[color=fff79a][i][b]For the community discussion bit...[/b][/i]

      As an artist, my approach to building characters or RP games is very loose. If I am completely honest, I like to build worlds and interesting characters more than I play. The act of creating for me is the best part.  I agree that having a "road map" is fairly important, as [@Hank] mentioned above. However, I very much like to improvise most of it, and I like to feed off of the group more than I like to nail down a solid plot. As [@TootsiePop] stated, I feel as though improvisation is the best approach, for me anyway. Having a thoroughly laid out plan is stifling, and it can really deter optional ideas and avenues that you might not have even thought about. I definitely enjoy being led by the group. 

      I do try to create a very immersive environment putting enough information into a sandbox type game that players have tons of options, lore, etc., so that they can lead themselves without too much given direction.  This allows for characters and worlds or places to reach their full potential, and become whatever it is that they become without a great deal of hinderance. More recently I have been adding a bit of tabletop mechanics in with my games, not so much that it is overbearing, as I do enjoy the literary aspects of this play by post style of roleplaying. The reasoning behind this is that I have grown tired of players just writing in glorious action or success without any real consequence or gravity within their posts. That is probably one of my biggest peeves about play by post RP's, as it becomes way too easy to just write a character through a scene. 

      I enjoy grittier themes, and flawed characters are the best in my book, but more often than not failure and compromise is overlooked, and takes a backseat to having a glorious outcome or a chance to shine, and it cheapens the deal for me. Write through success is the vanilla of play by post roleplaying for me. I hope this is making a little sense to everyone because it is hard for me to describe, but I am sure that GM's know what I am talking about. I very much believe that setbacks and failures compound and enrich plots and characters, and fortify them into being genuine and realistic, and make them true to themselves respectively, and there's my two cents.

                   Arkitekt[/color]