I need a teacher of sorts.

[Chao]

Didn't know where to post this, its a little embarrassing. I want to become a better roleplayer. But can't seem to improve.

If anyone has tips, way to improve, or able to Tudor me, please tell me.

[Vilageidiotx]

Or able to Tudor me, please tell me.

@Chaotic Chao

well the first thing you have to do is you have to kill your wife.

But seriously, the first thing you gotta do is decide what type of roleplaying you want to do. Second thing is you got to identify what you like about what others are doing and then rip them off. You learn by copying what everyone else is doing and then co-opting that for your own imagination.

Which is to say that the best way to improve is to practice by joining and keeping up with roleplays, and watch what everyone else is doing.

[Hank]

Just start at a level you are comfortable with and keep challenging yourself. Join a Free or Casual roleplay and push yourself out of your comfort zone a little bit with every post you make. Create a character you think is cool and think to yourself how can I make them weaker, more flawed, more interesting? Write a post and when you're done, add another paragraph to spice it up, even if it's just to describe what your character is seeing, hearing and feeling.

Continue this for five years and you'll be fine.

[Lady Absinthia]

@Chaotic Chao If you have a story that you would like to 1x1, drop me a line, be happy to tutor you (Or you are more than welcome to join any Rp I am running and myself and the rest of the groups are always there to help.)

[Dinh AaronMk]

You could also read more in general, which is sort of like what @Vilageidiotx said. See and read what others are doing and add that to a mental index. Read multiple authors in multiple genres if you have to so you broaden your scope. And of course always practice and practice.

If you think you don't have time to read then know there's always audio-books. I've been keeping up with a lot of my reading these days by listening to people read books for me on my iPod. It may only really work if you're doing menial physical work where you can just put yourself into auto-pilot. If you can't do that there's always listening to something on the way to or from work or appointments. There's a lot of wasted time in the day you can use to catch up on your reading as much as you can anything else.

[Chao]

Hm. I've tried these ideas, but I haven't seem to get where I want to be, I am improving for sure though. Just not as fast as I'd like to.

[Dinh AaronMk]

@Chaotic Chao

Improvement is rarely instant.

[Chao]

@Dinh AaronMk I've figured.

[Mixtape Ghost N]

Role playing with good writers can help.

It worked out for me.

[Jig]

What area/s are you hoping to improve?

[HeySeuss]

Didn't know where to post this, its a little embarrassing. I want to become a better roleplayer. But can't seem to improve.

If anyone has tips, way to improve, or able to Tudor me, please tell me.

@Chaotic Chao

I'm not going to say that the following is the only way, but it makes the most sense to me:

Jump in an RP and do your best. Keep writing with an eye to improve.

[Chao]

@HeySeuss Okay! I'll take that in consideration.

[Genkai]

I improved a great deal from finding partners who pushed me. I had one RP that started off Free, morphed in Casual and in the end, became a full blown Advanced thing. The plot and partner really made me invest more detail and develop into the big picture. It was a lot of fun. As others have rightly suggested, you just need to practice. And also read and write on your own. Even if it's just a flash fiction or short story, sometimes people improve on their own while others need outside people pushing and cheering them on. If you want a buddy to 1x1 with, I have a lot of free space on my RP Plate, so to speak. It's great you wanna improve, don't give up. :)

[POOHEAD189]

@Chaotic Chao Roleplaying, even though it involved other people, is still writing essentially. And the best way to learn how to write is to read. A lot. Other than that, interacting with others and practicing your writing skills will help you improve in a way that you hardly notice until you're simply better. Keep it up!

[Vilageidiotx]

And write often too. A person writing once a day will improve quicker then someone writing once a week. If you get into advanced doing, it is good to keep a PM to yourself where you can write drafts or partial posts.

[NuttsnBolts]

Didn't know where to post this, its a little embarrassing. I want to become a better roleplayer. But can't seem to improve.

If anyone has tips, way to improve, or able to Tudor me, please tell me.

@Chaotic Chao

Write posts that are of a slightly longer length so you experiment with grammar and descriptions, use a thesaurus for words you feel need to be adjusted (eg: said can be swapped with expressed, shouted, groaned, etc), spend time describing details (eg: what colour was the teacup, was it hot, what smell did the tea give off, is it alone or with food) and read.

