Workshop for the SRP Writer's Craft

[Veroe]

This thread is for the discussion of topics concerning the craft of SRP writing.

First topic:
Description: how much do you prefer to use when you write? How much do you like from your co-writers? How much is too little for you? Is there such a thing as too much description?

 

[DarkEmpress]

Aaaah, description ... good question.

I enjoy writing posts that have a great deal of texture and emotion. Description is a relevant term as it depends on your style of writing and that of your co-writer. It also greatly depends on what the co-writer gives you to work with. The scene that you are currently working through also dictates just how descriptive you can be, if you are trapped in a dark cave and you can't see buggar all, how descriptive can you really be? Unless you're tapping into your other senses besides sight and having a little 'fun' in the dark

If the co-writer had done an excellent job setting the scene, I generally have no problem 'leapfrogging' them and continuing the scene/progressing the thread by starting where they had left it. In other instances you need to add something from your character's perspective.

When you read a thread and you feel you need to skip a paragraph because it is just too much information that is completely irrelevant to what is happening at the moment or it adds no value - that's when there's too much description. I read a book once, where the author took an entire chapter to describe a door ... I know, how much detail could possibly be on a door that will keep your reader 'spellbound' for an entire chapter?

It is one thing to be blunt and write what your character is doing - no frills and no fuss - and in some cases such an approach might be justified to grab the reader's attention if you're trying to make a profound statement. But it is an entirely different, I would like to use the word zen, to add description to your writing that makes it emotional, something the reader can identify with ... something that will make the imagination go: 'zing' ... something that has depth. To add an additional dynamic to the mix; it becomes equally important to know when not to overdo it.

To digress a little, I find theming a post helps allot if I am trying to be descriptive. For example: If you want your character to lose her temper in this thread ... start at the beginning. What do you feel like when you lose your temper? (the emotion, the thoughts running through your head) What do you look like when you lose your temper (body language such as balling your hands into fists, your cheeks go slightly red, your breathing increases) What do you say when you lose your temper? (you talk fast, your words are tumbled and often don't make sense to anyone but you) What do you achieve when you lose your temper? (Absolutely nothing, besides hurting the other person)

So, now that you've played the 'What game', how much description can you add to your post now?

 

[Ladythunder]

I realise that each writer brings their own set of preferences to a story and that is a portion of the appeal to writing with a different partner. Therefore the following are only my own opinions.

I love descriptions. from scenes, to the actions that go on in the scenes. I tend to go into a fair amount of detail for each myself. I like leaving some up to the imagination though. For instance, instance I rarely describe much past hair height and general body structures for my characters, then those reading my work can put in their fantasy guy/girl and get more out of it.

I dislike those that put no detail in their posts, my imagination is good, but I want something to work with, but I also dislike a scene so micromanaged that there is no room for interpretation.

All things are relative, each story has its own detail levels, but yes I have decided preferences

 

[VampiricTouch]

I definitely agree with both D and LT. I think there are situations that call for short snappy to the point sentences. An example would be like a mass chaos action scene, where from a character perspective, s/he probably doesn't have any more room in mind other than act and react on the spot with the gun slinging, fist throwing business. But that doesn't mean description goes out the window. It's merely something to break up the streamline of longer sentences to emphasize the chaos of the situation.

My rule of thumb is how much tension can a paragraph bring (or lose). If the paragraph completely throws the tension out the window, then I'd think just how important this paragraph is in relation to the entire post, and if it is indeed that necessary for the flow of the story, then I'd try to reword it to preserve tension.

I think description can be very tedious at times to wade through from a reader's perspective. It helps a lot in the imagination department, but it's up to the writer to keep it interesting. There are lots of ways to incorporate description of a character, or place into the natural flow of your story as opposed to stopping and taking an entire paragraph just to talk about her weight, size, height and bust (or worse flat out listing it).

In terms of character description, I figured that everyone has their ideal 'man/woman' they'd like to envision bedding. Who am I to dictate the character? I'll outline the same as what LT listed, but beyond that, a reader can fill in the blanks.

 

[yeishia]

Oh! I am going to love this thread...lots of lovely wisdom to pick through from incredible writers

The only thing I have to add is to remember to be true to your own writing style.

You can learn so many things from the writing of others and from this thread, however, you cannot become another.

I remember being afraid to write with some poeple because they wrote way much better than I did; they were more eloquent, more descriptive, more everything.... they could spell! Then I realized that only by writing with these incredible people could I grew and learn as a writer and a person, they helped push me to improve!

