Otto26
Inconsistent
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2006
- Posts
- 1,515
I'm constantly trying to improve my writing by looking at what other people are writing and I'm curious about what style of SRP you see and what you see as the relative merits of them.
The biggest distinction I see is plotted versus unplotted. Plotted threads tend to be more about cooperative storytelling, where both participants know the starting point and the ending point and are working to bring the characters to that end. Un-plotted threads tend to be more about roleplaying, where participants have a starting point in an agreed upon context and go wherever their whims take them.
In my opinion un-plotted threads tend to fizzle out without a satisfactory ending. There can be a lot of reasons for this. Both participants might have different ideas about what the ending looks like so they end up pulling apart. Or they just might not recognize that they've hit the end of the story and keep going past that point until one or both of them runs out of gas. Plotted threads can fizzle just as easily but with a roadmap they are more likely to reach their destination. They are less spontaneous, however, and some writers really miss the surprise and excitement of discovery. A plotted story can feel more like work to some writers.
In terms of writing style I tend to think of styles as back-and-forth, follow the leader, and collaborate and post. Back-and-forth (BaF) is when the writers take turns advancing the story, passing control of plotting to each other. This is truly collaborative writing and works very well at preserving writer agency. In my opinion it works best when the writers have agreed upon a destination for their plot BUT I usually see this style most closely associated with un-plotted threads. And it works really well with un-plotted threads, particularly if you're going with short-form posting or instant messaging.
Follow the leader is when one writer is more responsible for advancing the plot. This can be imperfectly compared to a roleplaying game where one person is the game-master. This style lends itself to longer-form posting but it can be difficult to preserve the agency of the other writer. Writers who have a good rapport can make some effective use of this, using mechanisms such as point of view to recast a partner's posting. This style of writing demands constant OOC communication to ensure everyone is still on the same page and having fun.
Collaborate and post is when the writers essentially write a single post that they have both written and edited OOC and, when they are satisfied with this posting, they publish it and move on to crafting the next post. It's a variation of BaF and it produces the best prose for others to read but it can be a less satisfying method of play for the participants.
What have I missed? What's your favorite style?
The biggest distinction I see is plotted versus unplotted. Plotted threads tend to be more about cooperative storytelling, where both participants know the starting point and the ending point and are working to bring the characters to that end. Un-plotted threads tend to be more about roleplaying, where participants have a starting point in an agreed upon context and go wherever their whims take them.
In my opinion un-plotted threads tend to fizzle out without a satisfactory ending. There can be a lot of reasons for this. Both participants might have different ideas about what the ending looks like so they end up pulling apart. Or they just might not recognize that they've hit the end of the story and keep going past that point until one or both of them runs out of gas. Plotted threads can fizzle just as easily but with a roadmap they are more likely to reach their destination. They are less spontaneous, however, and some writers really miss the surprise and excitement of discovery. A plotted story can feel more like work to some writers.
In terms of writing style I tend to think of styles as back-and-forth, follow the leader, and collaborate and post. Back-and-forth (BaF) is when the writers take turns advancing the story, passing control of plotting to each other. This is truly collaborative writing and works very well at preserving writer agency. In my opinion it works best when the writers have agreed upon a destination for their plot BUT I usually see this style most closely associated with un-plotted threads. And it works really well with un-plotted threads, particularly if you're going with short-form posting or instant messaging.
Follow the leader is when one writer is more responsible for advancing the plot. This can be imperfectly compared to a roleplaying game where one person is the game-master. This style lends itself to longer-form posting but it can be difficult to preserve the agency of the other writer. Writers who have a good rapport can make some effective use of this, using mechanisms such as point of view to recast a partner's posting. This style of writing demands constant OOC communication to ensure everyone is still on the same page and having fun.
Collaborate and post is when the writers essentially write a single post that they have both written and edited OOC and, when they are satisfied with this posting, they publish it and move on to crafting the next post. It's a variation of BaF and it produces the best prose for others to read but it can be a less satisfying method of play for the participants.
What have I missed? What's your favorite style?
