How to become a good writer!

[∞ L U C I D I T Y]

A guide for the new and old, this is just a basic outline of how to succeed. Please note, I am not a writer or a fantastic RP. The saying easier said than done applies here and I am definitely one to not follow my own rules. I am a better teacher than performer. Despite that, I hope this will help out all of those from new to experienced RolePlayers, or whatever you call yourselves nowadays (;

Structure, Grammar and Spelling.
In order to get the point across in whatever you are writing, you need to make sure that others can understand what you're trying to say. In this, the structure (such as sentence formation and where to place paragraphs) can come in handy. A variation of long and short, complex and basic sentences will provide an interesting read for your audience and will keep them entertained. Paragraphs should be well-placed and encourage your audience to recognise that there is a different 'topic' to each paragraph.
Sentences can begin with more than "horse name" and "he/she". Try using verbs, nouns, or descriptive language.
Sentence 1: Detox looked
Sentence 2: He smiled
Sentence 3: Devilish glint in his eyes
Sentence 4: With a huge sigh
Sentence 5: Detox
I try and only use my character's name once every paragraph with a few exceptions. Toss it up a little. By using nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, names and whatnot, you can get a huge amount of different sentence starters.
Sentence length will play a huge part in the speed in which your audience will read it. Short sentences = fast action scenes. Longer sentences = slower scenes as we add more description. Example
Detox lunged towards his opponent, mouth open wide.
Looking around the vast lands, Detox opened his mouth wide in a toothy grin, glowing-blue eyes searching the fertile plains for any sign of life whilst his other senses of smell and hearing searched where his eyes could not.
As Morphine pointed out, short sentences can get your point across (most of the time) more effectively than long sentences. You don't want your post to be completely made up of paragraph-sized sentences. You also don't want three word sentences for your whole post. Alternate and see what fits you best and what will convey your ideas the most effectively.
Grammar is big strong point as well. Without it, we would be reading whole paragraphs without taking a breath and wouldn't be able to understand what we're reading. If you're unsure of grammar and the different puncuation as well as the different forms of words (such as their, they're and there), google it. GOOGLE IS YOUR FRIEND.
Spelling is the same as grammar. If spelling was of no importance, we might as well be reading an unfamiliar language. Google is your friend. If you are unsure, google it or find a dictionary.

Using the landscape
Take note of the landscape you are using as your 'backdrop' for the setting of your character. Imagine. Read the description and then imagine what it's there - add something, modify it (although keep it so it's recognisable), draw it, sing it AND THEN WRITE IT.
By using your setting in your writing you can create an authentic piece of work that will immerse your audience in your writing. Let's take my stallion Detox's land, Lauo, for example.
The grey stallion ducked his large head as he stepped underneath a towering toadstool. The greeny hue from the large plant cast an eerie glow upon Detox's coat and he looked up at the underside of the plant. In the land of Lauo, night ruled and the sun never showed her beautiful face, but the flora and fauna strived. Detox presumed that the glow that the mushrooms emitted were caused by them processing the moon's rays that shone upon the land - much like photosynthesis in plants that ate the daylight.
By using the setting, you can imagine the land that Detox is in and it creates a beautiful piece of work that many writers can use in their favour.

