To describe or not to describe

[Dan the Dante]

Sometimes I encounter people who, quite literally, describe everything around them in an almost encyclopedic-like manner. For example...

"Yuki slowly reached for the fork engraved with elegant designs reminiscent of the middle Victorian era. She smiled a bit as this realization, her face gleaming from the thought of having made such an intellectual reference despite her age. Her soft and delicate fingers caressed the fork slightly as she lifted it off from the its location amidst the finely placed set of silverware. She looked at the line of forks, spoons and knives to see if she had chosen the right one, as it would greatly embarrass her is she had accidentally used the wrong utensil. The spoon's reflective surfaces acted like a mirror, and Yuki was thrilled that she was in fact able to see her own reflection on them, the knives were perfectly polished as well, but their blades scared her and so she didn't pay much attention to them. After deciding that the fork she had chosen was the correct one, she then shifted her gaze back on to the slice of cake that was laid out in front of her. It was..." Etc.

I do agree that this makes for a far more descriptive and literate post, and that it allows the reader to feel drawn to the character and aid them in picturing the scene in their mind. However, sometimes it can go overboard and end with long multi-paragraph posts.

I myself have never accomplished such a feat, but I was wondering on whether I should attempt to do so or not. Is it reasonable for one to describe everything in the scene to the most minute details? What do you guys think is the limit as to how descriptive one should be?  

[FebruaryLiege]

Remember, people can't see what you are thinking. By being deep and thorough with your detail, you can paint the image you're depicting. I try to go into as much detail as I can so that my fellow RPers can see the image that I see.

Again, it depends on how serious your RPing group is. If you're with a serious group, it would probably be a good idea to go into that detail. If it's just for a casual setting, I would probably leave it to what mood I'm feeling to dictate the length of my post.

Hope this helps! biggrin

--xMikenno_Butaix  

[Dan the Dante]

I see what you're saying.

Though as a follow-up question, is it wise to post a three paragraph long RP post?  

[FebruaryLiege]

Again, it depends. There are many things to take into consideration as you post.

1.) Is the length of my post appropriate for the RP?
2.) Is the content of my post appropriate for the RPers?
3.) Is my post understandable?
4.) Is my post grammatically correct?
5.) Is everything spelled correctly?
6.) Is my post appealing? (Will people take the time to read it? Is it interesting?)
7.) Will my post paint the right picture, or the picture that I want to portray?

So pretty much, it depends on the RP. Just put into it what you get out of it. If you see other people posting little two sentence parts, then do the same. Likewise, if you see someone posting a rather lengthy part, then try to do the same. The sentence/paragraph count obviously does not have to be the same, but try to aim for a range within 3-4 sentences or 1 paragraph away from what everyone else is posting on average.  

[Dan the Dante]

So basically just go with the flow right?

Thanks for the advise I'll keep that in mind the next time I'm RPing.  

[FebruaryLiege]

Yup, that's pretty much it!
Glad I could be of help! biggrin