APPLICATION LENGTH

Length is something which tends to frighten off most of our applicants. Our app form is long, our profiles are long, and in general there just seems to be a lot of reading and writing to do. Many applicants wonder how long their application should be, and how they're going to compete with the current profiles.

In my opinion, the perfect profile length is around 8,000 words. That's 15 pages in Microsoft Word, TNR, single-spaced. That's the perfect length for a finished, complete character profile... But it's the length of a profile, written by someone who has known the character for a long time, and not necessarily just an application. (Note that this includes all supplemental information, like homeland stats, trivia, and other unnecessary add-ons.)

As such, my recommendation is that applications be around 6,000 words (that's 11-12 pages). If you think you can be concise and get everything across in even less space than that, then go for it; the minimum length that's probably still viable would be around 4,000-4,5000 words. Later on, as you get more familiar with your character, you may want to revise sections of their profile; an "aged" profile tends to weigh in at 6,000-8,000 words.

"But," you cry in shock, "the profiles on the cast page are much longer than that!"

Not really. With the sole exceptions of Dani and myself (who tend to write profiles weighing in at a hefty 14,000 words - that's almost thirty pages!), all of our members prefer not to write novellas on their characters. Which really is the way to go; who wants to sift through thirty pages of text on one character? It's boring. So please bear in mind this is an excellent case of "Do as I say and not as I do," and don't try to copy the GM. Anyone you ask will tell you I'm batshit insane about writing applications. XD;

If you're curious about how you should fill those 10-15 pages, here's a typical breakdown:

♥ Stats: ~1,000-1,500 words
♥ Appearance: ~500-800 words
♥ Personality: ~1,500-2,000 words
♥ History: ~2,000 words
♥ Soldier Stats: ~1,000 words
♥ Dragon/Mech: ~600-1,000 words

Additional items like extra stats, homeland information, etc. should take up no more than a further 800 or so words (and are optional).

Applicants doing the "lite" version of the app (with interview) should aim for around 3,500 words // 7 pages (though more is definitely okay).

 HOW TO MAKE A LONG APPLICATION SHORTER

♥ Avoid unnecessary metaphors and bizarre descriptions. I'm a big fan of descriptive writing, but I'm also a big fan of straightforward, vivid writing over flowery, heavy nonsense. For example, rather than saying "Her hair cascades in a gentle waterfall down to her hips, and its sheen can be likened to a moonlit pool," try just saying "Her hair is kept glossy and smooth and falls to her hips." This is both easier to read and will considerably shorten your app (and lessens the chance you will totally confuse the reader).

♥ Avoid including what we refer to as "Director's commentary." If you want to explain why you did a certain thing or go deep into the symbolism behind your character's name, just make a note of the comment and once you're accepted you can actually post a "Director's commentary" of your profile. Until then, lengthy explanations should be kept out of the profile itself. (Also, never include so-called "Author's notes," especially if they're little more than peanut gallery chatter like "Heehee, so-and-so is such a bitch!" This will make your app painful to read and can actually cause you to be rejected if it gets too annoying.)

♥ Knowing everything about your character is not necessary. You should not know (or describe) how your character will react in every possible situation, ever. Leaving some room open for growth and for getting to know the character more is a very good thing.

♥ Unless an event has had a considerable influence on your character's life, it shouldn't really be given more than a sentence. Major events like fires, accidents or injuries, traumas, meeting key people, moving, etc can be explained, but describing your character's thirteenth birthday or the age at which they hit puberty is not required (or recommended).

♥ As a matter of personal preference, I really hate explanations in the likes and dislikes section of an app. A very brief comment can be included in parentheses, but please don't write a full paragraph (or even full sentence) for each of the items there. Very important likes & dislikes may actually be mentioned in history or personality; otherwise, keep it brief. See Scott's profile (here) for an excellent example of listed likes and dislikes.

♥ If your personality is simply monstrous and you don't know what to cut, comb through it and see what if anything can be combined. If you're devoting one paragraph each to the character being both bossy and spoiled, for instance, those could probably be combined into one paragraph with half as many sentences. As much as I dislike the "segmented personality" style, it can also be a very good tool for organization, provided you use it after you have either made a full list of traits or after you have written the skeleton of the personality.

 HOW TO MAKE A SHORT APPLICATION LONGER

♥ Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to contemplate the character; taking breaks and spacing it out over several days gives you lots of opportunities for inspiration. I often think up quirks and additional aspects of personalities when I'm away from the computer, doing other things.

♥ Be detailed. This is a dangerous balance between being boring and being thourough, but in general try to embellish by asking questions about your character. "Why would he.." and "How would he feel/react.." are good ways to fill in both your character and application. Also, adding more detail to the mech/dragon section and soldier stats is strongly, strongly encouraged.

♥ Another way to fill in personality is by going through the questions listed on the template, answering them, and then considering "Why?" What does your character think about magic? Why? Etc.

♥ Connecting details are excellent ways to bring the character into focus and make everything more cohesive. They will also impress the reviewers. For instance, in Alan's application his precognition was described as being like "the way your hair stands on end before a lightning strike," which was both an excellent piece of imagery and a great way to tie what could otherwise have seemed to be an odd power into his character, who is concentrated around elecrticity. If you want to add something random just because you think it's fun, try to think of a way to make it "go" rather than having a cheerleader who also happens to play D&D, for example.

Suggestions for this page shamelessly stolen from Go Greek! Mythos. (We kid. Used with permission.)