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Guide to Writing Quality RP Posts


Dio

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Hello, my little ponies. Roleplaying on Canterlot.com can be a delightfully fun experience, but finding the right confidence in your roleplay posts can be a difficult thing. Indeed, many of my subjects over the years questioned whether they truly have the talent to write outstanding roleplay posts. To those who wish themselves to be counted among my faithful students, I have to say that crafting exceptional replies is actually quite easy. By studying the wisdom I impart to you, you’ll soon be able to practice my techniques and learn for yourself the magic of roleplay.

:Celest: Proofreading is Magic.

If anypony realizes the importance of proofreading, it would be my prized pupil Twilight Sparkle. While her efforts at maintaining the high quality of her reports oftentimes wear her out, the efforts she makes to ensure her writing is devoid of all spelling and grammar errors or phrases too awkward to be read out loud is truly commendable. If your fellow roleplayers are anything like their princess, they will be happy to see similar efforts. Even though I’m personally quite forgiving of errors (don’t let my student find out!), some players will be thrown off if they see writing lacking the care evidenced by a simple proofread.

:Celest: Explore Your Character’s Feelings.

Roleplay is much more than having your character go through the motions of speaking dialogue to other ponies. Like my real subjects, your creation ought to be swimming in thoughts and senses. How does your pony feel about the other characters? How does he or she perceive his surroundings? By exploring the reflections, emotions, and senses of your character, your posts will be more rewarding to read for both others and yourself. Don’t fear making your replies too long; the important thing is that others get a vivid picture of what goes on inside the head of your own little pony.

:Celest: Not All Language is Spoken.

Even though writing dialogue is a large part of roleplaying, don’t underestimate the importance of body language. Various scientific experts in my royal court suggest that upwards to 90% of all equine communication consists of nonverbal cues like eye contact and leg movement. To better simulate the lively nuances of real-life conversations, feel encouraged to describe what sort of gestures and expressions your character makes. Just as importantly, make every effort to respond to the body language displayed by other ponies. By minding nonverbal cues, conversations will be made that much more interesting to portray.

:Celest: Reign In the Purple Prose.

On occasion, I have seen my RP students go overboard and write up posts so long and convoluted that they are impossible to comprehend. While it is important to delve into your character, it is also vital to do so concisely. Be sure to write just enough to provide roleplayers a detailed picture of your pony or the current setting without drowning them in extraneous information and endless description. Assuming that two roleplay posts each have the same content about a character’s thoughts and actions, the better roleplay post is not the one that spends two paragraphs droning about the alabaster spires of my castle, but the one that only devotes a sentence or two at most to them.

:Celest: Create Opportunities for Responses.

Aside from getting inside your character’s head, the other essential element that distinguishes an exceptional post from an average one is how well it provides new directions for other roleplayers to respond to. Writing in-length about how your character came to arrive at a location sadly does no good if they make no effort to bond with somepony else. On the other hoof, having your character communicate with others, causing situations which other characters must respond to, and otherwise moving the roleplay along are what it takes to make RPs exciting to both yourself and others. However, be sure to respond to other roleplayer’s attempts at accomplishing the same task; reciprocation goes a long way in forging meaningful friendships.

I trust you can now see that I was quite serious when I mentioned that writing great roleplay posts is delightfully easy. By following these five simple steps, you’ll be roleplaying to the very best of your abilities before you even know it. With quality roleplaying, I have faith that you'll soon find countless friends as you explore the worlds of Canterlot.com's Roleplay. Good luck!

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