Matt Murdock
Avenger
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2005
- Messages
- 19,072
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Vanity abounds as I start writing this to you, my fellow Hype! RPG players. I'm Peter Parker. If you haven't heard of me, you may have heard of one of my former names: Spidey's Super-Fan or Matt Murdock. My writing can be found, mostly, in the Marvel games. I've developed a niche over in Ultimate Marvel, where I've played characters like Daredevil, The Scarlet Spider, and even Iron Man. I've been around these parts for a good while, just about a year and a half, and have learned much about the creative process and what it takes to be a good writer that I'd like to impart a little bit, just a little, of this knowledge onto you, my fellow writers. Whether you're a newbie, vet, or a dinosaur, I hope you can take something away from this little piece I've written.
Dos and Don'ts
A Sampling of Literary and Etiquette Tidbits Picked Up on the Winding Road of SuperHeroHype!
A Sampling of Literary and Etiquette Tidbits Picked Up on the Winding Road of SuperHeroHype!
Let's get this show on the road with a quick section on how to interact with your fellow players. Since joining the Hype! RPG gang, I've gone from a newbie, to an outcast, to a member of a collective group, back to outcast, and back to the collective again. The only constant has been my fellow players. It's crucial to establish healthy relationships with the posters you are currently, or hope to someday be, working with.
That said...
DO - Get all three of the big instant messaging services (Yahoo!, AIM, MSN).
It's great to send PM's, but it's better to send IM's. Unless you've got an earth-shattering story to tell, the game itself isn't going to stop to wait for you. So, speedy planning, quick communication, and rapid exchanging of ideas with your fellow players is always important. Most users have one service that they're always on. Venom160 and I are always on AIM, Byrd Man and Master Bruce are on MSN when they're internet connection permits it, and Syn(Mercenary) and Blacklight are always on Yahoo!. Everyone has their messenger service of choice, so it's important to get all of them. Optimal communications equate to optimal stories.
DON'T - Harass people if they don't respond to a private message, post in an IC thread, or a question OOC right away.
Everyone who posts on the Hype! has a life away from the keyboard. People won't always be there twenty minutes, a day, or even a week after you get a post up. There's a two-week limit to posts here for a reason, and sometimes you've just got to suck it up and realize that your post might not be getting a reply any time soon. Getting four PM's in the course of twelve hours entitled "The One Universe RPG - PLEASE POST!" will only rub the person you're hoping to get a response from the wrong way. Instead, a polite reminder every few days should do the trick, and it's always more appreciated and better received than a barrage of PMs or, worse still, IMs.
DO - Discuss a character's history with their previous writer before picking that character up.
While not necessarily required, it's always appreciated when a writer approaches their predecessor in a given game to ask, "hey, what's the story?". Sure, this isn't really important when someone only played as a character for a single arc, or even a few posts, but when a player has dedicated a significant portion of their RP-ing in a given time to a single character, then it's important to let them know that their character is in capable, interested, and dedicated hands. Nobody, really, enjoys giving up a character from what I've seen, so it's important to let them know that you're going to put in the amount of effort that they want when they're parting with something they've, literally, poured themselves into.
DON'T - Bicker or get an attitude.
It doesn't get simpler than this. Bickering about, usually, pointless nothings takes up time, energy, and creativity that could be better spent in the IC thread. Bickering leads to anamosity and grudges that don't go away with ease. Spare everyone the grief and just remain pleasant.
There aren't really big, obvious, glaring examples of poor people-skills in any of the players we've got in these parts. Some people are disagreeable, certainly, but that comes with the territory of, y'know, working with others. As for writing, though, there are some more little ideas I've had that I'd like to take this opportunity to share.
DO - Space out your posts.
Nobody likes reading a post that has two lines of dialogue, a few lines of narrative, and a pair of internal thoughts in the same paragraph. It looks terrible, and it just makes your posts difficult to read. The "Enter" button is your friend. Spacing out your posts makes them easier to read and, thus, means that more people will, in fact, read them!
