[quote=Valeria]
I've had big problems with rp's dying too!! And I must admit I've been the cause of the dead silence once or twice, and it's always when I've been too timid to go up to partners and just tell them everything I don't like about how their concept's turning out, or lack thereof. As I get older, I don't do that anymore -- I just muster up the willpower to tell people why I'm not liking an RP and then try to end it politely, and even then I don't know if that's the right thing to do, because it's not like your partner has asked for your criticism at that stage, even if it might not be personal criticism =/ (thoughts?) Anyway, my point is, maybe it's worthwhile to lay out beforehand (maybe in your search bulletins) whether or not you mind a bit of constructive criticism and whether your partner should be able to tolerate criticism: then you can have a proper conversation about the rp without having to worry about coming across as elitist and mean. That said, I don't think 'people ending rp's' is always a result of some flaw or deficiency on anyone's part. Like, even a really hardcore rp-er doesn't RP 100% of the time cos answering messages on the internet is usually the least of someone's priorities when they're stressed out or in a crisis... so you might click wonderfully with someone, and have the rp still end for no reason. =(
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Roleplaying with partners depends on communication and honesty, especially in a 1x1 kind of game where it's just two of you building a story. Never be afraid to bring something up if you aren't sure, because your partner may not know that it's coming across poorly. You can't fix things if people don't know it's broken, know what I mean? Most people are pretty open to constructive criticism and suggestions, especially if you're polite and you have a good relationship with that person. Sometimes, games just don't work out, and that's okay; we all run into partners that just don't click with us, it doesn't mean either person's bad or not trying, just means the chemistry isn't quite right. 

Also, if somebody disappears for a while, don't assume the game's dead (unless they're quite active elsewhere), it probably just means something came up. It pays to be patient with people, trust me!