What makes you read a character's biography?

[DrXavierTColtrane]

(I made the subject general so that we can have a more lively discussion, but mostly I want to post on something that causes me *not* to read a biography.)

Biographies are all about self-expression and personal creativity. So this is not in any way a dictate of how you should write yours. Nevertheless, I'm much more likely to *read* a biography if the text is left-justified. I've noticed many people here center theirs, including folks who write long entries that appear to be otherwise written by people who know their way around a sentence.

Anyone who works with words for a living should be aware that centered text is harder to read, especially if the text is more than a few words long.

See here:

http://uxmovement.com/content/why-you-should-never-center-align-paragraph-text/

http://designshack.net/articles/typography/the-importance-of-designing-for-readability/

http://wmich.edu/writing/readability

http://mrwweb.com/no-justification-dont-use-right-center-and-full-justification-on-the-web/

etc. etc.

It's just not the right way to do it if you want to make it easy for people (or at least those of us used to Western-style, left-to-right movement of our eyes when processing text) to assimilate.

Anyway, if you want the maximum number of people to read the prose you have so lovingly composed, don't center it.

[_Kaz]

>"So this is not in any way a dictate of how you should write yours."
>Proceeds to dictate how others should write.

[Nemesis 24]

Your direct and immediately timely criticism is duly noted.  Thanks.

[Tycat]

I write my bios for me. If someone reads them, cool. I don't expect them to. It helps me in my process of development.

[Boots]

My bios are more for me than other people as well. It's not about stacking up the most views like a facebook status.

[peps]

As terrible as it sounds, pictures draw me in. It helps paint a visualize image.

It did it with my never-played Aasimar, and people seemed to like it, too.

[Marsi]

As terrible as it sounds, pictures draw me in. It helps paint a visualize image.

It did it with my never-played Aasimar, and people seemed to like it, too.

I generally prefer actual stories over journals, but I'm a sucker for a well-presented one. Carefully picked screenshots, small aesthetic images etc. I like learning about stuff that goes on that I otherwise would never find out about IC. I think plot-sensitive stuff should be kept minimal though, esp when it directly involves one of my own characters.

As for the technical stuff, no fancy fonts pls, align it normally, not a huge fan of the text being inserted into images (old timey paper and stuff )and be liberal with white-space (small, succinct paragraphs etc).

It's not about stacking up the most views like a facebook status.

yes it is

[Tycat]

Nah. For me, each of my characters have a system. The villain's ballad is different from Delicate, Delicate is different from Gin & Shadow, Gin and Shadow is different from whatever the heck else I wrote so far. These stories are windows into the character, and I use the space in their threads to explore that. Explore them. Their psyche comes through in the lay out. Some are more musically sensitive, some have quotes, some have full novella backstories full of everything, some only ever need the page to express something simple, or a piece of art. like boots and I said, it's for us, not you. And each of my characters tell me how they want to develop on a different system. If you don't want to read it - don't. But maybe you should not criticize some one for it, because it isn't your process. I find if you really want to invest time into reading someone else's biography, you'll do it regardless of if you like the way it's written or the way it is presented. I mean, seriously, KUDOS to anyone who sat through Zidonne's entire backstory. My hat's off to you. But i wrote it for me and Don, just like I wrote Flower's backstory for me and Blaise.

edit: TL;DR = It might just be a personal journey into story telling between the author and the character.

Post-edit: idk maybe don't make anyone feel bad about their journal by sounding critical of what they wrote.

[Maiden]

I don't like reading them because I don't like spoilers. I find it weird to flaunt a character's alignment and motivations and whatever else on the forum, because it can and will cause metagaming, subconscious or not.

For this same reason, I either:
- Don't post or read biographies until the character's story is completed.
- Keep the content strictly backstory (good, because the character could have changed vastly since the backstory 'happened').
- Keep it to myself, take it out of the Ravenloft context, put it into my own setting, and publish it to the web elsewhere.
- Only read it if it was a scene my character was a part of. Even then, I don't like an introspective look into the opposing character, as it might give me hints as to how to find a resolution to the situation. I'd rather go in blind.

This probably sounds rather strict. I enjoy reading and writing, but I'm fairly careful about sharing due to the way the information can alter IG interactions.

