Guide - Post Improvement for Members and Staff

Detail is what leads your reader to the most plain or vivid experience in your topic; details help the reader to imagine the world in which your character is travelling; however, too much detail can lead to an overload of a reader's senses, and should always be avoided.

Bad Example: Little Detail wrote:

Joseph walked down the path and searched the grass for a wild pokemon.

Bad Example: Too Much Detail wrote:

Joseph trodded gently down the dark dirt path. The sun shined brilliantly in the sky, the marshmallow-like clouds winding gently around the Earth. Joseph stepped lightly towards the grass that was of fair color, pushing the tall, thin blades to the side as they made a light sound, dew dripping from the blades. You could hear Joseph's calm breathing while he leaned forward, his shirt contacting the blades of grass being stained during his search for a wild pokemon to battle.

Good Example wrote:

Joseph walked down the dirt path. He headed to the grass that was of an average color. The sun was shining brilliantly in the sky, illuminating the leaves of nearby trees as he searched for a wild pokemon to battle.

In the first example, we can imagine Joseph walking down a path and searching in the grass for a wild pokemon; however, not much detail is given. In the second detail, we can clearly tell Joseph is looking for a pokemon; however, too many details are being provided and may be distracting to the reader.

The third example provides detail on the environment, but not too much; we can tell that Joseph is around some trees, searching in grass of a fair color, and is walking along a path of dirt and not concrete.

Actions and emotions are what make all of our characters unique; how they respond to different scenarios and the gestures they make help to define the future events and responses of other characters and the environment. This is why including emotions and action in a post can greatly influence the response you receive back; however, putting too much action and emotion into a single post can be overbearing.

Bad Example wrote:

Jerry stepped up the steps to the pokemon center. He was disappointed because he had lost a gym battle.

Good Example wrote:

Jerry stepped up the steps of the pokemon center, his head hung. His arms swayed gently as he walked, his expression a bit pale due to his disappointment. He had recently lost a gym battle, and it was clear on his face.

Good Example wrote:

Jerry confidently stepped up the steps of the pokemon center. His head was not hung, his arms moving powerfully as he got to the doors. Despite losing a gym battle, he was prepared to train and challenge the leader a second time. He held a hand out, pointing to the sun. "I will be victorious!"

In the first example, we can tell that Jerry has lost a gym battle and is disappointed; however, a light lack of detail and action in the post leaves us wondering how he's responding physically.

In the latter example, we get more of a sense of his disappointment, as his head is hung and his arms are swaying a bit lighter than usual as he walks. His expression is also factored in.

In our final example, contrasting from the sorrowful tone of his loss, Jerry is clearly displayed to be confident. He exclaims that he will be victorious, showing his confidence alongside his gestures.

A really important part of posting, especially between two different members or characters, is the dialogue between those characters. Another factor is what the character is thinking in their minds. Too little dialogue can leave a character feeling as though another is rude, though too much can make them seem too talkative.

However, this doesn't mean that dialogue and character thoughts should be in all of the posts that you make; there are many instances where you don't need it, such as with action scenes or gym battles, where communication may be minimal other than calling out move names. Also, dependant on character personality you may include more or less dialogue and thoughts.

An important part of posting is taht your posts flow and follow a pattern of logic. Jumping from one day to another without specification that a time skip has occured can leave a reader confused; likewise, if you instantly jump from one topic to another without flow, you can end up causing a responder of your topic to read your post multiple times in confusion. Another problem that can arise is if you post something that your character obviously cannot do; for example, jumping to the moon without some sort of assistance is just not physically possible. As such, introduce transitions to your posts, especially if they are long ones and make sure that your post doesn't make your character seem overpowered (which is actually a rule here).

Bad Example wrote:

Mark walked up the stairs of the center. He walked to the counter and put down money, grabbing items from the counter and walking out. "Victory will be mine this time!" He went to the gym and fought the leader again.

Good Example wrote:

Mark walked up the stairs of the pokemon center. Walking into the doors, he proceeded to the counter, setting down cash as he waited for the clerk to bring him his items. He then took them up, walking out of the center. "Victory will be mine this time," he spoke out as he trotted towards the gym. Once he was at the entrance, he moved into the doors and challenged the leader for his fifth round.

