Recipe For A Good RP

I'm very interested in roleplaying, but the more I get into it the more I realise how difficult they are to set up and maintain.

So what, in your opinion, are the most important parts of a good RP?

I'd say the two most important parts are the 2 Cs: Collaboration with your cowriter, and Chemistry with your cowriter. Those two things are the most intangible ingredients because they depend on how well you and your cowriter work together, but any successful RP depends on those two lightning in a bottle type of things. You can try to write with a really really talented cowriter but if you two aren't on the same page on it, the odds are even the best thread idea will fizzle out on you.

I agree with Veroe for the most part, particularly on the topic of chemistry between you and anybody else involved.

The area where where I would have worded things differently is the word collaboration. I would replace that with another "C" word, communication. Some people want to collaborate a LOT with their co-writers, ensuring that every post is picture perfect and leads perfectly into the post coming next. Others prefer not to collaborate so much, and just post back and forth, taking whatever curve balls the other person might throw you in stride.

I think the most important thing is to just be yourself. Write in the style that you prefer and with post lengths that are comfortable for you. If you try to deviate too much from these things, especially early on, it can very much start to feel like a chore, and when that happens, things start to spiral down quickly.

Those are excellent points, Lucian. Especially the one about just being yourself. That is the most important thing in writing anything period. Developing your own voice as a writer that is honest to how you feel on the subjects you are passionate on is a key basic skill for anyone trying to start out on the arduous yet joyous adventure that is writing something.