DON'T - Use repetitive language.
Starting every sentence in a first-person narrative with the word "I" is an incredible turn-off to anyone reading your posts. By the same token starting every sentence in a Daredevil post with "Daredevil" can get a bit old. Using duplicate diction makes a post seem more like a list or a script than an actual story. "He/she/they said" is all too common. Saying Everyone reading your posts wants to be entertained, so entertain! Spice up your phrasing. "Daredevil" could be "The Man Without Fear," "The Crimson Knight," or "The Guardian Devil." It's difficult to change the diction you use, for sure, but in the end, it's worth it when your story gets rave reviews and when you're satisfied with the job you've done.
DO - Use as many literary devices as you can.
Onomatopoeia, the tricolon, and allusion are all tools that are at your disposal when you're writing. Literary devices can either be your best friend, or your biggest pitfall when you're writing. Onomatopoeia, for example, can be great when you're trying to give some flare to an action scene, but can lead to a cliché if you use it to often. All of the devices should be used sparingly, and only when they add to the quality of your post, or when they more clearly convey the idea you want to express. A comprehensive list of the literary devices can be found here. While writers here certainly won't be using all of the devices listed, they're certainly worth looking over and familiarizing one's self with. Writing without familiarity of literary devices is like trying to get to China by digging in a sandbox: you may do it eventually, but it's going to be a hell of a lot more difficult than if you had a plane to fly in.
DON'T - Be afraid to look to the movies for inspiration.
Movies are one of the most influential aspects of modern culture, so, clearly, when you come out of the latest comic movie, you're going to have some new ideas about what you're going to be doing with your character. There isn't necessarily anything wrong with that. What's important is that you control the amount that the film 'gets' to you. There's a fine line between being influenced by a movie and mimicking it. Movies and their characters are great but, in the end, this is a written story that focuses on entirely different characters than the films.
DO - Keep your stories simple.
If there's anything that can quickly kill a character or his story it's a plot-line that's muddled or confusing. Big action is fine, big drama is fine, but getting away from who your character really is should never happen. It's an unavoidable aspect of storytelling, though. You're going to be sitting around one day, thinking about plots, and a light bulb will come on. It's a fresh, new, awesome path that you've found and you, without hesitation, lead your character down it, realizing, only half way, that it was a terrible mistake. In that situation, the most important thing to do is push forward, finish your story and get your character back to basics. The "basics" can be explained in five simple words: good guys fighting bad guys. That's it. Stick to that, and the drama and development will find their own way there.
DON'T - Pick up a character if you have no idea what you're going to do with him.
If you're going to be writing as a character, please, have some general idea what you're going to be doing with him. Basic plots, important story-moments. These are crucial details. You shouldn't pick up a character and, five posts in, start contemplating what you're going to be doing with him.
DO - Learn basic grammatical principles.
Its and it's are not interchangeable. They're, there, and their all have different meanings. Then and than don't mean the same thing. Basic errors such as these are distracting, irksome, and make posts difficult to read. Comma usage, quotation marks, and spelling are all very basic components to writing a decent piece of fiction. What's more, everybody learned where to put a comma in grade school. Sure, things can get tricky when you're dealing with multiple levels of subordination, or independent purpose clauses, but, simply put, a writer ought to know that a comma goes between the items in a list or when used in direct address. Sure, missing a comma here or there is perfectly fine, but when every one of a writer's posts is poorly punctuated or grammatically improper, things just get difficult to read.
DON'T - Be above asking for criticism.
If your writing sucks, it's much better to know it than to be in the dark. Nobody logs onto SuperHeroHype! thinking, "Gosh, I hope I read a really bad piece of fiction today." Everyone wants to read a good story and have fun. So, become a better writer and, if you need it, ask for help. Everyone's done it, and nobody is without fault.
DO - Reread your posts before submitting them.
