Lights! Camera! Action!

Whoever first started preaching "write what you know" was obviously not talking about creative writing. For that, I say: Write what you WANT to know.

In a game like KTDARPG, the premise alone precludes writing about very much somebody would actually know personally.

For one thing, our world still has adults in it (and some of the players qualify as "adults"). For another, we live daily with all the benefits technology can supply. Ergo, imagining trumps experiencing.

So when in doubt? Do what a scriptwriter does -- SEE the scene you're writing about in your mind, then just describe it. Describe ALL of it. Form the scene so colorfully & fully in your mind that you might be seeing it on a tv-screen. See your character, his movements, and hear his words.

If you can see & feel what your character is into, then it's guaranteed that any reader will see & feel the same.

Now understand, that means if your character is boring--intentional or otherwise--well, boring is what we'll get.

But being visual really works. Just like tv or the movies, it all comes down to what you "see." And you want game readers & players to "see" your character the way you do. So that means the more descriptive you get, the better.

Chyna will make one HUGE request at this point. Please, please, please DO NOT be so sketchy with your character that you give off no visuals at all. We have one player who does this as a matter of habit. The player says, "I want to leave what (s/he) looks like to your imagination."

No, no, no! You can't interact with a character who's basically a ghost, with no physical detail which means no physical presence in the game! Give us something to work with!

Ok, ok, enough of my rant for today.

-Chyna

Photo source: copyright Cloud-9 "The Tribe"