Post by Silmaneero on Jan 12, 2010 22:54:10 GMT -5
As you all have noticed (or should have noticed), Paradise Lost is an intermediate to advanced level role-play game. That means, of course, that Aerys and I are looking for good, quality writers to play here. Unfortunately, the definition of intermediate to advanced play seems to vary amongst all members, and to that end, Staff would like to clarify just what it is we're expecting for potential members here.
Here and here are examples of good, quality character profiles. While we do not expect everyone to write exactly as these two members do, or to try and match their bio to the ones aforementioned, there are a few key characteristics that we are looking for:
Strength: Not your character's physical strength, or the amount of detail you've managed to pump into it. We don't really need to know about the minute color variations of a mole your character has approximately two centimeters to the left of and half an inch above their right eye. At the same time, we want to know more about your character than the fact that they have blond hair, blue eyes, and are "drop dead gorgeous".
Strength refers to how well your character profile holds itself together. It doesn't have to be ten pages long and require use of a thesaurus to decipher (in fact, we'd prefer it if it wasn't), but it does need to be cohesive and coherent. It needs to clearly and concisely state any and all relevant information about that character; don't throw in random details or events because you think they're cool if they don't have any other logical tie-in to your character.
Spelling and Grammar: Everyone makes typos. It's a fact of life, and we don't always catch them. Not everyone makes spelling mistakes all the time, though, or misuses words. We expect everyone at Paradise Lost to have a basic grasp of spelling and grammar. N, r, u, b, and so forth are letters, not words. Know the difference between there/they're/their, to/too, then/than, and other words that sound the same but are not. If, for some reason, Proboards' built in spellcheck doesn't work for you, go to www.spellcheck.net to not only check your spelling, but to check your word counts, as well.
Quality over Quantity: Yes, some people find this contradictory because we have word limits to meet on our character bios. With quality, however, there comes a certain degree of quantity, and we would like to see that expressed. As previously mentioned, however, you do not need to list every single hair on your character's body. If you give us a good, solid bio, Staff is more likely to overlook the fact that you're a few words short of the limits than we are if you give us a load of incomprehensible sludge.
Please, for the love of god, do not feel as though you need to abuse great big huge fancy words to make yourself look smarter. Chances are, you'll only make yourself look like a moron. Please also use paragraphs. They are your friend. Please do not feel compelled to make your character special in any way, or completely perfect with no flaws. We can and will ask you to change all of the above and more.
In spite of these characteristics, however, determining whether or not your character profile meets these goals can still be difficult. If you're not sure whether a bio will meet an intermediate, you are free to try anyway. However, it is important to note that Staff can and will reject a bio that we feel does not meet the standards of intermediate to advanced role-play. This is nothing personal against any of our members or potential members, but we would like to maintain certain standards of quality throughout all levels of our game.
We thank you for your time and understanding, and as always, feel free to ask any questions you have.
Here and here are examples of good, quality character profiles. While we do not expect everyone to write exactly as these two members do, or to try and match their bio to the ones aforementioned, there are a few key characteristics that we are looking for:
Strength: Not your character's physical strength, or the amount of detail you've managed to pump into it. We don't really need to know about the minute color variations of a mole your character has approximately two centimeters to the left of and half an inch above their right eye. At the same time, we want to know more about your character than the fact that they have blond hair, blue eyes, and are "drop dead gorgeous".
Strength refers to how well your character profile holds itself together. It doesn't have to be ten pages long and require use of a thesaurus to decipher (in fact, we'd prefer it if it wasn't), but it does need to be cohesive and coherent. It needs to clearly and concisely state any and all relevant information about that character; don't throw in random details or events because you think they're cool if they don't have any other logical tie-in to your character.
Spelling and Grammar: Everyone makes typos. It's a fact of life, and we don't always catch them. Not everyone makes spelling mistakes all the time, though, or misuses words. We expect everyone at Paradise Lost to have a basic grasp of spelling and grammar. N, r, u, b, and so forth are letters, not words. Know the difference between there/they're/their, to/too, then/than, and other words that sound the same but are not. If, for some reason, Proboards' built in spellcheck doesn't work for you, go to www.spellcheck.net to not only check your spelling, but to check your word counts, as well.
Quality over Quantity: Yes, some people find this contradictory because we have word limits to meet on our character bios. With quality, however, there comes a certain degree of quantity, and we would like to see that expressed. As previously mentioned, however, you do not need to list every single hair on your character's body. If you give us a good, solid bio, Staff is more likely to overlook the fact that you're a few words short of the limits than we are if you give us a load of incomprehensible sludge.
Please, for the love of god, do not feel as though you need to abuse great big huge fancy words to make yourself look smarter. Chances are, you'll only make yourself look like a moron. Please also use paragraphs. They are your friend. Please do not feel compelled to make your character special in any way, or completely perfect with no flaws. We can and will ask you to change all of the above and more.
In spite of these characteristics, however, determining whether or not your character profile meets these goals can still be difficult. If you're not sure whether a bio will meet an intermediate, you are free to try anyway. However, it is important to note that Staff can and will reject a bio that we feel does not meet the standards of intermediate to advanced role-play. This is nothing personal against any of our members or potential members, but we would like to maintain certain standards of quality throughout all levels of our game.
We thank you for your time and understanding, and as always, feel free to ask any questions you have.
