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Your First Story

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MJT2-0
May Member 2022

MJT2-0

Posts: 234 Silver Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Welcome to Your First Story!

Well, this isn’t your first story, but hopefully this will lead you directly to it! I guess it’s sort’ve a map to your first story. Treat it as such and tread carefully!

My name’s Capt. I’ve been lurking around these parts for nine years now. Activity here has been on and off the last few years, but I’ve decided to give back to the community that helped me grow so much.

This was, by far, one of the most successful threads in the Stories Forum. Originally conceived by Poller5, YFS is a collaboration of ideas that sprung from the minds of aspiring writers – young and old – that tries to paint the picture of what exactly the forum is to you, and what you can get out of it in the end. YFS is a guide to writing with strength and style during your stay here in for the RP and Stories Forum, and it has been meticulously processed by countless young writers such as yourself.

I, along with the other authors of this thread, welcome you to Your First Story . Enjoy the ride.


-=- Table of Contents -=-
~ Introduction and Table of Contents (Here!)
~ RP-SF News
~ Prose – The Basics
~ Roleplaying – The Basics
~ Scripts – The Basics
~ True Stories – The Basics
~ Reviewers– The Basics

18-Jun-2015 18:09:49 - Last edited on 18-Jun-2015 19:32:40 by MJT2-0

MJT2-0
May Member 2022

MJT2-0

Posts: 234 Silver Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
~ Good Threads to Visit
~ Plot - Overview, Twists, Scene Changes, Flashbacks, and Structure
~ Flow
~ Characters - Overview, Protagonists, Antagonists, Supporting, Desires, Emotions, and Needs
~ Biographies
~ Description – Overview, Characters, Surroundings, Mood, Variation of Colors, and Emphasis
~ The World and How to Manipulate It
~ Dialogue Options
~ Mechanics – Grammar, Spelling, and Vocabulary
~ Originality

18-Jun-2015 18:10:09 - Last edited on 18-Jun-2015 21:31:26 by MJT2-0

MJT2-0
May Member 2022

MJT2-0

Posts: 234 Silver Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Prose – The Basics
If you’re in this forum, many of you have already seen and know what “prose” is; however, for those unaware, prose is “the ordinary language people use in speaking or writing” according to merriam-webster. In the RP and Stories Forum (RPS), prose is the dominant factor: almost all of the young authors here attempt to distinguish themselves through prose.

Good prose writing is affiliated with a strong plot, varied description, distinct characters, and sensible flow; it is important to learn how to make good use of these characteristics should one wish to succeed in the writing world at large. It can be difficult – it always seems to be in the beginning – but it is also very worthwhile in the end. Don’t stress too much about grammatical errors or syntax issues – those can be weeded out later in the editing stage, or caught by fans or reviewers. What is important is to keep writing! Many writers try to develop their own personal style as a way to differentiate themselves from the everyday crowd, and that is totally acceptable. Remember that improvement is the basis for greatness, and one can only improve through trying new things.

To elaborate on the idea of “prose,” one must also take into account where exactly you are. I cannot stress enough the difficulty you might face here in the RPS. Do not become discourage by the lack of response or the influx of critical comments. If you’re feeling as though you’re going nowhere fast, try to join a writing guild or partake in a contest; it may even help to take a break for a moment and chat for a bit in the Story Discussions sticky at the top of the forum. There are plenty of options for you to choose from, and it is up to you how to proceed.

18-Jun-2015 18:10:10 - Last edited on 18-Jun-2015 19:09:36 by MJT2-0

MJT2-0
May Member 2022

MJT2-0

Posts: 234 Silver Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Roleplaying – The Basics
In its simplest form, a roleplay is a story that is written by multiple authors. Just like in prose writing, you have a setting, plot, characters, etc., but unlike prose writing, the task of creating these things are divided between the thread owner and his or her roleplayers. A roleplay is headed by the thread owner, who is in charge of creating the roleplay's setting, its history and rules, the conflict that the roleplay is focused upon and the plot of the roleplay going forwards. With this world created, roleplayers then create characters to populate this world, with each roleplayer being in charge of the actions, thoughts and feelings of their respective character.

