WZCW Discussion Thread
- Thread starter Prax
- Start date
I always use red and magenta for Baez and Alisha.
Lee
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it's Supermod!
I thoguht that would be the case. It happens sometimes, I think there was one week where Becky went on about 6 flights.
Breaking news: Action Saxton's Titantron has been released.
FunKay the Inevitable
People Like Me, We Don't Play
Just to address one point in Gelgarin's feedback. I usually do add names to every piece of dialogue, however, someone suggested a different method and I was trying that out this round.
Kermit
the Frog
Just do it how ever you want to. I've never had trouble reading roleplays that don't have names attached to the dialogue. It's not that hard to attach a color to a character's name in my mind. I don't understand why people have such a difficulty with this.
*Edit: Furthermore, Ty Burna doesn't do this, other than the initial first lines, and he has been the champ for a full year, while our new champ doesn't do it either. Both of whom are now former and current head of creative.
Kermit
the Frog
What makes your idea, of how dialogue should be formatted, superior to theirs?
FunKay the Inevitable
People Like Me, We Don't Play
I actually prefer doing it the method I'm used to, so I'll probably go back to it.
DirtyJosé
Best angle of all: retirement
I've taken a lot from either feedback or emulation of RP'ers who I enjoy. While Gelgarin feedback has done a lot for me in many respects, that is one area where I tend to disagree. I get where he's coming from with it, and were this any other kind of project than what it is I'd concede that he's right. I just feel like the color coding has become a bit of a WZCW trademark; a gimmick that everyone employs. Bad formatting and/or poor color choices can most assuredly sink any otherwise good RP. I just don't see the lack of name tags for each bit of dialogue as bad formatting, especially when it's only one or two "voices".
Just my thoughts. Otherwise, I usually think Gelgarin brings up some mighty fine points with his feedback.
Just my thoughts. Otherwise, I usually think Gelgarin brings up some mighty fine points with his feedback.
Fuck it, I'll bite.
Jose pretty much hit the nail on the head with the observation that colour coding is something that has become a trademark here, except I take a somewhat more negative view of that. In my mind the rainbow submissions are something that everybody does for no other reason than because everybody does it. People don't do it because it adds to their work or because they feel a creative impulse to write that way, it's simply emulating the status quo, which is rather lamentable mindset to find in an activity that revolves around creativity.
As for why I feel the method I follow is superior, there are a number of reasons. For one, being dependent on colour promotes bad writing, it provides an excuse for people to avoid writing prose, and as such you see legions of pieces where the scene is poorly set and the action is poorly realised because people have got into the habit of just writing a conversation. This is a writing contest, and setting a scene, creating a natural, flowing conversation featuring clearly voiced characters and communicating events through text are critical components of good writing that I have often seen people attempt to bypass in lue of making the font do the work for them. I don't think it works.
The other way that it fosters bad writing is that it provides an excuse not to bother making in clear who is talking. In a script it would be labelled, in prose it would be obvious, but in a lot of what people submit it comes down to colour alone. That's harmless when you have two characters on screen, but when you are using four or so voices at once it becomes a fucking nightmare. The fact that they avoid doing these things is why people like Ty still produce top quality submissions.
The other reason I have distaste for colour abuse is that is it scientifically proven the by less pleasant to read. Almost every novel for the past thousand years has been printed in black and white. So has every script. So has every website providing news, information or fiction. Black and white are at opposite ends of the light spectrum and as such are most easily distinguished by the eye. Text presented in a single contrasting colour has been regularly found to be easier and more enjoyable to read. It's not a huge deal unless people take the colour splatting too far, but it is still making your submission less attractive to read for no discernible reason beyond 'it's the norm'.
Obviously there are exceptions, Barbosa is probably the best example of somebody who has taken the technicolour structure and made it an integral part of his work where it actually contributes something outside of providing an excuse not to have to write prose. If you took the formatting away from Barbosa's work then it would massively detract from the story he is telling and change a person's interpretation and enjoyment of his work. Take the colour away from a lot of people and all it does is highlight that their characters don't have particularly clear voices.
I've always told people to take my feedback for exactly what it's worth, which given my monumental success in the federation is not very much. I have very little roleplay experience, but I have quite a lot of experience working as a writer in general, and I rather presume that this is what people want me to tap into when they ask me for feedback. If somebody disagrees with my observations then it's no skin off of my nose, just as long as people don't get buthurt and insist on arguing the toss over what I've said. Now if you'll excuse me I have to go and modify my disclaimer to include everyone who reads the feedback, and not just the people who asked for it.
Jose pretty much hit the nail on the head with the observation that colour coding is something that has become a trademark here, except I take a somewhat more negative view of that. In my mind the rainbow submissions are something that everybody does for no other reason than because everybody does it. People don't do it because it adds to their work or because they feel a creative impulse to write that way, it's simply emulating the status quo, which is rather lamentable mindset to find in an activity that revolves around creativity.