I am learning who I am, and to develop my own writing style, a style that is unique to me; to develop and improve my writing skills, rather than emulating the style of another.

This is a lesson that I came to understand right here on this board.

Those people I spoke about (In no particular order; M13, Tio, Cg, Dee,Vt., CT., Sweetp, BB, Slipped Halo, Light Ice, Veroe, Cgchris, Scarlet, Dom. Evil,AstralKiss, to name but a few, of course some have influenced me more than others..... but I am not telling)

Sorry Veroe, I just realized that I did not add anything to the first topic...description..I got carried away. I have nothing to add beyond the fact that the above comments I found to be very helpful!

 

[Veroe]

The only thing I have to add is to remember to be true to your own writing style.-Yeishia

That's a bit of sagely advice there. I remember in my Creative Writing assignments from the old days that I'd try to emulate alot of my favorite writers like Robert Jordan or David Weber and after a while I gradually discovered that when I did it sounded like someone trying too hard to imitate Jordan or Weber, and when I just wrote from my own voice and style rather than trying to filter it through theirs my writing gained that extra something it was lacking before.

So to paraphrase the bard: In all things be true to yourself.

On the issue of Description: I look at it very clinically. Personally I despise when a writer takes a paragraph or god forbid a chapter to describe in minute detail a desk for a non-important character that has no relavence to the plot what so ever.
Alot of writers think how descriptive they are is the mark of a great writer, but I say Description is just one tool of the writer and one used too often as a crutch for a stale plot, and characters that don't zing.
Description when used well (IMHO) is a mirror a writer uses to reveal the character's perspective, the character of the setting the story is taking place in, or to highlight an object of pertinence to an upcoming plot development. If your bit of description doesn't do one or more of those three things then it doesn't belong there.

 

[DarkEmpress]

Seeing as we're bouncing ideas around: What say you about plot? How important is it really in a SRP? Is there an optimum balance between plot and sexual tension? I often find you have to sacrifice the one in order to focus more on the other.

Your thoughts?

 

[VampiricTouch]

hmm.... I think that a lot of times it's definitely hard to balance plot and sexual tension. Honestly, how many of us are out to bed the first available person out there? At least I'm not.

From that standpoint a story can move forward with sex as a byproduct of the story that extends as the characters develop a relationship and chemistry, but then sexual tension become exceedingly difficult to maintain.

From the complete opposite standpoint, if the goal is to start an orgy of the massive kind, then chances are... there won't be many plots that fit into said story.

Of course if you tone down what you're expecting as 'sexual tension', it can still be provided from character. A lot of times the way a woman carries herself, the confidence in her own sexuality.... etc is a small pocket of tension in itself. Or the way a man admires(lusts) a woman, his own confidence in the way he holds himself,,, etc is another subtle packet of tension as well.

 

[Mephistophelily]

On the topic of description: I'm a very visual person. To be able to see my surroundings, the person I'm writing with (character-wise) and to know the depth of the connection- that's a wonderful thing. It helps to make everything that much more believable to me, that much more interesting.

As for how much I write...
It depends on how much I've been given. I mean, if the person I'm writing with doesn't provide much to work with, it's hard to give a response that can be as in depth as I like to go. Now, I'm not saying "give me a novella and I'll write one back", but something to create substance and add to the moment is wonderful.

One of my favorite threads was Pandora's Box with Soru. We would have posts that would range from almost 12 paragraphs from both of us... or barely getting through 3. In either case, we were both getting across the ideas we were hoping to convey, and releasing the emotions of our characters. I had someone PM me that while they were reading it, they could actually see it playing out like a very erotic film in their mind.

THAT'S what I look for in a thread, the amount of creativity in a co-writer. If you can weave words in a way that leaves me reading it and getting that tingly feeling, I'm going to keep writing with you. I've found quite a few different people that have done that around here.

Plot does have a significance, to me. Sure, there's a few different "Just get to the sex" threads that I've done, but even those had a slight plot going to them. Not having one actually makes it harder for me to write. I feel like I'm simply repeating the same things over and over if there's no story aside from sex.

 

[Veroe]

Seeing as we're bouncing ideas around: What say you about plot? How important is it really in a SRP? Is there an optimum balance between plot and sexual tension? I often find you have to sacrifice the one in order to focus more on the other.

Your thoughts?

Thank you, Dee.

I was worried that everyone would wait for me to put up a new topic here, when I have no intention of being the master of Ceremonies in this thread. I want this thread to be an open place where anyone can state their oppinion on the topic or even jump to a new one without me micromanaging this. So thank you for showing the initiative to switch topics.

