⟪ Landon's Guide to Improve Your Writing ⟫
I'm sure there are plenty of these out there, but with my recent full reviews of rps, I've noticed a few things that anyone can do to improve their writing. This guide mostly focuses on grammar and sentence structure because those are just my personal strength.
General
Avoid 'to be' verbs- this sounds rather odd, but I had a high school english teacher who only let us use one 'to be' verb on every other page. And it actually really improves your writing. 'To be' verbs include 'are, was, were, is, am, be, etc.' Removing these will help you better describe whatever you are currently writing because you'll use a descriptive action verb instead. Ex. 'He wasglad that she appreciated that particular gift, as it wasan idea he'd concocted very out of the blue' vs. 'Her appreciation for that particular gift eased his worry, as the idea occurred to him without much forethought.' Or 'It wasa stinging notion, but she wassure.' vs 'The realization stung, but her confidence helped them figure out how to move forward.' I'm not saying to never use 'to be' verbs, but whenever you go back to edit or proofread, take a few out and rephrase. This will also help you develop a better vocabulary!
Vocabulary- speaking of which, make sure you're using a variety of words even when describing the same situation. A thesaurus tab is always helpful to have open because it keeps you from being repetitive and helps the reader imagine what you're writing. Using the same word to describe the same thing over and over again usually means you'll lose interest. If I'm talking about one specific thing, I avoid using the same word to describe it more than once in the same paragraph. Ex. a mutant rp may have experimenters that caused the mutations, and in my plot I'll call them scientists, experimenters, researchers, government officials, and/or analysts.
Varying your sentence structure- Anyone who has worked a menial job can tell you that repetition is boring. I know I personally have a comma in almost every sentence followed by a second clause. (...see the 'to be' verbs examples above). It can be hard to get out of a flow you are used to, but it ultimately helps with interest and understanding. Plus how long or short your sentence is can influence how what you are saying is interpreted and reflect the character/situation itself.
Read aloud - I love commas. I tend to write long, flowing sentences that connect with clauses and descriptions. And then people struggle to make sense of them. Reading something aloud can really help you figure out if your sentences are too jumbled or even too short. Reading aloud can also help you see if your sentence structures are all the same.
Avoid Passive Voice- this is true in all types of writing. Passive voice can be confusing and generally sounds less active than (haha) active voice. In passive voice, what/who ever is committing an action is not actually given responsibility for that action at all (Tom was punched) or until after the action is stated (Tom was punched by Jim). A more clarifying guide can be found here. I'm not saying you should never use passive voice, but that generally your writing sounds better when it's only used with a specific purpose.
Consistency with Tense- this is especially important when writing your plot. Keep background in the past tense, and current situations in the present. Switching back and forth is incredibly confusing. 'Things WERE this way and now they ARE this way.'
In Character
How are they feeling?- If you're having trouble with length or muse, think about exactly how your chara would emotionally respond to the current situation. It's rare that we feel just one emotion, so figure out three or four that may be present. Write about that. How do they show it? What is their physiological response? Emotions affect each of us different - the more you write about that, the more we learn about your chara.
Why are they feeling that way?- Your rp partner probably already knows why you chara is reacting the way they are, but really explain it anyway. This allows you to explore/develop their thought processes, connect current events to previous experiences, speculate on the future, and and firmly decide why your chara has this particular emotional and physical response. Someone is getting bullied, and your chara becomes angry watching it happen - is that because they hate to see an imbalance of power? Or does it remind them of their own bullying experiences? Or does the victim remind them of their recently deceased sister? The emotion is only the beginning - give us the why.
