OngoingWorlds blog

News & articles about play-by-post games, for roleplayers & writers

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Some useful articles for writing about characters

many individual roleplay characters
SEE ALSO: A character doesn’t breathe until that first post

There’s quite a few articles on this website with advice for creating & writing characters that you might have missed. Here’s a list of some useful ones:

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5 random generators for creating a spaceship name

Stuck for creating a name? You could use a random generator. We’ve got a big list of links to random generators for all sorts of things, character names, planet names, Elf names, etc.

But the lists below are specifically for creating a spaceship name. Different scifi universes have different rules of spaceship names. For example the Star Trek universe normally has spaceships named after famous explorers, or positive-sounding words. Whereas the Star Wars universe has aggressive sounding names.

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Unique Holidays

So, you want to include a holiday, but don’t want to have the traditional names so you don’t upset anyone who doesn’t celebrate the upcoming event. Well, why not invent your own name for it and send an OOC to your players? Read More

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Two big things I’ve learned by being on OngoingWorlds

This article was submitted to us by OngoingWorlds member Phineaus

There are two big things that I have learned by being on the site.

The first is that while I may enjoy reading different genres of writing, writing in them is not as easy as I thought it would be. I have jumped into two games and learned quickly that my style of writing did not fit. I have been enjoying reading the post and following the games, but it is hard to jump in a meaning full way. Because my writing style feels like a flat tire.  Read More

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Things All Ongoing Worlds Members Should Know

The Ongoing Worlds community is about as open as you get. Anybody who can access the internet and understands English can join. There are no rules nor protocols listed anywhere except in the game information sections and descriptions of some of the games on the site, and those vary per game. Yet despite that, really becoming a comfortable member of the Ongoing Worlds community and getting the most out of the Ongoing Worlds experience is not quite as simple as it may first appear. Ongoing Worlds offers a substantial number of tools whose value and utility may not immediately be recognizable, and the Ongoing Worlds community itself has a unique microculture, with a lot of values and beliefs that may not be readily apparent either.

In an attempt to help newcomers and veterans better understand the tools at our disposal, how we use those tools, and understand the beliefs of the Ongoing Worlds community, I have worked with the people of the Ongoing Worlds Community Platform to put together a list of ten things that we would like everyone to know and understand about Ongoing Worlds. Many of these are lessons that I have learned through making mistakes, resulting in hurt feelings for me or those that I have interacted with. Hopefully, by sharing this information, others can learn what I have learned less painfully than I did.

Tools

1. Email is Ongoing Worlds’ method for Private Messaging. You can find the email address of any given member by clicking the links to their profile page. Email communication is extremely valuable here on Ongoing Worlds, as it is the primary means through which different OW members can discuss things that don’t need to be publicly displayed for everyone to see. The Ongoing Worlds experience is not meant to be enjoyed alone, and email is the primary means of bridging the physical distance between you and other OW members. Keep in mind that you cannot see another member’s email address until you are an accepted member of a game that they are also in. A quick way to be able to see the email addresses of a lot of other members is to join the Ongoing Worlds Community Platform. Read More

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Level Up – Description

I know many of us don’t want to be writers for a living, though some of us might consider it. The descriptions we use often paint pictures. While some aren’t as descriptive as others, this isn’t about the level of skill. It is more a matter of how that skill is acquired. As Role-Players, we have adjusted ourselves to describe our characters and what they do in detail, sometimes venturing into the X-Rated zone.

While many find this exciting, the level of description is easy to see. Those who have RPed for awhile, or those who write stories in their free time, tend to be more descriptive than those who haven’t written for long periods. It is in the descriptors. But what are descriptors? Simply any word that describes something, including (but not limited to) color, smell, and sound. Read More

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I Made Something, And You Should Read It [It’s About Writing]

I'm tiredYeah, don’t ask me why the thumbnail to this is a picture of me really pissed off. I finished the thing and made this around 12:13 am and I have to work the same day so I was tired and cranky [pic’s a bit sloppy too]. But, long story short [trying to stride past my pissed off self] I wrote the first edition to something that could help you [or someone you know] with the in’s and out’s of the wonderful world of writing. Read More

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Tib’s Corner – Roleplaying Tips: Creating Posts and Good Post Ideas

TIb's SniperHey guys! Tib here, thought I’d share a couple of tips and ideas that I use when I’m writing a post or trying to come up with a good Idea. So let’s begin! Shall we? Okay so one of the biggest things I think is a problem writing posts is getting bored and staying interested in the post. This is hard to beat sometimes, you just have that thought after awhile “UGH! THIS POST IS TAKING FOREVER! THANKS A LOT ALEX!” [No hard feelings buddy :)] and you just lose interest. I agree, it does get boring after a while. But there are ways to make it better! Read More

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Second Annual Writing Improvement Month Hosted by Starbase 118

writingeventlogo2014 Painters wash their brushes. Carpenters sweep up sawdust. If your medium is the written word, there’s no reminder that it’s time for a bit of upkeep and reflecting on the craft. That’s why this February, UFOP: StarBase 118 will host its annual Writing Improvement Month. The month-long event covers topics from advancing a plot to writing alien species and includes tutorials, writing samples, and downloadable resources. Each week focuses on a different element of writing: overall writing improvement, setting scenes, building characters, and plot. A new article or resource will be released each day of February, bringing with it an opportunity to further develop your individual style as a writer. Read More