LQJT86C
Where's my money, Chad?
I'm not a judge, don't really plan on volunteering for that, but as someone who has A) run a league and B) thrived in this community, as well as a radically different one (PRIME, a PTC league), here is my advice on how to approach FWC judges, for what it's worth...
And this is with all due respect to those judges. It's just my opinion, and for all I know they will disagree with me...
The key to doing well here without changing your whole style to placate our not-so-mysterious council of elders (i.e. the judges), is to find a way to relate all the abstract character development stuff in your RPs to the tournament and matches themselves. Whether you write narrative or script form really doesn't matter much (there are handlers here who've been successful using narrative). But I think the 8,000 word RPs that go deep into character development the way an author would in Chapter 25, without relating much of it to the matches, is way too much culture shock for the folks here.
It's like, if I was signing up for a PTC-style tournament, I would know to start plunging the depths of my character's back story to fill out a novella's worth of material, because that's how you win there. FWC is a pretty open-minded place, but there is a very solid tradition of promo-style trash talk that you would be ignoring at your own peril. Again, that doesn't mean you need to throw your own style out the window and opt for NWA/WWE/ECW style vignettes - not at all. But just keep in mind two things - 1) If your character is an FWC immigrant, chances are nobody knows who he is and assuming prior knowledge in promos designed to flesh out character development is going to hurt you against a good trash talker, and 2) Bringing an abstract promo full circle by relating it to your opponent will only help your cause.
FWC characters have an advantage in that the judges know most of us, and we can kind of get away with throwing out league backstory, but even then...that's not always the case. People tend to frown on endless arguing about **** that went on a thousand centuries ago, so this goes for FWCers too - I suggest talking about your past in a way that informs people as to what the hell is going on. Bringing up history is inevitable, but there's a way to do it without confusing people. We love new characters here, so tell us who your guy is before we hear the details of his third divorce.
REALISM: I can look at the list of judges and tell you right away who's gonna punish your character for being a mafia hitman. I'll let them come out and tell you that. As much as we make fun of unrealistic narrative, I can rack my mind and think of some pretty unrealistic, zany sh*t that was done here and by very successful characters. Jonathan Marx time traveled, Joey Melton made a romantic explosion inside a female competitor, JTP and Felix Red wrestled on enough drugs to kill 5 Courtney Loves, and Castor Strife's valet carved smutty hieroglyphics all over her body with a razorblade. Also: NFW SEASON 2 HAPPENED. So yeah, we've jumped the shark a bit. Still, it usually gets criticized when it does happen, and there are still some solid traditionalists here who don't want to see any of that crap. I'm also 99% sure that committing murders will get you jobbed. The most outlandish things that do get rewarded here are usually comedic, FYI.
Don't use memes, unless your name is Dan Ryan. He's the only one who gets away with it.
Be you, showcase your style, but try and keep your audience in mind. Definitely read some RPs written throughout FWC leagues to get a sense of where the boundaries are. Everyone says, "Just write something good", but I think that's more nuanced than is let on. Depending on how far your home league strays from the vignette-promo style, it might not be a good idea for you to write like it's for them and not us.
The best way I can put it is like this: don't change and placate, but adapt and evolve. FWC is very much a hybrid environment because we've had writers from every community.
Last bit of advice: don't say your character is 32 years old when he's really pushing 40. We will comb your league's archive, and we will find your ass out. This isn't the Little League World Series where you can forge a birth certificate from Panama!
And this is with all due respect to those judges. It's just my opinion, and for all I know they will disagree with me...
The key to doing well here without changing your whole style to placate our not-so-mysterious council of elders (i.e. the judges), is to find a way to relate all the abstract character development stuff in your RPs to the tournament and matches themselves. Whether you write narrative or script form really doesn't matter much (there are handlers here who've been successful using narrative). But I think the 8,000 word RPs that go deep into character development the way an author would in Chapter 25, without relating much of it to the matches, is way too much culture shock for the folks here.
It's like, if I was signing up for a PTC-style tournament, I would know to start plunging the depths of my character's back story to fill out a novella's worth of material, because that's how you win there. FWC is a pretty open-minded place, but there is a very solid tradition of promo-style trash talk that you would be ignoring at your own peril. Again, that doesn't mean you need to throw your own style out the window and opt for NWA/WWE/ECW style vignettes - not at all. But just keep in mind two things - 1) If your character is an FWC immigrant, chances are nobody knows who he is and assuming prior knowledge in promos designed to flesh out character development is going to hurt you against a good trash talker, and 2) Bringing an abstract promo full circle by relating it to your opponent will only help your cause.
FWC characters have an advantage in that the judges know most of us, and we can kind of get away with throwing out league backstory, but even then...that's not always the case. People tend to frown on endless arguing about **** that went on a thousand centuries ago, so this goes for FWCers too - I suggest talking about your past in a way that informs people as to what the hell is going on. Bringing up history is inevitable, but there's a way to do it without confusing people. We love new characters here, so tell us who your guy is before we hear the details of his third divorce.
REALISM: I can look at the list of judges and tell you right away who's gonna punish your character for being a mafia hitman. I'll let them come out and tell you that. As much as we make fun of unrealistic narrative, I can rack my mind and think of some pretty unrealistic, zany sh*t that was done here and by very successful characters. Jonathan Marx time traveled, Joey Melton made a romantic explosion inside a female competitor, JTP and Felix Red wrestled on enough drugs to kill 5 Courtney Loves, and Castor Strife's valet carved smutty hieroglyphics all over her body with a razorblade. Also: NFW SEASON 2 HAPPENED. So yeah, we've jumped the shark a bit. Still, it usually gets criticized when it does happen, and there are still some solid traditionalists here who don't want to see any of that crap. I'm also 99% sure that committing murders will get you jobbed. The most outlandish things that do get rewarded here are usually comedic, FYI.
Don't use memes, unless your name is Dan Ryan. He's the only one who gets away with it.
Be you, showcase your style, but try and keep your audience in mind. Definitely read some RPs written throughout FWC leagues to get a sense of where the boundaries are. Everyone says, "Just write something good", but I think that's more nuanced than is let on. Depending on how far your home league strays from the vignette-promo style, it might not be a good idea for you to write like it's for them and not us.
The best way I can put it is like this: don't change and placate, but adapt and evolve. FWC is very much a hybrid environment because we've had writers from every community.
Last bit of advice: don't say your character is 32 years old when he's really pushing 40. We will comb your league's archive, and we will find your ass out. This isn't the Little League World Series where you can forge a birth certificate from Panama!