As for why I feel the method I follow is superior, there are a number of reasons. For one, being dependent on colour promotes bad writing, it provides an excuse for people to avoid writing prose, and as such you see legions of pieces where the scene is poorly set and the action is poorly realised because people have got into the habit of just writing a conversation. This is a writing contest, and setting a scene, creating a natural, flowing conversation featuring clearly voiced characters and communicating events through text are critical components of good writing that I have often seen people attempt to bypass in lue of making the font do the work for them. I don't think it works.
The other way that it fosters bad writing is that it provides an excuse not to bother making in clear who is talking. In a script it would be labelled, in prose it would be obvious, but in a lot of what people submit it comes down to colour alone. That's harmless when you have two characters on screen, but when you are using four or so voices at once it becomes a fucking nightmare. The fact that they avoid doing these things is why people like Ty still produce top quality submissions.
The other reason I have distaste for colour abuse is that is it scientifically proven the by less pleasant to read. Almost every novel for the past thousand years has been printed in black and white. So has every script. So has every website providing news, information or fiction. Black and white are at opposite ends of the light spectrum and as such are most easily distinguished by the eye. Text presented in a single contrasting colour has been regularly found to be easier and more enjoyable to read. It's not a huge deal unless people take the colour splatting too far, but it is still making your submission less attractive to read for no discernible reason beyond 'it's the norm'.
Obviously there are exceptions, Barbosa is probably the best example of somebody who has taken the technicolour structure and made it an integral part of his work where it actually contributes something outside of providing an excuse not to have to write prose. If you took the formatting away from Barbosa's work then it would massively detract from the story he is telling and change a person's interpretation and enjoyment of his work. Take the colour away from a lot of people and all it does is highlight that their characters don't have particularly clear voices.
I've always told people to take my feedback for exactly what it's worth, which given my monumental success in the federation is not very much. I have very little roleplay experience, but I have quite a lot of experience working as a writer in general, and I rather presume that this is what people want me to tap into when they ask me for feedback. If somebody disagrees with my observations then it's no skin off of my nose, just as long as people don't get buthurt and insist on arguing the toss over what I've said. Now if you'll excuse me I have to go and modify my disclaimer to include everyone who reads the feedback, and not just the people who asked for it.
I agree with this entirely. I've read through each RP this week a number of times and have seen at least three that are 95% dialogue. I hate that with a passion, especially as the ones I am thinking of come from writers who I think are better than that.
Kermit
the Frog
I agree with most, if not all, of your points on the cons technicolor writing. I just don't think it should be dismissed as a whole.
I would personally rather read ten different roleplays than ten roleplays that look exactly like yours. I fail to see how color dialogue, if appropriate colors are used, can be any "less creative" than tagging the character's name on each of the piece. I still don't see how it is so hard to attach a mental note that a certain color belongs to a character. Again, this is provided that the bright, and hard to see, colors are not abused in the writing.
I've never been trying to combat your idea of "mis-used color writing," but more on your stance of "no color writing at all." I'm sorry, but I think it would be kind of boring to go into every roleplay match and see every promo cut in black and white.
Colors can provide symbolism in a number of ways. For example: If I have an angry person in my roleplay; he will probably get the red text font. My words alone should display his anger, but the color offers an interesting additive. This could also be as simple as putting pink or purple text on a female's dialogue. I think we are both on the same page on the idea that colors can be used properly. So, if they can be used properly and even benefit the presentation of a roleplay, not a book, then why discourage so many people to even try it?
My original intentions were not to bite at your feedback, which are your own personal critiques. My intention was to bite at your dismissal of the subject all together and, if I had to be honest, your ego.
Also, let it be noted that I enjoy your roleplays, but I also enjoy several other people's work who use colored-font styles.
DirtyJosé
Best angle of all: retirement
I'm happy Gelgarin also mentioned the "many voices" thing that I touched on. When it's two people, maybe MAYBE even three, you can still pick three contrasting colors which won't fuck with the eyesight of the reader. More than that and it's a headache. This is also why people hate orange and magenta and lime green and cyan all being used at once; I get that we want to have a "signature color" for our guys, but the point is that if you're using color to format that way it should be:
A: Distinguishable from the rest of the text
and
B: Easy to read without inducing epilepsy
I will defend and even encourage the use of color in RP's, but I do so with the heavy suggestion that you use darker colors that don't fade into the white and that you pick colors that contrast (get a fucking color wheel, please) and don't look like vomit all over the page.
A: Distinguishable from the rest of the text
and
B: Easy to read without inducing epilepsy
I will defend and even encourage the use of color in RP's, but I do so with the heavy suggestion that you use darker colors that don't fade into the white and that you pick colors that contrast (get a fucking color wheel, please) and don't look like vomit all over the page.
FunKay the Inevitable
People Like Me, We Don't Play
I'm not sure I've ever had more than two or three people in a prolonged conversation in any of my RP's.
DirtyJosé
Best angle of all: retirement
Not just all at once, but throughout the whole thing. Not you so much, but I know at times people do a "split" rp where some shit goes down at location 1 with a few people and then, like, an interview happens later on at location 2 with 2 people. That kind of thing.
