flow going. You'll see this in that same SWAT show I linked above for Caff with K-Jax and Lunchbox Larry talking to each other. Nihilego also used this to great effect using his two characters to bounce off each other and keep the topic flowing. Mistress Discipline employs this frequently in her promos. This also applies with interview posts, don't just have ol Charlie Akiyama ask the questions, have him react, be a sounding board, and break up the block of writing. Commentary also works here (this section also applies to match writing don'tcha know!)
Tactic 3: The Teeps Method
- I'm sure others do this but I've found ol' Teeps tends to do this the most. Just break the speech into different paragraphs with no rhyme or reason. It honestly makes what would be a long monologue to camera, a soliloquy if you will, much more manageable and easy to digest as a reader.
The key takeaway is to avoid a GIANT block of text. It makes people not want to read the promo and no making it bigger font won't help. If people don't want to read it then you can imagine the ill will the bookers who HAVE to read it will bear towards you this RP cycle.
2) Color, or lack thereof
Ok so this one is more subjective as some people like to use color, others don't. But here are a few things to always remember with your color selection.
1: It is ok to not use color. It's a visual pop for your promo but depending on your style and character you just might not need it.
2: Make the colors fit the character. Colors have connotations. If you are going off of your signature colors make sure they are known, present them in your banner or sig, have them on your attire, make the lights in your entrance use those colors so people subconsciously relate them to you. If that ISN'T the tactic (DT uses blue as it's one of his sigs) then watch what you use. As the color will define you. Red is an aggressive color so if you use red it will pop but also fit more toward a volatile temper character or one who enjoys blood. Blue is a calming color and can be used to underline the personality of a laid back character or a persuasive talker. Yellow is fear, works very well for a conniving heel (think MJF).
3: Remember ease of reading: Either make the whole RP one solid color as a style or make sure to separate your colors. Each talker should use a different color denotion. Actions can be a different color too. Don't use a color that is impossible to read (we USUALLY have a black background and dark blues and purples can vanish especially on mobile).
4: Use color changes to assist your story. Jack Diamond has recently developed a voice in his head of his darker impulses, he uses a darker shade of his base color to denote this. A surprisingly effective tactic. Teeps uses this for the voices in Natasha's head as well.
5: Color can work better than other formatting ideas. So to go back to Nihilego: When he first debuted he used bold and italics to denote which speaker was speaking and had quotations. We'll cycle back to this in the next section. But as he evolved he switched to using color to denote who was speaking and it made all the difference. I watched the RP judges complain about the formatting and suddenly it stopped. Suddenly it was much easier to read and follow. So depending on your style, color can be a very effective tool. Use bold, italics, and underlines for what they are meant to be used for. Emphasis.
3) Stylistic Choices
Ok so this is the most subjective part. Remember the goal is to make people want to read what you spend your time writing and to have them enjoy it. This is creative writing at its heart and it doesn't help you if nobody likes what they see. That said ... you won't please everyone. That said there are SO many style choices you can use and you have to choose what fits you. But you definitely want to make a choice as to your basic RPs so you have a style and identity. Seth's blog posts are so effective because they subvert expectations and are a change of pace for the reader that immediately clues you in to a different feel and emotion to the RP that you are going to read. The blog post format is a tricky one to do right as it uses images and memes and is effectively a stream of consciousness post which imo is the toughest to pull off. WHy I had to try it in the rumble.
That said the standard RP type you will see here for most users is one where you will get color to denote either the name of the speaker when it is stated who is speaking, or for the entirety of what a speaker is saying, in which case you may find a name or not as the color is your guide. This is tried and true and easy to read. Some people (like me, the old fogie) will use images of their character to mark when they are speaking, and honestly I get a lot of blowback from newer guys who hate this style choice. But it fits DT's character as a narcissist. SO try a few things, see what you like best and makes it easier to write the promos. Get feedback. Update your style as your character does. Nihilego started off using bold and italics to denote who was speaking with quotation marks but no real marker or name involved. As he evolved he switched to using color and gave them each a signature color which made it MUCH easier to follow. Especially as sometimes early on he'd forget which formatting and I think in one post Esmur is bold, where every time after Gebin was and then Esmur switched between underline and italic while gebin in that first was underlined lol. The key is to make it readable and fit your style.
