SAM WHACKS IMAGINARY PEOPLE WITH HER IMAGINARY REALITY-PRINCIPLE STICK
or, the advice-column of doom

Dear Sam,
I can't think of any ideas--tell me what I should write!

You shouldn't be writing. Go and play a video game, or copy the dictionary out longhand; those don't take any creativity.

If you then turn around and complain that the admin, or the person who gives you advice, is 'too controlling,' I just have to laugh.

Dear Sam,
Oh noes, the site I'm on is like totally dying and I'm completely helpless to save it!

Wow, do you think a site might be, I don't know, partly composed of members? Such as yourself? I'm sick and tired of people running to the admin for everything instead of plotting amongst themselves, creating stories, etc. Even if you're 'just' a member, if you create an interesting, powerful character, you contribute a great deal to the site's health. Now, on my site, I RP with almost every single newbie (it helps that I'm somewhat rigorous as to which apps I accept in the first place). But I have to push and push to get people--all good writers, all fairly creative people--to RP with people other than me. And that's because... (see next answer)

Dear Sam,
Why don't people come to ME offering to RP? I'm an incredible writer full of awesomeness, but no one ever PMs me or stalks me, discovers my address, and mails me flowers and long notes begging for threadage.

Tough noogies. So people don't always take the time to stalk others' apps and fully appreciate their 'amazingness'. So what? If everyone sits around thinking, 'Well, my character and writing skills are so incredible that people ought to be flinging themselves at my feet begging to RP,' no one will ever ask anyone. Suck it up, stalk people yourself, and get some creative plot going. Heck, if you're on Thiasa, maybe make an auxiliary and spend some time RPing with someone your own character couldn't possibly meet. If you're really that amazing, you can surely manage to do that.


A FINAL NOTE FROM SAM

To make the story short: sites cannot rely completely on the admin. I work damn hard to run mine, but even I have limits. They're a joint venture, the product of many creative thinkers and writers. If I wanted to beat my brains out coming up with a plot for every new character, I'd take the board offline and make it into a story.

*drops to knees and bows*
There is one guy on the site I play on
Who has this particular mind frame
he's dropped two characters because he
"didn't have enough plottage"
but he's never really gone out and tried
for some. The game has a particular section
to ask for threadage... to basically whore out
your characters and... he's only used it once
for specific plot point.
*gets up and huggles* you totally made my day