[center][h3][sub]𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒇![/sub][/h3][@Lord Wraith][/center]
[indent][color=fff79a]Reiterating what I said earlier on discord, this is beautifully done. Well written and personally, it kept my attention from beginning to end. I'm so happy you've been given this opportunity and I know that you [b]will[/b] bring [@RPGN] to great heights. I've always thought RPGN was a wonderful concept and could do exactly what you want to do: bring the Guild community, and every sub-section, together. With dedication, purpose, and love, I see you giving Guild News — The People's Press — the foundation it deserves. 

[center]I'll be cheering you on![/center][/color][/indent] 
[center][sub]►►◄◄[/sub][/center]
[u]𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧                  [/u]

[center]𝑰. 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚 𝒂 𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚?[/center]
[indent][color=fff79a]Before you make the roleplay you need [b]passion[/b] for the idea. You can prep a roleplay and half way through it, you lose interest. Don't make a roleplay simply because others want you to make the idea. Make the roleplay when you're most inspired and ready to take on that [b]commitment[/b]. 

Like [@Hank] said, a road map, or a general idea of where you want to take the story is beneficial. But, I'd like to add that it's important to be open to your writers' ideas and also be able to [b]improvise[/b], if needed. There needs to be a balance of plot and giving your writers freedom to explore their characters and their own story arcs.

Hank's other point, with having a [b]dedicated group[/b] of writers, to me should be an incredible highlight to the success of a roleplay. You can never 100 percent guarantee all those that apply to your game will stay invested, unfortunately. So, the route I choose to go to is: [b]test the waters[/b]. To me, even flakes deserve a second chance. [i]Still[/i], be prepared that you will lose writers and think of how to recover from that. A back-up plan, like organically writing their characters out. Unless your game has major roles like a king in a kingdom and the writer leaves unceremoniously and at a terrible time in the story, I feel like if you're capable of working around possible hiccups then you will find those that are the ride or dies for your story. 

One of my best experiences as a GM was for a superhero roleplay called [i]Divided We Stand[/i] where I was a stand in GM for a long period of time due to the actual GM's personal life. Many people joined and many people left, yet pushing the story past those lows is kind of like weeding out those that aren't passionate about the idea anymore or invested with their character(s) as much as you are. I built a GM team of five people, who took care of different sections of the universe and moderating. My team kept me sane and I found myself inspired by them, and the other writers still fighting the great fight, because of how much they fell in love with the story. It helped that I kept them engaged by planning events, with suggestions from all my writers, but also that they kept thinking of possible head canons which was the catalyst for future posts. Our imaginations are truly our fuel and when we run out of ideas that's when we know we need to do something to either bring the spark back, like going to the GM or the people in the roleplay for advice, or find something else that brings us joy. 

[b]Communication is key.[/b] Stay transparent with your feelings and hopefully the GM and everyone else will help you. Life happens. Sometimes, for your own health, you have to say goodbye. That's okay. We love this hobby, but if you're only in a roleplay because you have to be and not because you want to see it through, that's not good. 

[b]Take care of yourself.[/b] 

I will say, it feels phenomenal when you see your roleplay, or a roleplay you're a part of, flourish and overcome many obstacles. At the end of the day, that sense of fulfillment and enjoying the ride for however long it goes is what I look forward to. 

In addition, at the beginning of a roleplay, you might have an idea of who is reliable and who isn't. Someone who is completely reliable could end up dropping because they took on too many roleplays and someone who has flaked many times before could prove you wrong. The only one who can decide your method of judging and giving writers grace periods, and forgiveness (or no forgiveness), is you. 

I hope with perseverance and strength you find just what you need for the roleplays you're itching to write.   [/color][/indent]

[center]𝑰𝑰. 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒔 𝒈𝒐 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓?[/center]
[indent][color=fff79a]Similar to [@Morose] I have to have a bare bones concept in my head. A sells pitch to myself. That, or I have to [i]really[/i] want to explore a certain territory. May it be a controversial subject or simply a character with a goal. For example, oh man, I have a strong desire to write an abrasive knucklehead that is so caught up with his ex that he fails to focus on the present with his friends. That would allow me to explore the subject of learning to let go and move on. If we can connect something about our character to ourselves, which I've had my fair share of bad breaks and letting go, then we find ourselves able to relate to them even in the slightest. Some of our best writing roots to our own personal experiences. But it isn't limited to just that. Sometimes I want to write out topics I would never personally do in my waking life like make a sado-masochist that toys with people as if it were a game. Why the hell not?! I like to challenge myself and if I really want to do it, even if I'm not sure I'm capable of giving it justice, you bet your bottom dollar I'm going to try! And do research. Lots of research. 

Ultimately, character creation starts off with a seed. A seed from a picture you see and suddenly boom you see a character in that face. A seed from your childhood and suddenly boom you have a backstory in mind. A seed from a simple chat you had with a friend and boom a what if joke leads to you thinking of a 'goal' to give a character. Once you plant that seed and choose to bring that character to fruition, you choose how much care you'll give it. Maybe the seed was good at first but when you started watering it and giving it sunlight you found out: hey, this type of flower doesn't mesh well with me. I use to like playing naive, innocent characters, but now I just find it boring. Or maybe, when you grow with the flower, you surprise yourself and realize, hey I'm not half bad at this. I didn't think I could write a villainous antagonist that everyone loves to hate, but shoot, this is fun! I'm pretty good at being evil! 

Wraith said there is no right or wrong way. There really isn't. We can suggest our methods, but it takes you just exploring topics and yourself to find out what works for you. I'm twenty six years old and I've been roleplaying for 15ish... plus... years. There doesn't come a day that I don't learn something new as a writer. [b]Just try not to fear failing.[/b] I know that's hard to do, because we writers tend to have insecurities that eat at us daily, but once you're willing to give it a good try, who knows what you'll discover about yourself. 

I'd say entertaining even the smallest of ideas you have can go a long way and bring you down a road where you might create the best character you've ever made. [/color][/indent]
[right][color=fff79a]Sweetly yours, [/color]
[img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/190317/ddf99a858ba06d1ef02a9a4b4580fd16.png[/img] [sup][b][color=azure]X[/color][color=dc143c]O[/color][color=azure]X[/color][color=dc143c]O[/color][/b][/sup][/right]
[center][sub][color=dimgray](If this wasn't already so long I would've seen if I could address the advice column, but for now I'll focus on the discussion... I write a lot!)[/color][/sub][/center]