I generally prefer actual stories over journals, but I'm a sucker for a well-presented one. Carefully picked screenshots, small aesthetic images etc. I like learning about stuff that goes on that I otherwise would never find out about IC. I think plot-sensitive stuff should be kept minimal though, esp when it directly involves one of my own characters.

I share all of these opinions.

[DrXavierTColtrane]

>"So this is not in any way a dictate of how you should write yours."
>Proceeds to dictate how others should write.

Nope, not at all:

1) Formatting is not "how others should write."

2) I said only if you want to make it easier on others to read (and therefore more likely for them to read), this is the consensus of research on how you should format a document.

One poster writes a bio in Latin. That makes it clear to me that the author is doing an exercise not intended for easy consumption. But generally when people write something in public it is meant for other eyes. *If* you want to make it easier for those eyes, the research says left justified is the way to go.

[Miuo]

For me, journals and such are more for me to keep a history of my character. More then a few times they have helped with long absences or just trying to remember something from my characters past that I couldn't recall on my own. Sometimes i neglect such when i don't feel in the mood to write, but usually i like it as much as rping my character as well.

[TheGrinningHound]

Formatting is hugely important. Whenever I'm making a request or writing a biography/journal piece, I spend quite a bit of time making the actual body physically appealing-- partially for my own pleasure, but also because I'm aware how essential it is to capture a first impression. It's not unfair at all to say that a reader judges the quality (Or at the very least, decides on his initial interest) by scanning the formatting. And there is extensive and compelling research to support that, too. It's certainly not ideal; and it would be nice if people didn't make assessments on such small things, rather than the quality of the writing itself.

I wouldn't try to take this kind of critique so personally either. What's nice about writing is that you can do it however you like, and for whatever reasons. My professor was a huge stickler for rules-- but not because he wanted all of our writing to be the same. As one becomes familiar to all the rules and conventions of writing, part of the enjoyment of creative license is breaking those rules.

Sure, it's kind of silly in its own way. It's like, an artist has to build a reputation as a talented individual who knows all of the conventions; only then to purposefully throw them all in the wind. And that becomes modern art. But if another simply threw skittles at a wall without knowing that he was breaking convention, his reception is worse! Aligning center is surely breaking convention; but as long as you're aware of the rule-- its pros and cons-- and you still pursue it that's perfectly fine.

In the end, as important as it is for me to format something within conventions and to make it pretty-- someone could find just as much personal satisfaction doing it differently. All Kronos was saying was that there are drawbacks, and if you weren't aware of them it might change your mind-- but if you don't mind the drawbacks, there's no issue with continuing either! Thou art the master of your pen & keyboard!

[Syl]

I read bios because I like to.. It's like a story and helps me understand OOCly what the character/ WHO they are.

[McNastea]

I do what I want

[Syl]

I do what I want

[Budly]

If you make biographies for yourself, why do you post them? 

[Iluvatar / Madness]

I personally don't read much bio, I'll read them if I know the character, but even then I don't read much bio. But some time I find interesting story and actually read them

[DrXavierTColtrane]

(Doing what one wants, however, is a mostly tautological explanation. What makes you "want" to read a character's biography? I trust no biographer is casting Domination to extract additional page views )

My professor was a huge stickler for rules-- but not because he wanted all of our writing to be the same. As one becomes familiar to all the rules and conventions of writing, part of the enjoyment of creative license is breaking those rules.

I think understanding the *why* of a rule facilitates knowing how to break it effectively. For example, whereas a high school student might write a disorganized, unstructured mess of an essay, a talented writer (such as James Joyce) does what superficially might appear to be the same thing but with intent to imitate the stream of consciousness.

Another reason to me that constraints are useful is to spark creativity. In a similar way that having a godlike character in a game doesn't make for much creative thinking, working with the limits of a form makes your brain work harder than  "simply throwing skittles at a wall" does.

[booksarefun666]

I only tend to read a bio if there's a possibility my character's involved in it because I'm a horrible egomaniac.

[TheGrinningHound]

Yeah, YEAH. Where's Teddy in your bio, SASHA? HUH?  I am disappoint.

[Miuo]

If you make biographies for yourself, why do you post them? 

