a few questions

[Gemini Battle]

I feel like I know what people are gonna say,but I want opinions here, not "have fun and do what makes you most comfortable" because I am having fun, and the comfort of things isn't the problem.

I've rped several ways. First person narrative, third person narrative, and in a play format

Meaning

Person a: talks

Person v: talks

A then engaged in hardcore anal penetration with v

End scene


I like writing all three ways. I find first person most challenging.

I was wondering what people preferred to read. What makes it easiest to read and to follow, etc...

I'm thinking play format and then I could eliminate coding as well since there will be a clear discrepency between who is speaking. I think i find it easier to follow the play format, but i wanted to hear everyone's thoughts on it.

Not looking for specific feedback, just an idea on peoples preferences. Thanks

[florianstark]

Personally I'm all about third-person, because it allows the writer to paint a more beautiful and intricate world than other styles can usually achieve. First-Person is plagued by narrative bias and enforcement of opinion, whereas I can form my own opinions on characters when the entire situation at hand is given. My own preference is based around a lot of description so one can immerse themselves in the writing.

In terms of the combination of speech and third-person narrative, I find that the way books do it isn't ideal on a forum, so usually I just space it out enough so that it's readable, and hope that I've given enough in my piece that it is clear who is talking to who. Then again, I haven't written many multiple person conversations in a while, so maybe I would utilise colour to denote the different speakers. Could be a tricky one though.

[Thomas Uriel Bates]

Most roleplays are easier to read and understand in a play format. There are some people here that can do first or third person, but they are the exception to the rule.

[Deleted]

I've used several different styles, to include my "Gonzo" format, which is true to a first person narrative of what is relevant in what he sees and deals with, added with feeling and emotion so he can attempt to connect with his audience.

I don't mind the screenplay format, but sometimes subtleties are missed, along with feeling, unless the scenery and ambiance is REALLY detailed.

Third person is great, especially for face characters, but heels with a lackey could achieve the same effect. But I like to use characters that are connected to the character, which sometimes puts them in danger, which also, unfortunately, turns said characters into disposable characters as time progresses, and sometimes I find it difficult to create a character that fits that bill.

[Howard Black]

I tend towards a mixture of play and 3rd person narrative for a few reasons. A play-style narrative allows an easier read which can be less intimidating for others to read and follow. This is crucial if you don't color code dialogue or the like. Third person narrative allows much more potential for description, emotion, and character development.

One of the easiest critiques of third person narrative is that in the hands of a writer not terribly versed in traditional fiction, it can lead to "walls of text", purple prose, and poor formatting. If you're going to go purely with a third person format, it's absolutely crucial to arrange your text well. Every line break matters and should make sense. A disjointed flow can severely damage a reader's willingness to finish or ability to follow along.

On the other hand, play-style narrative can enable a lot of bad habits in writers. One of my biggest criticisms of many new writers is that the dialogue they write does not feel or organic and real. People converse in a back-and-forth repetition of one or two sentences. People don't give monologues that span a page in a normal conversation unless they're giving a public speech, everyone else is too drunk to protest said monologue, or the people he hangs out with are just quiet and appreciative of the character's chatter-box nature (which in the last is not a negative if pointed out is the case). Simultaneously, play-style narrative, in its purest sense, does not give us information on the thoughts and psyche of the character. It's a script, after all.

This is purely my opinion, but I think the happy medium is experimenting with several or all narrative types, perhaps even multiple times within a single promo. It can lead to some amazing potential for dramatic effect; imagine a promo which starts as a third person narrative of a backstage interaction, shifts into a play-style narrative to emphasize the theatrical and scripted nature of the traditional worked promo, then cutting into a first person narrative for the character's thoughts as (s)he waits for his/her match. The beauty of a hybrid play-third person narrative is it allows you to keep play-style formatting and dialogue while allowing us to really get into the head of the character via his thoughts described in the third person; after all, people think in the first person. Plenty of books written in the third person utilize lengthy first person internal monologues to give the reader something to chew on.

Hope this helps!

[Gemini Battle]

Thanks. Generally I do third person in my storytelling, then I did firatnperson in my background, and peppered in play format while doing interviews and shoots. I want to try to focus one one style and make it work for me. I feel the bouncing around is making it disjointed.

[Deleted]

Most of my dialogue winds up in a screenplay format for ease of everyone who wants to know what's said, rather than what is going on inside of his head. But otherwise, I tend to stick to first or third-person narration.