7 Ways to Extend Your Post Length

[Vin]

So I know that some of you have trouble with posting more than just a few actions and dialog. Seeing as we just added a 200-ish word minimum, I didn’t want anyone to panic. First off, we’re not going to count your words, we’re just looking for about two paragraphs – each around maybe 4-6 sentences. So, I thought I’d put together this handy dandy help-post. =D

So I originally planned to just make one long post..but that is going to take too long. I decided, instead to do it in several different parts, posting a new idea as I have the time to finish the next idea description.

I will start with a small post, and show you the different ways that you can add to it. Hopefully this will give you some ideas as to how you can add more to your posts. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.

Example (Starter post - the initial interaction):

XY: The stallion galloped into the meadow, head held high, tail streaming elegantly behind him. Letting out a loud, bellowing neigh, he announced his presence to all the mares that might be near and looking for a stallion’s herd to join.

XX: The mare was grazing on the delicious grass at her feet when she heard a stallion neigh. She turned her head his way, watching him intently. Perhaps he would be the stallion who would give her a place to call home?

I will work with the replies in order to show you my examples.
Here are some ideas for things to add to your posts that will add length to the posts. Text in white is the newly added suggestion.

The 200 word count will be the goal for the last, final post.

[Vin]

Number One:

First interaction and Dialog: More than just conversation; answer questions with words, emotions, and body language.

XY: The stallion saw the mare grazing a short distance away. When she turned to watch him he eagerly walked up to her. He was a little nervous, but mostly just excited – this was his first interaction with anybody in these new lands. “Hello. And who might you be?” he said. His ears pricked intently, expressing his curiosity in her.

XX: The mare watched silently as the stallion came over. She quietly finished the grass she was chewing on as he asked her who she was. Curiously, she watched him approach. Her ears pricked as he spoke, listening intently. “I am Bay. Who asks?” Ears flicked emphasizing her question, and uncertainty in the answer.

Ok, so here we have two very simple posts that are enough for both to understand what the other is doing and saying, but not much more than that. XY has a much harder job than XX, because they have to add a little more to their beginning posts because they are starting the interaction. If you have trouble getting close to the 200 word minimum, try to reply to someone instead of starting so you don't have to worry about the initial setup. It is always easier to reply if someone else is setting up the scene.

One thing that you should keep in mind: in the real world there is time for a character to notice and react as something is happening, this is very difficult to do because we are all individuals posting at different times. So I suggest beginning your post where your last one ended. Give your character a chance to notice what is going on in the world around them.

What XY can do to improve this post:

• Start off by having the stallion do something other than notice the mare. Example: The stallion raised his head to gaze across the field. He noticed a mare, grazing a short distance away and decided to introduce himself.
  
  
• Tell about what the character is feeling. Is he worried? Nervous? Angry? This helps the other person know what kind of interaction is taking place, and what to expect. You don't greet a person who looks angry with a giggle and a smile, you typically frown, because you are worried or anxious about what's going to happen. Example: He watched her for several moments, still chewing on his last mouthful of grass thoughtfully. what would she think of him? He was most impressive, in his own opinion anyways, and he didn't see any other stallions near her.
  
  
• The talking itself shouldn't be anything other than ordinary. Talking is talking no matter where you are. Think about how you would phrase things if you're having trouble.
  
  
• After the talking takes place, you might include something about the way they are expressing themselves by their ears, eyes, or even their tail. Example: His ears pricked intently, expressing his curiosity in her. His tail raised, blowing in the breeze.
  

The final, changed, post would read like this:

XY: The stallion raised his head to gaze across the field. He noticed a mare, grazing a short distance away and decided to introduce himself. He watched her for several moments, still chewing on his last mouthful of grass thoughtfully. what would she think of him? He was most impressive, in his own opinion anyways, and he didn't see any other stallions near her. When she turned to watch him he eagerly walked up to her. He was a little nervous, but mostly just excited – this was his first interaction with anybody in these new lands. “Hello. And who might you be?” he said. His ears pricked intently, expressing his curiosity in her. His tail raised, blowing in the breeze.

Next section coming soon. =)

[Vin]

Number Two

Reactions to others: more than just talking; body language and tone.

Now for XX. This player has a slightly different approach to the reply because they are ideally doing two things: 1. Doing all of the previously discussed things and 2. Telling about their characters reactions to what the other character(s) are doing.

XX: The mare watched silently as the stallion came over. She quietly finished the grass she was chewing on as he asked her who she was. Curiously, she watched him approach. Her ears pricked as he spoke, listening intently. “I am Bay. Who asks?” Ears flicked emphasizing her question, and uncertainty in the answer.

As I said before: in the real world there is time for a character to notice and react as something is happening. If you begin where your last post ended you can give your character a chance to notice what is going on in the world around them. This helps especially if you are lacking ideas - review of an old post is acceptable, it shouldn't take much more than a paragraph (unless of course the person you are replying to gave you a lengthy post of actions and conversation to react and reply to).

So, concerning a character's reactions, we are concerned about:

• What: What were the other characters doing? If another character is being aggressive, your character will have to react accordingly.
  
  
• Why: Why is the other character doing what they are doing?
  Example:The mare was grazing when she noticed the stallion approaching. she wondered who he was and what it was, exactly, he wanted. Was he coming to claim her? Or was there something else?
  
  
• Where: Where is the other character in relation to your character? No matter what kind of animal, a character is always aware of its surroundings and those around it.
  Example:She continued to watch the stallion approach from the hill to her right. She glanced around; there were other horses of course, but he seemed intent on her. She snatched several more bites of grass as he came closer.
  
  
• How: How is your character going to react to everything that the other is doing? Be offended? Friendly? Remember that each character is different, so their reactions will vary; sometimes it can be difficult to not let your own personality bleed into your characters and make them all very similar.
  

So now, we have the above concepts and the previous ones to include in our final post. The previous ones were:

• Actions apart from interaction.
  
• What the character is feeling.
  
• Talking itself.
  
• Body language.
  

Taking into account all of the things we have talked about, the changed and added to response would read like this:

XX: The mare was grazing when she noticed the stallion approaching. she wondered who he was and what it was, exactly, he wanted. Was he coming to claim her? Or was there something else? She continued to watch the stallion approach from the hill to her right. She glanced around; there were other horses of course, but he seemed intent on her. She snatched several more bites of grass as he came closer.The mare watched silently as the stallion came over. She was a bit unsure of what she thought of him. He intrigued her.She quietly finished the grass she was chewing on as he asked her who she was. Curiously, she watched him approach. Her ears pricked as he spoke, listening intently. “I am Bay. Who asks?” Ears flicked emphasizing her question, and uncertainty in the answer. Her weight shifted a little uncertainly as she waited for his response.

More to come.