The roleplay then takes turns between the thread owner creating a scenario, and the roleplayers responding to these scenarios with their characters. The thread owner may make any number of background characters, (called NPCs- Non-playable characters,) but a good thread owner makes sure to not make the roleplay about their own characters, but instead about the roleplayers' characters. Roleplayers may bring in their own plot points, (through their character's actions) and add to the thread owner's world, (by introducing new information into the world's backstory,) but their additions should not overshadow the main storyline of the entire roleplay.

Otherwise, a roleplay follows the same premise as prose writing, with varied description and distinctive characters being affiliated with good roleplaying. The majority of roleplaying is written in third person, (as someone looking down on the situation, rather than saying 'me' or 'I') though first person narratives may be allowed as long as this is verified with the thread owner.

With a roleplay being a collective narrative, it is important that no single person tries to overshadow the rest, and that everyone contributes fairly in order to have an enjoyable experience to share in. After all-we're all here to have fun!

18-Jun-2015 18:10:10 - Last edited on 18-Jun-2015 20:39:50 by MJT2-0

MJT2-0
May Member 2022

MJT2-0

Posts: 234 Silver Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Scripts – The Basics
Now your first question here may be something like, "What’s a script?” or “Why should I even know about one of those?" Here’s why: they are popular, entertaining, and can be just as smart as prose if they are done correctly!

Though scripts can be varied, many of those you may see in the RPS will center around beginning players in the world of Runescape. These are affectionately known as “noob stories,” and these stories have been harshly criticized in the past for being “effortless,” “redundant,” and “pointless.” It is important, however, to realize that you should be writing for you , not necessarily anybody else. If you enjoy writing those stories, go right ahead! Entertain yourself and others * that is, after all, why we are all here in the first place.

If you take to writing a scripted story, make sure to focus on the same aspects we listed in the “prose” section. Remember to elaborate on a convincing plot, while utilizing stage descriptions or other devices in an attempt to distinguish one setting from another. What makes scripted stories interesting is the character development! It relies almost solely on dialogue, and this makes it critical that you make your characters fun and have personalities. These will be further touched on later in the guide, so keep these points in mind!

18-Jun-2015 18:10:10 - Last edited on 18-Jun-2015 19:14:04 by MJT2-0

MJT2-0
May Member 2022

MJT2-0

Posts: 234 Silver Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
True Stories – The Basics
Alright, fellas. Here are some examples of some true stories:

1. The loot you got with your clan, while awesome, isn’t really appropriate here.

2. That massive clan war? Also not allowed. (I mean, it is if it’s super awesome , I guess…)

3. Basically, anything that is short, sweet, and to the point (if factual!) can go to the General Forum.

This is to separate the fact from the fiction . This forum is for fictional stories only! Sorry, guys!

18-Jun-2015 18:10:11 - Last edited on 18-Jun-2015 19:11:44 by MJT2-0

MJT2-0
May Member 2022

MJT2-0

Posts: 234 Silver Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Reviewers – The Basics
I bet the word “review” has come knocking on your door a lot of times and you know what a reviewer is. But do you actually know what reviewers here on the stories forum do? And did you know that anyone is eligible to become a reviewer on the stories forum?

What a reviewer here on the stories forum does is very simple. A reviewer will look at key parts in a story, including (but not limited to!): spelling, grammar, description, plot, originality and characters. A few more could be added to the list, but those are the most important. They will either be put in an essay format or will be sectioned and then scored with some description about each section. Whatever method you choose, it takes time and practice to be a good reviewer.

It’s important to note that scripted stories will be under a different review format altogether, so remember that if you apply for a review! These normally weigh characters a lot heavier than other traits (for reasons mentioned in Scripts – The Basics ), so check out that and the subsection later on for more information if that interests you.

So, in conclusion, reviewers have a very important job here in the RP-SF. We all want our stories read; we all want feedback; we all want to be told we’re awesome. Sometimes we are not awesome, and that’s okay! Anyway, here’s a note for reviewers: you will sometimes be under pressure from fans or the author to change your review, and sometimes you will be criticized for things you say. Take these things in stride: you can learn just as much about being a reviewer from these comments as the author can from your review. If it gets out of hand, take a step back and report to the nearest Forum Moderator.

18-Jun-2015 18:10:11 - Last edited on 18-Jun-2015 19:14:28 by MJT2-0

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