For those who might want to read them/enjoy reading other character stories, and in the event of computer death everything is conveniently located safely on forums.

[herkles]

(Doing what one wants, however, is a mostly tautological explanation. What makes you "want" to read a character's biography? I trust no biographer is casting Domination to extract additional page views )

My professor was a huge stickler for rules-- but not because he wanted all of our writing to be the same. As one becomes familiar to all the rules and conventions of writing, part of the enjoyment of creative license is breaking those rules.

I think understanding the *why* of a rule facilitates knowing how to break it effectively. For example, whereas a high school student might write a disorganized, unstructured mess of an essay, a talented writer (such as James Joyce) does what superficially might appear to be the same thing but with intent to imitate the stream of consciousness.

Another reason to me that constraints are useful is to spark creativity. In a similar way that having a godlike character in a game doesn't make for much creative thinking, working with the limits of a form makes your brain work harder than  "simply throwing skittles at a wall" does.

On the other hand Joyce's work, notable Finnegan's wake is rather hard to read and is kind of a disorganized mess. Here is the first page, don't tell me this isn't kind of unreadable mess

riverrun, past Eve and Adam’s, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs.
Sir Tristram, violer d’amores, fr’over the short sea, had passen-core rearrived from North Armorica on this side the scraggy isthmus of Europe Minor to wielderfight his penisolate war: nor had topsawyer’s rocks by the stream Oconee exaggerated themselse to Laurens County’s gorgios while they went doublin their mumper all the time: nor avoice from afire bellowsed mishe mishe to tauftauf thuartpeatrick not yet, though venissoon after, had a kidscad buttended a bland old isaac: not yet, though all’s fair in vanessy, were sosie sesthers wroth with twone nathandjoe. Rot a peck of pa’s malt had Jhem or Shen brewed by arclight and rory end to the regginbrow was to be seen ringsome on the aquaface.
The fall (bababadalgharaghtakamminarronnkonnbronntonner-ronntuonnthunntrovarrhounawnskawntoohoohoordenenthur — nuk!) of a once wallstrait oldparr is retaled early in bed and later on life down through all christian minstrelsy. The great fall of the offwall entailed at such short notice the pftjschute of Finnegan, erse solid man, that the humptyhillhead of humself prumptly sends an unquiring one well to the west in quest of his tumptytumtoes: and their upturnpikepointandplace is at the knock out in the park where oranges have been laid to rust upon the green since dev-linsfirst loved livvy.

[BahamutZ3RO]

I have a terrible secret that I have to get off my chest... I don't know how to read. :/

[DrXavierTColtrane]

I only tend to read a bio if there's a possibility my character's involved in it because I'm a horrible egomaniac.

Haha...an honest answer.

On the other hand Joyce's work, notable Finnegan's wake is rather hard to read and is kind of a disorganized mess. Here is the first page, don't tell me this isn't kind of unreadable mess

I'm not going to try to defend Finnegan's Wake   Supposedly Joyce said he wanted readers to spend as long time reading it as he spent writing it (17 years).

But Dubliners shows he could follow the rules...and produce great stuff when he did.

[Merry Munchkin]

And how many have actually taken the time to read Fimnigan's Wake all the way through?  

The secret of a good bio is to be a good storyteller, and the art of good storytelling can be summed up as "precision, care, time and patience".  Mark Twain famously once said " I don't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead".  Writing something that is short, but also interesting and compelling is HARD work - you need to take the time to use the right words the right way, and use a style and format that draws the reader in.  far too many writers go for quantity instead of quality.

Some basic rules of thumb to help any storyteller:
1.  short sentences are best
2.  Use active voice rather than passive when you can
3.  Keep the subject matter simple - you don't have time or space or attention span to cover a broad subject
4.  Engage the senses, and don't rely solely on the visual
5.  Mental introspection is all good and well, but your reader won't care unless you first give him or her a REASON to want to know what is in your character's head
6.  Characters interact with the world, and show their true selves, in the ways they ACT, not in what they are necessarily thinking.  Your reader wants to see action, with a few speeches sprinkled in for seasoning.
Finally, remember to edit yourself judiciously.  Mark Twain also said "Good writing is easy, all you have to do cross out the wrong words".