Having gotten my start in forums like you, I always found small paragraphs to be more natural when in game. The trick is learning how to limit the length and quantity of information to fit the situation.
Unlike a forum, where you must fully describe both the scene and your character, in game RP gives you an avatar and setting, which would be redundant to describe at length. Another general convention, which seems contradictory to many forum RPers, is avoiding emoting your character's thoughts. Opinions do very on this one, but many feel that it can hinder the pace of RP and limit their ability to respond.
When I was first starting out, a particularly smart RPer offered me this advice.
/em Action- "Statement" Flavour
In other words he recommended using /em as a default, with no more than three sentences in every post. The first was meant to set the tone, by describing your character's movements or expression. The second was a statement relevant to the conversation, which other RPers could respond to. The third is a separate statement describing something that might be interesting or help to provide atmosphere.
One thing to keep in mind with /em is that it forces you to begin your first sentence with your character's name, which can feel a bit clumsy until you are used to it. Here are a few three part examples.
/em squints around the room through thick, round spectacles. "Am I blind, or does this inn have no bloody chairs?" she queries, clearly straining her eyes in the dim light.
/em 's eyes shoot wide open, as she stammers in reply "Brass blades? Where? Me? M'not a Blade I Swear it!" The huge Roegadyn shrinks fearfully back against the door.
The major advantage in this form is that it forces you to keep your posts short, while allowing some room for description and detail. Over the course of a RP encounter you can slowly drop little details about your character, without overwhelming the scene by dumping a huge description all at once.
It also has the advantage of flexibility. If you find yourself in a fast moving scene, with two or three RPers, you can easily drop the third portion and just use the Action and Dialogue. If you have nothing to contribute to the conversation, you can pull out the dialogue for a non-verbal reaction.
Invariably you will find yourself in a situation with more than three characters (or one uber-fast typing machine) and even keeping up with the three-point format will become tricky. At that point I would recommend using some of Osric's suggestions in order to keep up the pace.
There are also moments which lend themselves to a longer description. For example Klyn had her boots repaired last week by a character, who described her work in careful detail and really enhanced the scene. They should be used sparingly however, unless you are RPing with someone else who prefers long paragraphs.... which leads to my last point.
Every RPer has different style preferences and the worst thing that you can do is pigeon-hole yourself as "only a paragraph RPer" or "only a fast RPer". Your best bet is to start where you feel most comfortable, and try to develop an adaptable style for yourself. Other RPers will appreciate it and you will open more opportunities for yourself.
Good luck!
Unlike a forum, where you must fully describe both the scene and your character, in game RP gives you an avatar and setting, which would be redundant to describe at length. Another general convention, which seems contradictory to many forum RPers, is avoiding emoting your character's thoughts. Opinions do very on this one, but many feel that it can hinder the pace of RP and limit their ability to respond.
When I was first starting out, a particularly smart RPer offered me this advice.
/em Action- "Statement" Flavour
In other words he recommended using /em as a default, with no more than three sentences in every post. The first was meant to set the tone, by describing your character's movements or expression. The second was a statement relevant to the conversation, which other RPers could respond to. The third is a separate statement describing something that might be interesting or help to provide atmosphere.
One thing to keep in mind with /em is that it forces you to begin your first sentence with your character's name, which can feel a bit clumsy until you are used to it. Here are a few three part examples.
/em squints around the room through thick, round spectacles. "Am I blind, or does this inn have no bloody chairs?" she queries, clearly straining her eyes in the dim light.
/em 's eyes shoot wide open, as she stammers in reply "Brass blades? Where? Me? M'not a Blade I Swear it!" The huge Roegadyn shrinks fearfully back against the door.
The major advantage in this form is that it forces you to keep your posts short, while allowing some room for description and detail. Over the course of a RP encounter you can slowly drop little details about your character, without overwhelming the scene by dumping a huge description all at once.
It also has the advantage of flexibility. If you find yourself in a fast moving scene, with two or three RPers, you can easily drop the third portion and just use the Action and Dialogue. If you have nothing to contribute to the conversation, you can pull out the dialogue for a non-verbal reaction.
Invariably you will find yourself in a situation with more than three characters (or one uber-fast typing machine) and even keeping up with the three-point format will become tricky. At that point I would recommend using some of Osric's suggestions in order to keep up the pace.
There are also moments which lend themselves to a longer description. For example Klyn had her boots repaired last week by a character, who described her work in careful detail and really enhanced the scene. They should be used sparingly however, unless you are RPing with someone else who prefers long paragraphs.... which leads to my last point.
Every RPer has different style preferences and the worst thing that you can do is pigeon-hole yourself as "only a paragraph RPer" or "only a fast RPer". Your best bet is to start where you feel most comfortable, and try to develop an adaptable style for yourself. Other RPers will appreciate it and you will open more opportunities for yourself.
Good luck!