On the issue of plot in SRP I'm all for it. Personally I get off from a thread with a lively plot that heightens the sexiness. Still in most of my threads I've tried to seek a balance between the sex and the plot-though I have yet to find that magic point where both is augmented by the other's presence in the thread-maybe I'll never find it, but that doesn't mean I'll stop trying to reach it

The reason I think it is usually plot or sex only is bacause plot takes place in the world outside the bedroom, But to engage in a sexscene you usually have to shut out the worlde outside the bedroom, and bring the great wheels of a story driven by plot developments to a screeching halt atleast for a few minutes or a night.

 

[HermesVoice]

Seeing as we're bouncing ideas around: What say you about plot? How important is it really in a SRP? Is there an optimum balance between plot and sexual tension? I often find you have to sacrifice the one in order to focus more on the other.

Your thoughts?

As I read the majority of threads here, "SRP" seems to have two definitions to two different sets of people. For many (most?) SRP signals exactly that: role play of a sexual nature. These are the threads that tend to have quite short posts that are essentially acts of cybering. There is practically nothing offered for plot except to move events from one scenario to the next. In other words, it's your basic smut-porn ... and perhaps thus more true to the idea of "sexual role play." (That is, if we were all sitting around a table playing D&D, I doubt we would be expending the verbiage on description that we do in this forum. We'd probably sound a lot closer to the short posts to which I'm referring above than to the much longer posts everyone in this thread seems inclined to compose.)

The other side of this are those who seem more interested in writing than in "role playing." In these threads, characters - the "roles" - are being used as vehicles of written expression, not sexual titillation. This isn't to say the sexual dynamic isn't present; it's merely placed behind - often well behind - plot and character development.

I place myself firmly in the latter camp (and again, the work of everyone I've seen in this thread seems to indicate they hold the same philosophy). I can cyber on yahoo if I want. Here I wish to write. I'm more interested in fooling with words than fooling with people, as it were, and I like SRP mostly because it allows me the option of sex. I can and have written very rewarding threads wherein no sex has happened between the characters of my co-writer and myself.

(Then again I can't speak for my co-writers in those situations. They might be seriously pissed. )

 

[TearsoftheWorld]

Here I wish to write.

QFT

 

[VampiricTouch]

Conversations

I suppose I'll ask since the previous ones seem to have settled...

Conversations: Conversations are quite important in that they convey information for a reader as well as build connections between characters, however because we're writing 'RolePlay' most people get quite offended if their respective character is taken 'control of' to answer and converse.

At the same time, it seems rude to fire a bunch of 'questions' in one post that obviously require someone to answer before another question should be asked. This also tends to break up the flow of a story, and at least for me make conversations repetitive as people 'repeat' what the first person's said before continuing with an answer.

The other alternative from what I've seen is to just post one or two lines to 'ask' the said question, or to create the 'chat' feel between characters. This seems to break the atmosphere created as a reader has to cycle through several posts just to get through a conversation that could probably take place in less than 5 minutes.

I don't know if any of that made sense, but I guess the question is - Is there a happy medium of doing 'conversations' that preserve the flow of the story and the way it reads?

 

[DarkEmpress]

It does make allot of sense. I suppose the traditional way of handling a roleplay is to throw the questions in succession in your post and then have the recipient reply by copying the questions across, which is allot of double reading.

There are however ways of getting around it. One is using Instant Messaging as a way of doing a conversation and then posting one post that contains an entire conversation. The one that stands out in my mind is a full-blown screaming match that my character had to do with one of Marauder's characters. By the time we were done it was 5 pages worth of text in word and quite a ... 'colourful' conversation Michael and Sam

*Being in a different timezone, this one proves to be difficult with writing partners who live in the US . PM is another option, although it takes soooo much longer*

In another thread my writing partner and I decided to try a different writing format. We had to create 'memories', and basically what we did was give each other free reign to control the other's character and then theme each post around a specific event, such as New Year's eve for example where you would write an entire scene controlling both characters. This set-up of course is ideal for conversations, because you're the narrator of both - we just had to stay true to the basic character traits and the underlying mission of creating a 'life' that played out in the past. It's proving to be quite a challenge This is one of the memories.

And last but not least is a very talented co-writer who enjoys the occasional 'playful departure'. He managed to write this specific post in a theatre style setting, to try and portray the various people and their roles in the scene. Dr Crutchfield in the Art Museum

So as you can see, there are quite a few possibilities to try, and I'm sure there's more than just these three examples.