A large portion of missing details, spelling mistakes, and story irregularities can be mended with little more than a simple reread. Taking the time to find a tiny flaw in your formatting or writing style can make all the difference between "Oh, that was a run-of-the-mill filler post" and "Wow, that'll get a nomination for best post for sure." Every blank spot on the page is a place that could be used for further character development. Developed characters are interesting characters, so rereading and fleshing out your stories as much as possible can lead to a great post every time.
DON'T - Underutilize the cinematic power of the narrative you have at your disposal.
How many times have you seen a movie and thought, "man, I wish I could do that." The beauty of these stories is that you can. If you put the time and effort into your posts, you can turn a brawl into an alleyway between the Punisher and a few gang members into an actual, dramatic epic. The reader can feel the rain pouring down onto the city, he can hear Frank Castle reloading his guns, he can feel the tears through The Punisher's costume and skin as blood drips down his flesh. Fulfilling the potential that each portion of your story has is the key to creating a compelling season-spanning narrative that your fellows will actually want to read. Here, at the boards, you have the power to be the director, actor, and, of course, writer. The story is yours, the characters are yours, and, hell, even the soundtrack is yours. The world your characters live in is what you make of it.
DO - Interact with your fellow players as much as possible.
There's a reason that the fan-fiction section is different from our basement here in the RPGs. The primary difference between fan-fiction and Role-Playing games is that here, you're not alone when you're creating stories. Simple, ain't it? Too often, though, do people pick up characters and take them on globe-crossing solo stories, never to see interaction with another character. That's really a damned shame, since, half of the time, it results in players not enjoying themselves and quitting. The crux of these games is interaction, so, if you're missing out on that, you're missing out on the majority of the game.
DON'T - Be afraid to swear.
Sometimes, situations will call for foul language. It's not necessary to type "@$$" or "a**." Everyone knows what you mean and such needless censorship seriously disrupts the vibe of a post. The Hype!'s censor will do most of the hard work for you: if a word is really objectionable, it helps you out with a nice series of asterisks. That said, your character is, in fact, allowed to say, "Jesus ****ing Christ. God dammit." Swearing is, to an extent, realistic. The more realistic your stories are, the more believable they are. And if they're believable, they're engaging. Sometimes, a writer has to write the unpleasant stuff as well.
DO - Enjoy yourself.
When you get to the heart of it, these are role-playing games, not role-playing essays. If you're playing the games, you ought to be doing it to have fun. If you're not enjoying yourself, then something's gotta be changed. It's that simple.
I hope that those of you who've read this thing through all the way to the end have come away with something of use or value.
That said...
DO - Get all three of the big instant messaging services (Yahoo!, AIM, MSN).
It's great to send PM's, but it's better to send IM's. Unless you've got an earth-shattering story to tell, the game itself isn't going to stop to wait for you. So, speedy planning, quick communication, and rapid exchanging of ideas with your fellow players is always important. Most users have one service that they're always on. Venom160 and I are always on AIM, Byrd Man and Master Bruce are on MSN when they're internet connection permits it, and Syn(Mercenary) and Blacklight are always on Yahoo!. Everyone has their messenger service of choice, so it's important to get all of them. Optimal communications equate to optimal stories.
DON'T - Harass people if they don't respond to a private message, post in an IC thread, or a question OOC right away.
Everyone who posts on the Hype! has a life away from the keyboard. People won't always be there twenty minutes, a day, or even a week after you get a post up. There's a two-week limit to posts here for a reason, and sometimes you've just got to suck it up and realize that your post might not be getting a reply any time soon. Getting four PM's in the course of twelve hours entitled "The One Universe RPG - PLEASE POST!" will only rub the person you're hoping to get a response from the wrong way. Instead, a polite reminder every few days should do the trick, and it's always more appreciated and better received than a barrage of PMs or, worse still, IMs.
DO - Discuss a character's history with their previous writer before picking that character up.
