My personal TRP no-go's
I love to check out other people's profiles. But for myself, there are a few things that will make me move along rather than wanting to read them through. Off the top of my head:
1. Default Personality Traits. AKA this:
Please give your characters some flair. Some PERSONALITY. Figure out what colors you feel resonate with them. Settle on a theme of sorts and go with it! You can even copy/paste the personality terms from the default, but just make it YOURS via creating custom traits. Seeing this is personally an eyesore and somewhat lazy. Here's an improved example from a passerby:
The bar's colors alone give it more oomph -- and again, you can use the default terms! ie. Paragon-Renegade / Cautious-Impulsive if you have a hard time coming up with them on your own. But that, in my opinion, is a lot better to look at. Go the extra mile and have the icons match if you'd like, too! ie. another passerby:
The blues and greens of either personality trait go well with the chosen icons. And it's more pleasing to the eye!
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2. At First Novel? (Glance) ie.
Oh my lord. Please do NOT do this. I personally have a big monitor, so if your "At first GLANCE" items are taking up a majority of it... Please, PLEASE consider paraphrasing it. I am NOT kidding when I say I've seen someone write out this length just to describe how they smell alone. It's too much. Maybe some prefer it, but personally, it drives me away and prompts me to close your TRP instantly. I do not want to read a part of your life's story in something I have to hover my mouse over to see fully. If you ask me, that's what the 'About' section is for. Consider squirreling away some info there instead if it's absolutely necessary to know. Emphasis on short 'n' sweet when doing your 'At first glance'!
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3. All 'About' YOU!
Again, bland, boring, default. Give your OC some love and brainstorm what really defines them. The 'About' section is where your creativity and writing skills can really shine!
Here is just a small improvement. We're changing the background from the default, changing the template, choosing its associated icons, and then filling the sections with their related text. That alone already makes a HUGE difference! And it only takes a little bit of time to experiment. Here's the "behind the scenes" for it:
(Remember to put {/col} at the end of the text that you want a different color.) If you've seen something in a TRP that you're unsure of how it was done, feel free to ask about it! I can do my best to fill you in with what I know and its examples. At the end of the day, just know that you're able to make your characters memorable. Each and every one of them is capable of being entirely unique. You've put time and effort into their creation thus far, so what's wrong with a little 'oomph'?