SOmetimes this "speech, line break, action, line break, speech" pattern breaks. Mistress Discipline writes her promos in a style more reminiscent to how a novel would read. And it works. DT has evolved to use color in his posts and when I write promos that aren't DT just talking to camera, himself, or an interviewer I switch away from the pictures and use JUST the colors because it works. Find your style, have fun, and play around. Then once you have a style you can subvert expectations.
Also make sure your voice is consistent. The easiest thing to screw up is switching tenses. Either write it in past, present or future, not all 3. It leads to a very jarring break in the reader and sucks them out of your world. If you use foreign language or an accent etc, make sure you treat it the same every time. Check on Kira Izumi's RPs as his many characters for examples of how to do this properly.
That;s all I have for now but if you think of anything else feel free to either ask me or add to this post below! I hope this has been informative and good luck to all you writers!
-D-Flipz
That said I often find the same gripes popping up over and over among bookers in every fed with very different ideas of subjective quality and styles and what they like. SO while you will never impress a booker who ADORES Character work with a pure shoot promo, you CAN sway their opinion if you make it easier on them to read your words. Here I will go over a few of the common gripes I've seen and ideas and examples how to improve that. And remember, you won't please everyone so go with what feels organic to you but keep in mind some of these tips as you do:
1) THE WALL OF TEXT!!!
-Ok ... avoid this shit at all costs. See that intro to this post above? See how I put a line break in there? DO THAT SHIZNIT! It doesn't matter how good your dialogue is, how interesting your story is, or how witty your smack talk is if I see your post is a GIANT RUN ON PARAGRAPH and just click off it after skimming it. A wall of text is pretty much universally hated. Nobody wants to try to read a standard size font post as a giant jumble of words. It's easy to get lost, it's easy to nod off, and it is just ugly as sin. There are a few ways around this and I'll use examples.
Tactic 1: The random action break.
- Ok so this one is one I use in a lot of Death Trap RPs where it's just DT alone talking to a camera, you will also see this in a few recent RPs from top stars like Caffrey and Dillinger. Basically you break up paragraphs with actions. It can be something integral to the story like pausing for reflection or moving from one place to another to make reference to something. It can be a random *stops to take a breath*. And it is always a good idea to break up a post when changing subjects or when your character would pause for a moment. Mix it up, try different actions, do different things but just use these line breaks as a way to prevent the text wall. When used to perfection they don't just make the RP easier on the eyes and give nice bookmarks if someone is reading while doing other things but it can also ADD atmosphere and feeling to the RP and get across your character's emotions/motivations better than just their speech may be able to.
Tactic 2: Dialogue
- This one is easy. We are taught in rudimentary English classes that whenever a new person speaks they should get their own paragraph. Just do that here. And if one of your characters is droning on a little long have the other snap in with a witty retort or observation without breaking their train of thought to break the paragraph up and keep the flow going. You'll see this in that same SWAT show I linked above for Caff with K-Jax and Lunchbox Larry talking to each other. Nihilego also used this to great effect using his two characters to bounce off each other and keep the topic flowing. Mistress Discipline employs this frequently in her promos. This also applies with interview posts, don't just have ol Charlie Akiyama ask the questions, have him react, be a sounding board, and break up the block of writing. Commentary also works here (this section also applies to match writing don'tcha know!)
Tactic 3: The Teeps Method
- I'm sure others do this but I've found ol' Teeps tends to do this the most. Just break the speech into different paragraphs with no rhyme or reason. It honestly makes what would be a long monologue to camera, a soliloquy if you will, much more manageable and easy to digest as a reader.
The key takeaway is to avoid a GIANT block of text. It makes people not want to read the promo and no making it bigger font won't help. If people don't want to read it then you can imagine the ill will the bookers who HAVE to read it will bear towards you this RP cycle.
2) Color, or lack thereof
Ok so this one is more subjective as some people like to use color, others don't. But here are a few things to always remember with your color selection.