While not necessarily required, it's always appreciated when a writer approaches their predecessor in a given game to ask, "hey, what's the story?". Sure, this isn't really important when someone only played as a character for a single arc, or even a few posts, but when a player has dedicated a significant portion of their RP-ing in a given time to a single character, then it's important to let them know that their character is in capable, interested, and dedicated hands. Nobody, really, enjoys giving up a character from what I've seen, so it's important to let them know that you're going to put in the amount of effort that they want when they're parting with something they've, literally, poured themselves into.
DON'T - Bicker or get an attitude.
It doesn't get simpler than this. Bickering about, usually, pointless nothings takes up time, energy, and creativity that could be better spent in the IC thread. Bickering leads to anamosity and grudges that don't go away with ease. Spare everyone the grief and just remain pleasant.
There aren't really big, obvious, glaring examples of poor people-skills in any of the players we've got in these parts. Some people are disagreeable, certainly, but that comes with the territory of, y'know, working with others. As for writing, though, there are some more little ideas I've had that I'd like to take this opportunity to share.
DO - Space out your posts.
Nobody likes reading a post that has two lines of dialogue, a few lines of narrative, and a pair of internal thoughts in the same paragraph. It looks terrible, and it just makes your posts difficult to read. The "Enter" button is your friend. Spacing out your posts makes them easier to read and, thus, means that more people will, in fact, read them!
DON'T - Use repetitive language.
Starting every sentence in a first-person narrative with the word "I" is an incredible turn-off to anyone reading your posts. By the same token starting every sentence in a Daredevil post with "Daredevil" can get a bit old. Using duplicate diction makes a post seem more like a list or a script than an actual story. "He/she/they said" is all too common. Saying Everyone reading your posts wants to be entertained, so entertain! Spice up your phrasing. "Daredevil" could be "The Man Without Fear," "The Crimson Knight," or "The Guardian Devil." It's difficult to change the diction you use, for sure, but in the end, it's worth it when your story gets rave reviews and when you're satisfied with the job you've done.
DO - Use as many literary devices as you can.
Onomatopoeia, the tricolon, and allusion are all tools that are at your disposal when you're writing. Literary devices can either be your best friend, or your biggest pitfall when you're writing. Onomatopoeia, for example, can be great when you're trying to give some flare to an action scene, but can lead to a cliché if you use it to often. All of the devices should be used sparingly, and only when they add to the quality of your post, or when they more clearly convey the idea you want to express. A comprehensive list of the literary devices can be found here. While writers here certainly won't be using all of the devices listed, they're certainly worth looking over and familiarizing one's self with. Writing without familiarity of literary devices is like trying to get to China by digging in a sandbox: you may do it eventually, but it's going to be a hell of a lot more difficult than if you had a plane to fly in.
DON'T - Be afraid to look to the movies for inspiration.
Movies are one of the most influential aspects of modern culture, so, clearly, when you come out of the latest comic movie, you're going to have some new ideas about what you're going to be doing with your character. There isn't necessarily anything wrong with that. What's important is that you control the amount that the film 'gets' to you. There's a fine line between being influenced by a movie and mimicking it. Movies and their characters are great but, in the end, this is a written story that focuses on entirely different characters than the films.
DO - Keep your stories simple.
If there's anything that can quickly kill a character or his story it's a plot-line that's muddled or confusing. Big action is fine, big drama is fine, but getting away from who your character really is should never happen. It's an unavoidable aspect of storytelling, though. You're going to be sitting around one day, thinking about plots, and a light bulb will come on. It's a fresh, new, awesome path that you've found and you, without hesitation, lead your character down it, realizing, only half way, that it was a terrible mistake. In that situation, the most important thing to do is push forward, finish your story and get your character back to basics. The "basics" can be explained in five simple words: good guys fighting bad guys. That's it. Stick to that, and the drama and development will find their own way there.
