Give Other People Something To Answer

One of the biggest differences between weak RP and strong RP is this: strong RP gives the other player room to respond.

A scene cannot grow if every post feels like a closed door.

A lot of newcomers write posts like this:

He sat by the fire and thought about his past.

That tells us what he is doing, but it gives the other player almost nothing to work with.

Here is a better version:

He sat by the fire long after the others had started talking, gaze fixed on the embers as if they had said something to him first. At last he lets out a slow breath.
“Strange thing, fire,” he muttered. “It warms a hall the same way it burns one down.”
Only then did he glance toward the bench beside him. “You ever lose a home?”

Now the other player has choices. They can answer the question, challenge it, ignore it, or respond emotionally.

Good hooks often come from:

• a question

• an observation

• an invitation

• a warning

• a request

• a strange detail others may notice

Another example:

The traveler reached into his satchel, drew out a strip of cloth marked with dried blood, and set it on the table between them.
“I found this near your eastern path,” he said. “Do your people know whose colors these are?”

That is a hook. That is the kind of post that makes scenes move.