The RP Writer's Checklist

To ensure that each of my posts is consistent, as good as I can make it, and relevant to the roleplay, I use the following checklist for each and every reply and starter I post. Occasionally, I still miss things, but this checklist has prevented me from posting a lot of embarrassing mistakes. My top three most common problems are starred (*).

Feel free to use and adapt for your own needs.

1. Is the verb tense consistent?*

2. Are your pronouns confusing?*

3. Are the subject and object of your sentences clear?

4. Does the post address and remain consistent with what happened previous to this in the RP?

5. Does the post move the story along?

6. Does the post comply with all existing HC/canon for the character?

7. Did you give the next people something to respond to in their posts?

8. Break up your sentences into smaller ones. No run-ons.*

9. Did you overuse any particular word(s)?

10. Check your spelling.

11. Check your grammar.

12. Check your punctuation.

13. Did you get autocorrected anywhere?

14. Check your spacing - are you using paragraphs where you should?

15. Is it clear where your character is speaking versus where your character is performing actions?

16. Does the post stick to what was originally plotted?

17. Do another read-through to make sure things flow and make sense.

18. For every use of an epithet: Does it reduce my complex character to a single characteristic? Is it to make a point that could be better served by a longer descriptive passage? Is it relevant to this moment in the story? Is it an epithet that makes sense to the speaker/POV? Is it true to canon? Epithets can be appropriate, just question them before using.

And for me, just as an example, since I write with the character Tony Stark regularly:

20. Are you about to do something Jarvis could do better? If so, do you have a good reason why?

You may have your own situational and character-based additions depending on how you write and with whom.

Hopefully some of you will find this helpful. Please feel welcome to PM me if you have questions on any of these or would like to discuss in more depth. I am willing to assist with proofreading. I not only love writing, I love the process of writing. It's a special honor to find people like those here who are willing to collaborate, so I try to give each and every writing partner my best work. A reply on an RP is like a gift, and I don't like to give crummy gifts in return.

Originally published by @Loki Silvertongue  at: https://new.roleplaylives.net/read.cfm?itemType=story&itemID=12256