Writing advice: tips, techniques and resources?

[Vladim]

So as PbP is like 50% writing, I've been looking into analyzing & improving mine recently. I think there should be plenty of free resources like podcasts, YouTube videos and so on about it, but I was wondering if others have specific ones to recommend.

So far, I've found The Closer Look (on YouTube) interesting; for the most part it's video assays about mainstream movies from a writing point of view, and although I can't say I agree 100% with everything (and the tone does seem to be purposefully provocative), the analysis is well-articulated and thought-provoking enough to keep me watching.

Anyone else found such things helpful and has something to recommend? Ideally free stuff as this is just a hobby for me...

[cailano]

Shaelin Writes is a good YouTube channel on the mechanics of writing. I like the Save the Cat books for learning story structure.

Grammarly is my favorite writing aid.

And of course, lots of reading. For the purposes of gaming, I like to stick to stuff with a lot of action and a lean, terse, style The Appendix N books, David Gemmel, Robert R. McCammon, and Stephen King are good fantasy and horror choices. Dan Simmons is a little less terse but has some very good books. NK Jemisin is an outstanding contemporary fantasy author.

Comic books can also be very good inspiration for RPGs. Julian Blondel did a great new version of Elric that Moorcock describes as "how I would have written Elric, if I'd thought of it." The Dark Horse Conan comics and some of the Dynamite comic series are also good RPG fodder. NK Jemisin, whom I mentioned above, also wrote a Green Lantern comic called Far Sector that I have but haven't read.

And of course their are the graphic novel classics like Watchmen and the Dark Knight Returns.

There are also non-fantasy authors I like for their minimalist and approachable styles. Elmore Leonard and John D. McDonald leap to mind, and it's hard to go wrong with Hemingway if you want to imitate a master of the language.

And if you want books to help you write RPGs, and not just scenes, Matt Finch's Tome of Adventure Design, Goodman Game's How to Write Adventure Modules That Don't Suck, and the GM resources in Stars Without Number and Worlds Without Number are all amazing resources. Sly Florish's Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master is also incredibly useful.

 

[Vladim]

That's quite cool, and exactly what I was looking for! I'll give them a look when I find the time, but please feel free to keep them coming!

[Jedaii]

Goodman Games' How to Write Adventure Modules That Don't Suck is very good.

Robin D. Laws' Hamlet's Hit Points is excellent.

Ray Vallese's Writing With Style: An Editor's Advice for RPG Writers is phenomenal.

 

All of these won't just make you a better writer, they'll make you a better writer in the distinct language of tabletop rpgs.

[Vladim]

I think The Alexandrian is planning to release a "GM tips" book as well in the future. He always has good advice in his blog and YouTube channel, so it's probably going to be good. Though, to be honest, I personally feel like GMing and writing are distinct skill sets. Maybe there's a tiny bit of overlap, though.

But it's interesting to listen to writing advice and compare it with PbP writing. For example, the more I look at posts (mine included) the more I notice just how frequently "show don't tell" is violated. And it seems that this is even encouraged in the hobby sometimes, for example by encouraging the inclusion of PC thoughts and internal monologue in player posts. I don't have any strong opinions on such things, but they're interesting to see under a new lens.

[Jedaii]

18 hours ago, Vladim said:

I think The Alexandrian is planning to release a "GM tips" book as well in the future. He always has good advice in his blog and YouTube channel, so it's probably going to be good. Though, to be honest, I personally feel like GMing and writing are distinct skill sets. Maybe there's a tiny bit of overlap, though.

But it's interesting to listen to writing advice and compare it with PbP writing. For example, the more I look at posts (mine included) the more I notice just how frequently "show don't tell" is violated. And it seems that this is even encouraged in the hobby sometimes, for example by encouraging the inclusion of PC thoughts and internal monologue in player posts. I don't have any strong opinions on such things, but they're interesting to see under a new lens.

Justin's advice is great stuff, agreed, and yeah, writing campaigns is a different animal than writing stories. He wrote an excellent piece on crafting evocative descriptions during play.

While I like and promote "Show Don't Tell", sometimes you just need to get a quick post in to advance things (especially if the group's been waiting). Being more descriptive is great if your pace allows for it. When I read what players dislike most about PbP gaming, the pace of the games comes up far more often than GM scene description. So, it's a balancing act that, like most things, gets easier with experience.

[Vladim]

Yes, show don't tell is definitely more a guideline than a hard and fast rule. I've been reading LotR to kiddo lately before bed... and boy does the Professor do a lot of telling! But it's still a good book, and his influence on fantasy is undeniable.

[Jedaii]

How to Raise the Stakes with RPGs by Roleplaying Tips.

Designing Plot Twists with RPGs by Roleplaying Tips.

Adding PC Backgrounds to a campaign by Nerdist

Improvisation with RPGs by Rollforfantasy

[Vladim]

By coincidence Alex also just uploaded a nice video about including and developing PC connections and dynamics over at his channel:

https://youtu.be/4UQs9CCHlb0

It draws inspiration from Dramasystem so it's definitely interesting for me.

I've also been listening to the aforementioned movie commentary channel and one of the more interesting advice is including protagonist wants vs. needs as a technique for building compelling personal character arcs. That's the kind of practical tip that could be easily incorporated in RPGs to give the game and story and characters a bit more depth, perhaps.

[Jedaii]

7 hours ago, Vladim said:

By coincidence Alex also just uploaded a nice video about including and developing PC connections and dynamics over at his channel:

https://youtu.be/4UQs9CCHlb0

It draws inspiration from Dramasystem so it's definitely interesting for me.

I've also been listening to the aforementioned movie commentary channel and one of the more interesting advice is including protagonist wants vs. needs as a technique for building compelling personal character arcs. That's the kind of practical tip that could be easily incorporated in RPGs to give the game and story and characters a bit more depth, perhaps.

It comes down to the group: some GMs and players aren't that into "arcs". Making sure you have a group that shares your playstyle preference is very important.

Edited June 19, 2023 by Jedaii (see edit history)