The keys to bettering your roleplay.
This is to new roleplayers, and even those in general.
When you roleplay a specific character, there are a few things you need to ask yourself:
What is this character like?
What are their likes/dislikes?
What kind of mannerisms do they have?
What is their personality like?
How are they under pressure?
What makes them happy, sad, etc.?
Are they emotionally unstable, a rock, generally happy, etc.?
If you are roleplaying a specific character from a movie/book/tv show, then do research.
If it's a book, read of exerts of the book your character is involved in.
If it's a movie, study the scenes they are in.
If it's a tv show, look up certain episodes that make the most impact on the show they are in or the ones where the most backstory is revealed.
If there is a site where that character is explained, read it.
This will all help you to understand your character better, and help you to give a more realistic personification of your take on that character.
It may seem like hard work, but honestly, it can be enjoyable once you've become more in tune with your character.
Here are some ways to rise the quality of your storylines/replies:
How would your character react to what was said/done?
For example, say there are two characters: Alan, and Callie
Alan makes a joke.
You have to think about what type of joke it is, and if it would amuse your character. If so "Callie laughed" is a reaction to that joke.
However, you can go deeper, bring it more to life by describing the laughter.
"Callie laughed loudly, and happily."
What is your character thinking?
If some of you have read some of my writing, thinking can be taken into two different categories.
Literal:
As in speaking inside head in first person. (I've mostly seen thoughts in Italics)
Why is this happening to me?
Passing:
As in it's written about briefly, but the words are not actually formed. This is usually just a part of the paragraph.
Her thoughts were racing, and questions flew through her mind faster than she could comprehend them.
Describe the physical things that are happening around your character:
The breeze caused her hair to fly backwards as she spoke to him.
Remember cause and effect:
If a character breaks something, remember that it was broken, and work it into a later reply. This gives the roleplay a more realistic, and stable feel to it.
Don't be afraid of a wall of text:
If you can't come up with something nearly as long as your rp partner, don't sweat it! It's quality over quantity. This means, long roleplays are nice, but, what makes a good roleplayer is not the length, it's how you pull your rp partner in with the depth, and how strong your voice stands out in your writing. If you force a long reply, you can lose your voice in the process.
Think ahead:
You don't always have to do this. In fact, I would urge you not to, but putting just reacting sometimes isn't enough. Give thought to how you are replying, and how you would like the story to go. You can foreshadow in roleplay. It's one of my favorite things to put in a roleplay every now, and again. It keeps people on their toes, and makes you, not just your character, interesting as a writer.
Think about your partner:
If it's available, do a little reading up on the character your rp partner is portraying. You don't have to go all out, but getting a better sense of their personality will help you create a story-line that is easier for them to reply to, and keeps them interested.
Don't be lazy:
We all have those days where we just aren't in the mood to reply in depth. In this case, just ask yourself a few questions so you can throw out a few simple sentences to make a paragraph.
What are they feeling?
What is their expression?
What is their reaction?
What would they say?
What is a thought they would have?
Generally these five questions will give you a paragraph at least, which will help you in the long run.
If a roleplay becomes boring:
Do not be afraid to ask the person to discuss it further, or to come up with a way to make it more exciting. This is a way of enjoyment, and relieving stress. If it becomes boring, then it just becomes stressful every time you get online.
Have any questions? Go to my ask!