Plot-Design Tutorial

Okay, I think I've finished, I'm going to leave this up for a few hours and then post it tonight. Please comment.




Hola to all you RPers out there that we love so much.

Okay, I know some of us are full of ideas about threads and are itching to snatch a fellow RPer up and throw caution to the wind. A couple things need to be considered when making a thread and picking an RP partner:

1) Depth of character
2) Character Interaction
3) Plot: The GOTE Sheet
4) Willingness to work together


1) CHARACTER DEPTH
This is covered in more detail in its own section, but I figured I'd refer to it here briefly. When RPing with your character and others, it is important that they have depth so that people will have an idea of what to expect. Let's say your character's bet friend s trying to strike up a conversation about something you absolutely love aside from fighting... how can they do that if they don't have anything beyond:
"Glenn is distant from lots of people and loves to fight and win against better opponents."

or

"Adam is playful because he'll play with anyone. Caring because he'll help anyone. Courageous because he''ll take on any challenge."

Okay... That literally tells me, as a role-player, almost diddly-squat. You like to fight, whoopdy-frickin-doo. The only other thing I can gather from this sparse detail is that your character is very easy to take advantage of - and I, sure as hell, will take advantage of it. I'm a legit RPer, but not a courteous one. You leave me an opening, I will exploit it to the max and you'll be pissed off with me because I was smarter than you and pinpointed your very basic, but major, mistake. But it's not me making RP not-fun, it's you.

Why not design a plot that will highlight your character's shortcomings? Guys, we see Renji get his ass kicked nearly every fight, but he's one tough cookie. Ishida Uryuu is highly talented and skilled, but he loses to the unskillful Ichigo several times. Byskuya couldn't adjust to Ichigo's speed when he first went into Bankai. PLEASE, no character is perfect! How can you have a good plot if there's no challenge to your character.




2) CHARACTER INTERACTION
As an actor, I can tell you that 99% of acting is listening. Likewise, 99% of Text-Roleplay is reading. There is very little difference between the two, in a way, as your acting as a person different from yourself. Also keep in mind that you do not necessarily even need to be aware of each other. In a dark room where you can't see beyond your nose, how could you see someone standing two steps away from you?

Think about it. How can you write a good paragraph when you have scant details about your character and your RP partner's character. Few, if any, can pull that off and make it look good. What can you write about if your partner provides you nothing to react to, or vise versa.

A few simple things that you can provide answers for in a post: The scene (weather, wind, buildings, terrain), your character (reactions, posture, attitude, appearance, inner thoughts), other character (appearance, your perceptions, attitude, posture), conflict (who, what, when, where, how, why).

KEY TIPS:
-Read up on your RP partner and make sure you know your character.
-Make sure you have the right partners for your thread to make it.
-Really read into what your character would notice, not what you notice.
-Make a picture. You will not meet a legit writer who can't make a picture and write it out. It's easier than it sounds - we all have imaginations.




4) THE PLOT
Every thread-designer should have a goal in mind so that they can definte a beginning and an end to the story. It's very important that all loose ends get tied up. It's very awkward to be done with a post for 3 months and then have a new member jump into the scene as if they'd ben there the entire time. I did it once. It was an awkward-turtle moment, to say the least.

PLOT CONSIDERATIONS FOR YOUR CHARACTER:
The GOTE Sheet!
After providing basic information such as your characters demopgraphics (age, intelligence, gender, relevant history). You move on to a GOTE Sheet. GOTE stands for: Goal, Obstacle, Tactics, and Expectations.

-Goal:
What is it that your character hopes to achieve?
When do you want it?
Where or with whom can it be found?

-Obstacle:
From whom or what are you trying to gain you goal from?
What is the conflict they must overcome to reach that goal?
Who can help you?
Who can stop or hurt you?
How is it impeding them?
Where is it?
Why might it be there?

-Tactics:
How do you plan on overcoming the Obstacle?
Are you going to try to talk your way through it?
Or fight? Or retreat?
How can you threaten or induce someone into helping you get it or allowing you to get it?
Is the goal worth the effort to overcome the obstacle?
If it isn't, will that still deter your character?

-Expectations:
Does your character fail or succeed?
What do they expect to gain or lose by succeeding or failing?
Why do you want it?
What will you do when you get it?
Is this for you or for someone else?
What do you expect the other person's reaction will be?
Do you even want to succeed?
If so, what might be compelling you to even try?




4) TEAMWORK
Because we don't allow members to post back-to-back(-to back-to-back-to-back, etc.) posts, TEAMWORK is a biggie. Majorly. That means: RP partner(s). You have to communicate both within the RP and through PM to be on the same page so that things don't get out of hand or go beyond where you wanted to go.

Consider your RP skill versus your partners' skill when trying to make a plot really go. If you have an intricate and complex concept, do you really think you'll be able to help it come to fruition if your partner writes no more than five lines using simple and repetitive vocabulary and a lack of imagination?

The best-case scenario is to get someone about your level or higher. It's kind of like playing a video game or a round of basketball against another person: You're not going to get better if they aren't as good or better than you. Trust me, that's how it works - there isn't much anyone can say that will change this fact.