 

[Fira]

Description: My goal is to put the reader in the middle of the story. I want them to be able to "see" it in their minds. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I don't. My biggest issue is finding different words to use for the same thing. Yes...I know...a thesaurus is the way to go. But sometimes even one of those fails me because I can't find the exact word to convey what I want.

Plot: I can't write without SOME kind of plot. If I can't get into the story, I can't write. I know when it's going good, because I have to stop myself from writing TOO much. Or wind up needing to pare the post down to keep from running away with it.

Conversation: I try to answer multiple questions without repeating them. Instead I will describe the actions of the other from MY character's point of view, or use a general "she smiled at his question" then go on to answer it. If my writing partner is good enough, I can generally get a bit more action and description of the situation in by the natural "breaks" certain actions of THEIRS make.

I haven't written much here on lit, but what I have written so far seems to be receiving favorable responses. I've gotten a lot of PM's about the 2 threads I've been involved in so far. So I can't be doing too badly. Although I feel much of the compliments are misplaced. But I've never been very good at accepting praise gracefully. I just smile and blush, say thanks, and move on.

*chuckles*

 

[HermesVoice]

Plot: I can't write without SOME kind of plot. If I can't get into the story, I can't write. I know when it's going good, because I have to stop myself from writing TOO much. Or wind up needing to pare the post down to keep from running away with it.

Conversation: I try to answer multiple questions without repeating them. Instead I will describe the actions of the other from MY character's point of view, or use a general "she smiled at his question" then go on to answer it. If my writing partner is good enough, I can generally get a bit more action and description of the situation in by the natural "breaks" certain actions of THEIRS make.

This.

(Yeah I know that's cheesy, but Fira spoke what I thought ... and my last answer seemd to damn well near murder the thread. )

 

[Bad_Thad]

Should this thread grow to a substantial length, maybe an attempt to get this stickied would be in order.

Being a new member, I found this discussion to be very helpful and informative.

 

[BrazenFellow]

DarkEmpress did a good job of explaining the fine line between providing detail and substance to a post and writing an entire chapter about a door. There is a school of thought that the reader will remember a shitload of details and implant the characters into this; this may account for large opening posts and large posts detailing new scenes, and shorter subsequent posts carrying the action. This is perfectly acceptable so long as the shorter subsequent posts consist of more than "I say X, I do Y" three-sentence constructions. Sometimes all you can write without inserting unrelated data is three sentences, but this is a rarity.
I generally limit myself to the same number of paragraphs as in the post I'm replying to, this technique keeps the length about equal for each post and ensures that I think of something new to bring to the table in some sort of detail, give my partner(s) something to respond to in their posts, and because the length is more homogenous the flow of reading is smoother.

Jack Whyte is of the "huge opening post" school of thought. He details everything considerably, which I enjoy because I have an interest in his subject matter. However it can be quite trying at times. Bernard Cornwell manages to use fewer words to provide as much description, and his works flow better than Whyte's.

Ladythunder's preferences match my own. I can work with a picture of a character (I prefer this not to be a pornstar or aspiring porn starlet, but that's personal preference) or a written description. She also does a good job of describing the balance, I quote: "I dislike those that put no detail in their posts, my imagination is good, but I want something to work with, but I also dislike a scene so micromanaged that there is no room for interpretation." This brings me nicely to the point I was hoping to make.

I'm of the opinion that you need to provide detail. "I'm sucking your cock" is nowheres near as erotic as a description of how you're taking the head of my cock in your mouth, tongue circling the head and being pressed up firmly against the underside as your lips travel down the shaft, taking more of my length in your mouth as your steel blue-grey eyes lock onto mine and a small smile quirks at the corners of your mouth.

I'll be right back.

With that detail provided, you need to be flexible in your writing. Your partner should recognize that "god-moding" (a term borrowed from another RP'ing site and symbolizing the control of your characters, equipment, etc) is forbidden, and you should abide by the same. Because you can't control the other character, your partner needs to play with you and you, in turn, need to play with them. This produces quality writing. When they write something unexpected (and they will, nobody will do exactly as you envision, you need to leave wriggle room... unless it's hard BDSM, then you'd best tighten those restraints up, figuratively speaking!) you need to bend with it. Don't plot out how you get to where you're going, because that leaves no wriggle-room and to reference Ladythunder's comment, it becomes so micromanaged you risk alienating your RPing partners.

