Tips and Benefits of Role Playing

Tip 8 - Consistency in Content

Last time, I talked about keeping the mechanics of your role play consistent, today we focus on the content.

What I mean by this is basically to remember what has happened or what was said and don't write something that contradicts that.

If your character has already stated that they are allergic to mint, they can't be eating breath fresheners in your next reply or anywhere else in the role play.

There are exceptions to this. If you decide later that having the allergy is difficult for some reason, then find a way to reverse what you said. Did your character just say that because they didn't want what was being served? Are they a compulsive liar? Where they not paying attention and just said something random? What reason can you come up with to explain why your character claimed one thing, but meant another?

Sometimes you can't take things back. For instance, if your character lost their mother when they were twelve and their character arc has hinged off of this event, it would be pretty much impossible to take that back without completely rewriting the character.

Instead of regretting this decision, maybe introduce another maternal role model in your character's life. Maybe it is an older sister, a teacher, a classmate, or even the barrister at the local café.

Remember, the same rules go for role play as for any other form of story telling. So, keep your role plays consistent, and if you need help getting yourself out of something your stated earlier, ask someone for help. Whether it be your role play partner or someone else who's good with stories, two heads are better than one.

Until next time...

Comment what you would like tips on next and happy role playing!