ARE YOU BLIND, DEAF OR STUPID?
Just kidding about that. But seriously. The eyes on your character aren't their only senses that they have. If you were blind, how would you guide yourself about your every day life? Through touch, sounds, smell and taste, of course (although, sticking people in your mouth to determine if they're a kid or an elderly isn't advised - it's unsanitary). Now, I want you to imagine your character is blind. Forget their sight for a post. Take up a new word doc, a draft thread, a piece of paper anything. Now take a land or imagine one. In a below example, I'm going to use Detox again as he's actually blind in daylight. I want you to now describe an event that will happen to your character NOT USING EYESIGHT. Describe their thoughts, presumptions, sounds, smells, tastes and what they feel. Here we go:
Detox shut his eyes for a moment and let his senses spread out around him. Crickets chirped and the creak of branches high above reached his ears as they rotated about on his head to catch any unfamiliar, dangerous sounds. His nostrils flared as he took in the smell of the land around him but nothing of alarm caught his attention... the smell of the beautiful night-flowers that bloomed and glowed and the aroma of sweet, spring grass, fresh water and his home. The slight brush of a falling leaf made the large stallion jump and the sound of a cracking branch underneath his hoof made Detox snort again. His reaction echoed around the land, creating an eerie sound that made the hairs along his spine tingle.
How vivid was that? Did you feel that you could get an idea of what Detox was feeling, where he was, what was happening?
Now, try and write something that incorporates ALL FIVE SENSES, but sight least of all.

Thoughts, speech and others
Thoughts are important in writing. It alerts us to how our characters think, feel and process events and emotions. By including thoughts in our writing, we can clue the audience in on more personal aspects of our characters. Try including maybe one thought in two posts if you aren't used to it, and then building up from there.
Speech, well, is pretty self-explanatory. Even if your character is talking to themselves, it's pretty much the same as thoughts above.
Others - always listen to them. Don't insist your character is better and keep headbutting. A drama technique I learned is to ALWAYS SAY YES. If you say yes to something, the other player has something to expand on. If you say no, I can promise you within one or two posts your plot will fall flat.

Character development
Is one of the most important parts in role playing. Taking say, 60 words each post to develop your character until you have a strong, well-developed character with no flaws in your writing. Just describe something about them. By developing your character, your writing will automatically become more complex, interesting and perfected.

Power playing + meta-gaming
Power playing is controlling another player's character without their consent. An example:
"Detox kicked the stallion he was fighting, breaking ribs and puncturing his opponent's lung"
NO NO AND NO. This isn't right. The other player has complete control over their character. Instead, this is how it should go:
"Detox kicked the stallion he was fighting, aiming for the ribs as he attempted to snap at least one, if not multiple, hoping for an internal injury such as a punctured lung"
"The opposing stallion felt the air rush out of his lungs as Detox's kick landed in his side and he felt ribs bruise heavily, but a quick side-step at the last minute saved him from any fractures or breaks"
This gives the other player (not Detox) a chance to control their own character. By wording your intentions in a way that gives the other character a way to retaliate or choose if they wish to follow your intentions is the best way to interact with others, particularly in fight situations.
Meta-gaming is like mind-reading - without the mind-reading ability. This is where Character A thinks something and Character B replies to it. Example:
Detox smiled as he looked at the mare thinking, She would like mighty nice in my herd...
The mare looked at the stallion through narrowed eyes and said: I would not join your herd even if you were the last stallion on earth
Unless your character has purchased powers to mind-read, this is not possible and is against the rules on most RPG sites.

Websites:

DICTIONARY: dictionary.reference.com/ - unsure of what a word means? Look it up here!
THESAURUS: thesaurus.com/ - find synonyms (similar words/words that mean the same thing) or antonyms (opposite words)
Other ways to search - in your Google search bar, type in the following:
define: wordgoeshere
synonym: wordgoeshere
antonym: wordgoeshere


I hope this helped, and please feel free to post or message me if you wish to edit/add/change/remove/something to this! :3

[Morphine]

please add something on meta-gaming and powerplay =) particularly with characters reacting to other horses thoughts, this is meta-gaming you can't react to thoughts another character has because you can't hear them....Also something you could talk about is how to start sentences, always starting sentences with your characters name or gender is boring. mix it up.. Also you can talk about sentence lengths for pacing, short = fast long = not so fast. and that sometimes shorter sentences are more effective for getting your meaning and pace across. Also this is just as important as any dictionary ; )

thesaurus.com/

and heres an online dictionary dictionary.reference.com/

[∞ L U C I D I T Y]

Will add it in after my post with Chem! Thank you :3 Forgot about all that :3