DON'T - Pick up a character if you have no idea what you're going to do with him.
If you're going to be writing as a character, please, have some general idea what you're going to be doing with him. Basic plots, important story-moments. These are crucial details. You shouldn't pick up a character and, five posts in, start contemplating what you're going to be doing with him.
DO - Learn basic grammatical principles.
Its and it's are not interchangeable. They're, there, and their all have different meanings. Then and than don't mean the same thing. Basic errors such as these are distracting, irksome, and make posts difficult to read. Comma usage, quotation marks, and spelling are all very basic components to writing a decent piece of fiction. What's more, everybody learned where to put a comma in grade school. Sure, things can get tricky when you're dealing with multiple levels of subordination, or independent purpose clauses, but, simply put, a writer ought to know that a comma goes between the items in a list or when used in direct address. Sure, missing a comma here or there is perfectly fine, but when every one of a writer's posts is poorly punctuated or grammatically improper, things just get difficult to read.
DON'T - Be above asking for criticism.
If your writing sucks, it's much better to know it than to be in the dark. Nobody logs onto SuperHeroHype! thinking, "Gosh, I hope I read a really bad piece of fiction today." Everyone wants to read a good story and have fun. So, become a better writer and, if you need it, ask for help. Everyone's done it, and nobody is without fault.
DO - Reread your posts before submitting them.
A large portion of missing details, spelling mistakes, and story irregularities can be mended with little more than a simple reread. Taking the time to find a tiny flaw in your formatting or writing style can make all the difference between "Oh, that was a run-of-the-mill filler post" and "Wow, that'll get a nomination for best post for sure." Every blank spot on the page is a place that could be used for further character development. Developed characters are interesting characters, so rereading and fleshing out your stories as much as possible can lead to a great post every time.
DON'T - Underutilize the cinematic power of the narrative you have at your disposal.
How many times have you seen a movie and thought, "man, I wish I could do that." The beauty of these stories is that you can. If you put the time and effort into your posts, you can turn a brawl into an alleyway between the Punisher and a few gang members into an actual, dramatic epic. The reader can feel the rain pouring down onto the city, he can hear Frank Castle reloading his guns, he can feel the tears through The Punisher's costume and skin as blood drips down his flesh. Fulfilling the potential that each portion of your story has is the key to creating a compelling season-spanning narrative that your fellows will actually want to read. Here, at the boards, you have the power to be the director, actor, and, of course, writer. The story is yours, the characters are yours, and, hell, even the soundtrack is yours. The world your characters live in is what you make of it.
DO - Interact with your fellow players as much as possible.
There's a reason that the fan-fiction section is different from our basement here in the RPGs. The primary difference between fan-fiction and Role-Playing games is that here, you're not alone when you're creating stories. Simple, ain't it? Too often, though, do people pick up characters and take them on globe-crossing solo stories, never to see interaction with another character. That's really a damned shame, since, half of the time, it results in players not enjoying themselves and quitting. The crux of these games is interaction, so, if you're missing out on that, you're missing out on the majority of the game.
DON'T - Be afraid to swear.
Sometimes, situations will call for foul language. It's not necessary to type "@$$" or "a**." Everyone knows what you mean and such needless censorship seriously disrupts the vibe of a post. The Hype!'s censor will do most of the hard work for you: if a word is really objectionable, it helps you out with a nice series of asterisks. That said, your character is, in fact, allowed to say, "Jesus ****ing Christ. God dammit." Swearing is, to an extent, realistic. The more realistic your stories are, the more believable they are. And if they're believable, they're engaging. Sometimes, a writer has to write the unpleasant stuff as well.
DO - Enjoy yourself.
When you get to the heart of it, these are role-playing games, not role-playing essays. If you're playing the games, you ought to be doing it to have fun. If you're not enjoying yourself, then something's gotta be changed. It's that simple.
I hope that those of you who've read this thing through all the way to the end have come away with something of use or value.
love the formatting 