VampiricTouch brings up the subject of integrating description with your action. In my opinion these are one and the same. I can "punch Mike", or I can "strike Mike's neck with the knife edge of my hand, feeling his trachea give way as I step past, his coat snagging on his chair as he falls."

Yeishia brings up a great point: You need to be giving and even guiding with younger writers. Never outright critical; that fucks them up. If they're open to constructive criticism, using my above example, it's "Well, instead of just telling me you've punched Mike, you could describe how and what you're doing just before and just after, which adds body to the paragraph and gives you a little more to work with, so you can dwell in the moment instead of feeling the need to push the storyline faster than it has to go in order to have something more to add to your post."

Veroe steps in with the excellent elaboration on Yeishia's point about being true to your own writing style. I like to take inspiration from other writers and even borrow delicious phrases, but one must be careful to integrate this as you would, not as say, David L. Robbins would.

As to plot, I differentiate SRPs between "bout of fun" with simplistic plots, and a fully-fledged SRP with a carrying plot into which sex is inserted. HermesVoice expounds on this concept at length in Post 11.

Conversations have to be open-ended, as I described description above. You should maintain OOC communication with your writers; in other RPs I have found it effective to work out a conversation OOC'ly and then one of you post it IC'ly as an integrated part of your post, complete with other character reactions, so on. It's important to note OOC'ly at the beginning of the post that such conversation was worked out OOC'ly so it doesn't appear that you're metagaming or god-moding. The etiquette I am familiar with is that the other RP'er will then carry the next post on with OOC inputs as needed until you're again able to trade on/off with your posts.

Flow is important to description, plot, and conversation. You need to maintain an awareness of time; while something may be described and it may seem - because of how long it takes to read, if you're not a very quick reader - that it takes five minutes, in actuality it may be a two second glimpse of a redhead in a sheath dress stepping past an open window, her backlit hair catching your attention.

 

[monique_minx]

Looking over this, I see many writers I admire and some I think I shall have to follow more; hello LT
I think there is nothing I could add at this point that hasn't been said on the above topics of conversation and description but I do have a new topic to place on the table as it were.

Character creation?

It has been glossed over slightly in passing during this thread (wonderful idea by the way Veroe!) but would someone like to kick this off a little more?

 

[Veroe]

Character Creation: (Wonderful topic Minx) There's alot that can be discussed here with several different sub-topics jutting off from this one, and it'll probably be the most subjective yet.

Sub-topic like Character Bios.
Personally I hate Character Bios. I realize one really can't do an RP much less an SRP without one. But when I first come across a thread I'm interested in being a part of I come up with a rather generic character in mind. Oh I may have a unique take on the character I want to play, but much hasn't been established or thought through completely at first. When I write a character bio it's like getting a new car. I have no idea how far it will take me. I have no clue whether to take it easy on the turns or risk flipping over, if the brakes stick..and so on. I find out all those things as I go..that may mean dropping or downplaying some aspect of the character or playing another up or elaborating what was in the bio even further as I get a sense from my partners or my own experience as the character what is needed.

What I'm trying to get at is that writing a character bio feels too much like setting it all into stone what is still for me very fluid.

 

[BrazenFellow]

I'd say there are three major techniques of character creation. One is the Form, the other is the Description, third is the Combination.

Form: We've all seen this. 34DD-20-Barbie, empty personality, unchallenging, invariably discovers a man with a cock longer and thicker than my leg.

Description: Varies. Either a text version of Form, or something more complex. Quality ranges the full spectrum from single sentence quick'n'dirties to intricately nuanced characters with a three-paragraph physical description including their clothing, deportment, and equipment. Typically you see the latter with the more experienced RP'ers working from a history of character creation sheets and gamemaster-hosted roleplays.

Combination: Just like Description, with a "Form" statistics block tacked on at the beginning or end.

Any may or may not have a photo. The photo is often anime, a celebrity, or a pornstar. Again, quality varies. Those who create more complex characters tend to want classier or at least different photos.
Did I miss any?
Of these, my preference is for Description, and it helps if the characters are complimentary to one another for a good story; as that is the point of RP, to tell a good story. Let's hear some other thoughts on this.

Edit: Veroe ninja'd my post. I forgot one recommendation which he mentions: Flexibility. Setting your character in stone with a description can chain you down if you don't do it properly, and it is perfectly acceptable to step into the RP without a bio so long as you can do the usual give-and-take with the other RPers.

 

[marauder13]

Character Creation: (Wonderful topic Minx) There's alot that can be discussed here with several different sub-topics jutting off from this one, and it'll probably be the most subjective yet.