1: It is ok to not use color. It's a visual pop for your promo but depending on your style and character you just might not need it.
2: Make the colors fit the character. Colors have connotations. If you are going off of your signature colors make sure they are known, present them in your banner or sig, have them on your attire, make the lights in your entrance use those colors so people subconsciously relate them to you. If that ISN'T the tactic (DT uses blue as it's one of his sigs) then watch what you use. As the color will define you. Red is an aggressive color so if you use red it will pop but also fit more toward a volatile temper character or one who enjoys blood. Blue is a calming color and can be used to underline the personality of a laid back character or a persuasive talker. Yellow is fear, works very well for a conniving heel (think MJF).
3: Remember ease of reading: Either make the whole RP one solid color as a style or make sure to separate your colors. Each talker should use a different color denotion. Actions can be a different color too. Don't use a color that is impossible to read (we USUALLY have a black background and dark blues and purples can vanish especially on mobile).
4: Use color changes to assist your story. Jack Diamond has recently developed a voice in his head of his darker impulses, he uses a darker shade of his base color to denote this. A surprisingly effective tactic. Teeps uses this for the voices in Natasha's head as well.
5: Color can work better than other formatting ideas. So to go back to Nihilego: When he first debuted he used bold and italics to denote which speaker was speaking and had quotations. We'll cycle back to this in the next section. But as he evolved he switched to using color to denote who was speaking and it made all the difference. I watched the RP judges complain about the formatting and suddenly it stopped. Suddenly it was much easier to read and follow. So depending on your style, color can be a very effective tool. Use bold, italics, and underlines for what they are meant to be used for. Emphasis.
3) Stylistic Choices
Ok so this is the most subjective part. Remember the goal is to make people want to read what you spend your time writing and to have them enjoy it. This is creative writing at its heart and it doesn't help you if nobody likes what they see. That said ... you won't please everyone. That said there are SO many style choices you can use and you have to choose what fits you. But you definitely want to make a choice as to your basic RPs so you have a style and identity. Seth's blog posts are so effective because they subvert expectations and are a change of pace for the reader that immediately clues you in to a different feel and emotion to the RP that you are going to read. The blog post format is a tricky one to do right as it uses images and memes and is effectively a stream of consciousness post which imo is the toughest to pull off. WHy I had to try it in the rumble.
That said the standard RP type you will see here for most users is one where you will get color to denote either the name of the speaker when it is stated who is speaking, or for the entirety of what a speaker is saying, in which case you may find a name or not as the color is your guide. This is tried and true and easy to read. Some people (like me, the old fogie) will use images of their character to mark when they are speaking, and honestly I get a lot of blowback from newer guys who hate this style choice. But it fits DT's character as a narcissist. SO try a few things, see what you like best and makes it easier to write the promos. Get feedback. Update your style as your character does. Nihilego started off using bold and italics to denote who was speaking with quotation marks but no real marker or name involved. As he evolved he switched to using color and gave them each a signature color which made it MUCH easier to follow. Especially as sometimes early on he'd forget which formatting and I think in one post Esmur is bold, where every time after Gebin was and then Esmur switched between underline and italic while gebin in that first was underlined lol. The key is to make it readable and fit your style.
SOmetimes this "speech, line break, action, line break, speech" pattern breaks. Mistress Discipline writes her promos in a style more reminiscent to how a novel would read. And it works. DT has evolved to use color in his posts and when I write promos that aren't DT just talking to camera, himself, or an interviewer I switch away from the pictures and use JUST the colors because it works. Find your style, have fun, and play around. Then once you have a style you can subvert expectations.
Also make sure your voice is consistent. The easiest thing to screw up is switching tenses. Either write it in past, present or future, not all 3. It leads to a very jarring break in the reader and sucks them out of your world. If you use foreign language or an accent etc, make sure you treat it the same every time. Check on Kira Izumi's RPs as his many characters for examples of how to do this properly.
That;s all I have for now but if you think of anything else feel free to either ask me or add to this post below! I hope this has been informative and good luck to all you writers!
-D-Flipz