Reading doesn't have to be a novel either. Watching a movie in sub titles can help too as it will give you an idea on the way people speak and how to write with different mannerisms.

[Fubsy]

Read, write, and drink a shit load of coffee. Especially the latter.

In all seriousness, practice makes perfect. Read as much as you can (classics are especially helpful), and write everyday, even if it's a little paragraph. Little things like that help keep the mind flowing. Results aren't quick. Like all good things, it takes time. You're not gonna be the perfect writer. No one is. But don't let that stop you from learning. If anything, let that inspire you to improve.

Always remember that quantity does not equal quality. Don't worry if you feel like a post is too short, so long as it gets the point across and it doesn't look like shit. Also, grammar/spelling checkers are your best friends. Lord knows how many times I'd misspell 'necessary' without my friendly, little AutoCorrect.
Most importantly, just have fun. Go with the flow and don't be afraid to experiment. Mess around with similes and metaphors, add a bit fancy descriptions, just have fun! There's no point in forcing yourself to improve if you can't find enjoyment with it.

Reference Material

•Dialogue Tips
•How Not to Write Purple Prose
•Can't remember the word you're looking for? BOOM! Now you can find it with this handy-dandy word searching tool.
•Hemingway--Editing app for all your editing needs.
•Mary Sue Character Test
•Writer's Block is an asshole, so here's some ways to fight it.

Remember: Practice, practice, practice. Don't be afraid to break a few rules. Learn as you go. And, most importantly, have fun!

[Wade Wilson]

Read, write, and drink a shit load of coffee. Especially the latter.

In all seriousness, practice makes perfect. Read as much as you can (classics are especially helpful), and write everyday, even if it's a little paragraph. Little things like that help keep the mind flowing. Results aren't quick. Like all good things, it takes time. You're not gonna be the perfect writer. No one is. But don't let that stop you from learning. If anything, let that inspire you to improve.

Always remember that quantity does not equal quality. Don't worry if you feel like a post is too short, so long as it gets the point across and it doesn't look like shit. Also, grammar/spelling checkers are your best friends. Lord knows how many times I'd misspell 'necessary' without my friendly, little AutoCorrect.
Most importantly, just have fun. Go with the flow and don't be afraid to experiment. Mess around with similes and metaphors, add a bit fancy descriptions, just have fun! There's no point in forcing yourself to improve if you can't find enjoyment with it.

Reference Material

•Dialogue Tips
•How Not to Write Purple Prose
•Can't remember the word you're looking for? BOOM! Now you can find it with this handy-dandy word searching tool.
•Hemingway--Editing app for all your editing needs.
•Mary Sue Character Test
•Writer's Block is an asshole, so here's some ways to fight it.

Remember: Practice, practice, practice. Don't be afraid to break a few rules. Learn as you go. And, most importantly, have fun!

@Fubsy

May the spiritual deities above us bless you for those links.

[Ruby]

Didn't know where to post this, its a little embarrassing. I want to become a better roleplayer. But can't seem to improve.

If anyone has tips, way to improve, or able to Tudor me, please tell me.

@Chaotic Chao

You're more than welcome to PM me any questions/posts you want feedback on; I'm a long time writer/roleplayer that's been on a few "Best writers on the Guild" lists with a history of helping others improve. Currently assisting writers do this IRL with writer workshops.

But in general, two tips:

1) You experience your world through your senses; your characters do the same. In every post you write, keep this in mind, approach your writing from the viewpoint of sensory details first and exposition second.

Exposition?

("Exposition?" you might ask. Ripped from Wiki: "Narrative exposition is the insertion of important background information within a story; for example, information about the setting, characters' backstories, prior plot events, historical context, etc."--not to be confused with sensory details.)

2) There's no shame in getting "beaten" by the masters, and you only get better when you expose yourself to writing better than your current level. So if you stick in the same writing/RP circles that you're comfortable in, you won't grow. Won't expand. Won't improve. So never feel embarrassed if you're in a game and you feel like you're out of your depth--so long as you're trying. And if someone's petty to you...send 'em my way.

Good luck!