Sub-topic like Character Bios.
Personally I hate Character Bios. I realize one really can't do an RP much less an SRP without one. But when I first come across a thread I'm interested in being a part of I come up with a rather generic character in mind. Oh I may have a unique take on the character I want to play, but much hasn't been established or thought through completely at first. When I write a character bio it's like getting a new car. I have no idea how far it will take me. I have no clue whether to take it easy on the turns or risk flipping over, if the brakes stick..and so on. I find out all those things as I go..that may mean dropping or downplaying some aspect of the character or playing another up or elaborating what was in the bio even further as I get a sense from my partners or my own experience as the character what is needed.

What I'm trying to get at is that writing a character bio feels too much like setting it all into stone what is still for me very fluid.

I am very much the same way when creating a character. When I create one for a thread, there are a few things I need to do before the character comes to life in any manner. I need to have an idea of the plot, even just an overview. That way I can bring in a character that will work more smoothly with the plot itself.

After that, of all things, a name. I can't make any personality at all unless there is a name to go with it. Once I have the name, the personality starts to form. When I start writing, that is when the character starts to grow, each action, reaction, speech (monologue or dialogue) all start to add depth to the character.

The other thing is that the character has to be able to do is change. They will gain things, loose things, be changed by what happens. Some changes are tiny, others are more substantial. But they have to change in some manner.

Having said that, they also have to remain true to themselves. They don't make a major change in thinking, acting, etc, unless there is some equally big thing that causes it. I really don't like it when a writer changes their character, without reason, to keep following a plot line. Sure, I have been thrown a few good ones that I had to deviate from the plot for while because the character would not react in a way that would keep him on the straight and narrow. But I got back there eventually, and we're happily 'back on course'. Having an understanding cowriter really helps out lots there.

I know that I have a lot of threads, and I have been told that the characters are all individuals too. I manage this by reading my last post, and all the post following before I write my next post in the thread. This allows me to get back into the character's head so I can then respond as them and reduce the chance of character blur. Having said that, I do have a few that I don't need to do that anymore as they are more or less 'alive' and I feel that I am merely the scribe for them to put there words down on paper. Sean Carmichael, Michael Davingston and Sebastian Rhys-Hamilton are the main three that do that for me.

Anyway, that's my little ramble on the subject. I hope that it has helped some of you in some manner.

 

[HermesVoice]

What I'm trying to get at is that writing a character bio feels too much like setting it all into stone what is still for me very fluid.

IMO this depends entirely on your approach to the bio. For me a bio is essentially the first post. It should provide personality and physical profiles first and foremost. I generally provide a bit of back story, but I structure things such that I'm left free to widen the scope of the initial offering. For instance, if the bio indicates several years have passed between the last moment of the profile action and the opening of the thread action, I've opened the opportunity to compose both depth and change in character.

In any case, there can be no doubt that one MUST leave room for a character to grow and for the reader to gain insight into the character's psyche as the thread moves on. These discovereis are the heart of any thread that one intends to last ... or at least that one intends to read well over any space of time.

 

[Fira]

UGH! Bios! The bane of my existence! LOL

I personally hate writing a bio for a character. Much like Veroe and M13, if I can get an idea of the plot, setting, come up with a name, yada yada yada... I let the character create herself. My first posts generally gives the reader an idea of who she is and what she looks like, maybe a sense of why she is in the position she is currently in. If background or history is needed for the plot, I tend to let it come out in "memories" or "flashbacks".

I've come across a few threads I would have loved to have joined, simply because the plot/idea seemed like one that would be a lot of fun and would really stretch and test my writing abilities. But because the initiator wants a character bio before accepting, I'm not going to go through the tedious work of creating all this background, only to either be rejected because something doesn't fit right in their opinion, or have something in the bio limit my character development later in the story. It's not fair to me as a writer, or to the character.

 

[monique_minx]

Okay time for me to answer my question as well!
I usually find that with the name comes the face at least in my mind and when I can see it I find it easier to describe. I usually take pieces of my own wardrobe or appearance or life in general when I write a character. I find it easier to relate their personality to that of my own which is why I can't do naive, shy or weak willed women very well!

I build onto my character as I go and eventually it will come to life for me. I often close my eyes and place myself into the scene, trying to be my character; see and feel as she does, react as she would. My imagination comes in handy!
But I give more and more as I go along with regards to her creation, I like to keep certain aspects a secret for a while, watch the shock when they're revealed!

This is fairly short in comparison to the longer posts above it but I would merely be repeating those if I dragged on! I quite agree: I hate bios!