Keeping RPGwriting moving

[Amanda Rose]

I know that several of you are involved in a writing competition this month. However, I am curious how we can keep the flow going. I don't want to end up dead like the SLA and I recruit as often as I can.... Thoughts, suggestions...?

[skyhawk900]

Hard to respond when you wait weeks for others. But, I'll make a greater effort, see what happens. I do care, I just find it hard to get motivated when you post and the next two days you see nothing. You were busy doing your thing, and nobody else moved, so there it is. I run and am in other games that move much much faster. Some more then once or twice a day, with Jp's. Work and RL have also been serious factors for all of us.

[Sjet]

Huum: a ton of low quality short posts, or a few good meaty thoughtful ones? I've always fallen into the latter camp as a personal choice, but I consider myself a novel writer so my writing reflects that: lots of words rarely mean a lot of forward momentum. Work is definitely a thing, and as I work retail I am coming up to the battle of the bulge of Christmas.

(And guess what, we're starting to do Black Friday sales here in the UK to, thanks America for that little export.)

Here's an idea: set a deadline for posts. As GM's we know the plots and where their going, we know what needs to be done to get the plot moving. If we don't see motion in that direction for a time we set a deadline where if nothing moves we move it forcibly, maybe that means writing as someone else character or using a 'deus ex machina' to get the plot moving. I'm not a fan of the idea as it involves writing as someone else's character, even is in a carefully worded way, but it at least places the controls in the GM or coCm's hands to move the plot to something more interesting.

[Melissa Richards]

As a Gm you have a responsibility to move the game forward. That's pretty much a given. I'm good with timelines, provided all adhere to them. Rules are meaningless if people don't follow them, thus impeding other creativity. There are a lot of good writers in here, but too much time is wasted sitting and waiting on others. Evaluation may need to be done to determine who really wishes to play or run a game. For those who only wish to play, less responsibility is needed. But, you can't disappear and then suddenly come back and wonder why your game is dead in the water and demand people post. As has been stated, it's hard to play when you post. wait, and still see nothing. You lose motivation. This is especially true if you are involved in important plots.

[Amanda Rose]

Hard to keep things moving when everyone is on LOA (essentially) due to a writing competition.

Also, nobody should have to feel that writing is work. Writing should be fun and pleasurable. If there is an issue with plot, speak up and PM me.

[skyhawk900]

I don't think the plots are the issue, from what I have read they're very good. The issue comes, if you want to call it that, when people start and stop all the time. Unless it's understood that a game will take a week for someone to respond, a faster playing player will grow frustrated waiting for that response. If you say that posts are to be every two or three days, then that's where they need to be. I agree that rules need to be redefined. Yes, there's a writing competition going on for those that are in it, but it doesn't take that long to fire out a few posts. Even if you are in more then one game.

We all know, RL comes first. That's a given. But, there's also the courtesy to the ones playing with you. That's how players that are new are lost. They need to be focused on and feel like they belong. Not trying to insult anyone here, just saying it like it is. Once someone gets into a game and enjoys it, it's harder to lose them. But, you have to hook them in first. Steady play is the best way I know of to do that.