In the first example, we get the base idea that Mark has gone to a pokemon center and purcahsed items; however, there are no transitions; the series of events he takes are just tossed out, leaving the reader stuck a bit imagining the post.

In the latter example, we see transitions introduced such as "into," "then," and "toward." These words flow the post from start to finish, guiding us along the path that Mark is taking from purchasing his items to the next gym challenge he makes.

This is a problem in many topics that are online, either character applications or moderation topics. Spelling is left out, leaving typos everywhere in the sentences that are written; in addition to this, sentence fragments and bad capitalization are present thoroughly. If you don't use proper grammar and spelling, you can leave your post looking like a five-year old wrote it, and this would discourage readers from your topic. Using "text-type" is also a form of inappropriate spelling and grammar.

You can do alot to your post in revision just by proof-reading it once. If in doubt, you can also use a spell and grammar checker, though don't 100% trust them to be right all the time!

Bad Example wrote:

Matt waked 2 a store of gr8 byoutea. Eh aswn't sure how 2 repsnod wehn he got their nd walked n. Was awestruck.

Good Example wrote:

Matt walked to a store of great beauty. He wasn't sure how two respond when he got there and walked in. He was awestruck.

In the first example, we see multiple errors; there are various spelling errors, abbreviations in text chat, and a sentence fragment. This is highly different from the second example that is highly understandable and legible.

Believe it or not, the words that you choose when describing a scene or reaction is important. Some words are stronger than others, putting focus on some things while leaving others without attention. Using the appropriate words are difficult in different scenarios, so it is always a good idea to cautiously look over your writings and make sure you aren't conveying the wrong message just by word choice.

Bad Example wrote:

James wrote a response to Erik on a forum. In his post, he wrote that he "utterly despised" Erik's way of doing things, but acknowledged that his methods worked in some scenarios.

Good Example wrote:

James wrote a response to Erik. He wrote that he didn't believe Erik's methods worked in some scenarios, but gave acknowledgement that in others they did.

In the first example, we definitely understand that James was writing a message on a forum about Erik's method of doing things; however, the words that he used to describe them show not just disrespect, but create a contradiction when James later writes that the methods do work in some cases.

Unlike the first example, the second better describes his viewpoint. Instead of putting exaggerated emphasis on his disapproval of the methods Erik uses, it provides the concept that while they work in some situations, the methods fail in others. It inspires more of a constructive response than an argument between members.

Believe it or not, the choice of which perspective that you write in can have a great influence on how your topic is perceived and understood. If you write in the first person, you're creating more of a connection with the reader and portraying your characters thoughts and emotions moreso than a third person perspective; however, by writing in third person, you can also reveal more details about things going on around the character as well as provide more information about other characters' thoughts and gestures if they aren't in the view of the main character.

A main issue present is the lack of consistent perspective throughout one post or even a series of posts. Use the same perspective as much as possible, and if you really need to switch, take caution in keeping your topic flowing!

Bad Example wrote:

Sarah picked up her backpack. She unzipped it and looked inside. I picked up one of the books that I was looking for pertaining to Chemistry. I then sat the backpack down.

Good Example wrote:

Sarah picked up her packpack, opening it and looking inside at her textbooks. She looked for a specific one, pulling it out before she then sat her backpack down; she could now study for Chemistry exams.

In the first example, half-way through the writing the perspective changes. This can be confusing, disrupting the flow of the post because it has to be viewed from a different angle as opposed to consistency throughout the entire post.

This does NOT mean that you cannot use a first-person perspective or even second-person when you are doing things such as dialogue in a third-person perspective!

One problem that seems to capture a few members is the utilization of out-of-character statements. In essence, these statements are outside of the topic in general, usually used to discuss between members or a member and moderator. When you write an OOC statement, you should always put it away from the writing itself or otherwise emphasize it is NOT a part of your post; otherwise it will be read as a piece of the post.

Bad Example wrote:

Sam should be interrupted by her mother. Sam wrote down a few words on her paper, making sure to write them carefully.

Good Example wrote:

(Sam should be interrupted by her mother)

Sam wrote down a few words on her paper making sure to write them carefully.

In the latter example, we can distinguish the OOC note left by the member as opposed to the first example. If someone were to read the first example, they may think that it was a part of the post and that the post didn't flow.