(08-18-2015, 11:02 PM)Flickering Ember Wrote:(08-14-2015, 06:26 PM)tortles Wrote:
- I am guilty of internal monologuing a lot, and I'm glad to see this comment posted! I always wonder if it annoys people. I do it for a few reasons. It's a way to me to explore my character's thoughts by getting something out into writing, rather than letting it swim around in my head. Sometimes a situation doesn't call for speaking or acting, so I want to show that I'm engaged in and aware of the situation by contributing a post. I don't mind that it's revealing anything, because to me it's similar to how you'll see cutscenes of a part of the story that you're not physically present at. It's a snippet more for the player than the character.
This may as well be my confession. I do internal monologuing. However, I also have zero shame for it. Here's the honest truth: I am not a good writer. Actually, I very rarely do writing prompts and even more rarely do I write up short stories for my characters. I do like reading people's stories but I don't do it as often as I could.
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If I am internal monologuing, it's because I want you to imagine that 'internal monologue' as a facial expression. I always try to give others something more substantial to work off of too, as I can also see the frustration of not getting enough to react off of.
I want to speak to this a little bit. I don't think internal monologues are inherently bad and I wish people would stop spreading their opinion on this matter as though it were some kind of objective standard. I know the difference between what my character can see and what I can read. I know that if your character's post reveals a bit of their feelings that this is just to add enjoyment to the scene or give me insight into your character. I actually really like it, too. It's not bad writing, it can be very good writing and it can make the scene more enjoyable.
There are people I RP with who make use of internal monologue and literary techniques like Free Indirect Discourse which I'm sure drive some people crazy, but I love them. It helps me understand the character and it helps me interpret the scene. It gives me context for the way their character is acting, expressing themselves, and so on. It's an aid to my imagination, regardless of whether my character herself gleans anything from it.
I'd say you should continue to tastefully internally monologue and people who don't like it can just deal with it. Don't go overboard, be reasonable, and stand up for yourself if people criticize it as though it's a flaw. It's not.
It's also, I think, a good avenue for introverted characters who want to keep their RP interesting. It's sure a lot more interesting than watching how many adjectives you can cram into a description of them leaning against a wall with their arms crossed, or taking a sip of beer.
![[Image: hlEovB0.png]](http://i.imgur.com/hlEovB0.png)
