The first thing that struck my attention was my spelling. That's it, my terrible, horrifying spelling. The first thing that one learns when writing on a MUD/MUSH/MUX or any text based game is spelling. Why? Simply because if you don't the game doesn't register the command that you are trying to type in. Sometimes this is just plain amusing, other times it can be downright lethal for your character. Continuously typing 'atack Amenik' while the other guy is infact typing 'attack' will only get you dead. So you learn, and you learn fast! (Even if it is silly American spelling, which is a pain for those of us brought up on the Queen's English.)
Creating agency. One thing my teachers always asked me was 'Why does everything come to your character? They never go out and do anything.' How has MUSHing help me fix this? Simple, if you sit in your house all day and wait for characters to come to you then you are probably not going to get much roleplaying done. You have to get out, make your own story, come up with your own plots, ambitions and memories. MUSHes are almost always player driven, they have to create agency for themselves, it very rarely comes knocking at their doors.
This leads to another topic which being a Classical Scholar sits close to my heart. Our society has lost the ability to tell stories as a group. The oral tradition has all but died, its last vestiages perhaps to be found only at things like table-top roleplaying games. While MUSHing is totally non-oral, it at least keeps some of the elements of the oral tradition. It is a communal event, where everyone is asked to join in the creation of a story. The tales are of an epic quality forming fantasy myths and legends such as can be seen on the Greco-Roman themed FIRAN MUX.
Lastly, and perhaps the most important is the inspiration that MUSHing offers. Everyday one is surrounded by writers of an exellent calibre, having been MUSHing for almost a decade or sometimes more. These people, like any other artist have refined their art to an amazing degree. Not only that but I personally find myself wanting to write outside of the MUSH I play on. I want to write more about my character, flesh her out with short tales that deepen and strengthen her personality. Often I will see another player use a particularly cunning or beautiful turn of phrase and be inspired to write something based on that. It is strange how even though I write everyday on the MUSH, I find myself wanting to write more now than ever before.
So, in conclusion, because all articles need such things. Online Text-Based Games offer an incredible environment for the author. Whether a new writer who is looking to expose himself to new ideas and people, an intermediate writer looking to get that daily practice in, or even an expert author who is simply looking for something different and unique to spark their muse once more, I would recommend such games to them without so much as blinking. See you online!
How To Improve My Writing Skills
The thing is, there is one way that doesn't cost a dime and that will implant these things in your brain as surely as a sledgehammer will crack a walnut... But most people simply ignore it.
You may even be the same...
But you know what? There is no surer way to absorb the little triggers and understand the psychology of the emotional hot buttons. You'll also learn how a good sales letter
flows by simply finding a some killer copy and writing it out, word for word onto a piece of paper - BY HAND.
This is important - don't type it on your computer or just read it. Actually take the time to write it by hand.
I was doing just that the other day - something I've made into a routine - and it's amazing the little things that I suddenly started seeing. For more details www.private-labels-empire.com I'd not noticed them when I'd been reading the sales letter, but they suddenly leapt out at me as I wrote it down...
Simple but 'Oh-so-effective' things like the choice of one small word... the use of the hyphen to join phrases and make the copy 'move quicker' or simply changing an adjective for a verb to add more punch and impact. This is the 'copywriting language' that your English teacher couldn't teach you at school.
When you read a sales letter these things affect or move you but you are not always sure why.
However, when you copy a sales letter out longhand you have time to see and understand exactly what the smallest changes can do. And what's more, these 'tricks' become implanted in your brain by the very act of writing.
It's almost as if they jump off the paper and run up your arm before settling inside your head. It's one of those strange things that happen. I don't know how it does, but it works.
Not doing something as simple as these costs you in two ways:
1. You don't get to learn the secrets - Period.
2. It costs you money because you probably buy courses and DVD's that don't teach you these little secrets.
So why it is that people don't make a habit of doing something as valuable as this? Is it because it takes too much time?
It could be. People do tend to want the quick way out which is a little shortsighted...
I know that time is valuable but so is education.
So, if you make a habit of writing great sales letters out longhand the time you spend doing so becomes negligible. For more details www.web-sales-letter-supreme.com You'll even find that as you copy out a professional copywriter's sales letter your own sales letter will begin forming itself in your head.
And, as soon as you've finished your little homework task you'll be steaming full speed ahead into writing your own killer sales letter.
Another benefit of this that is crucially important to those who are non-native speakers of English is it teaches you how to use English at the same time.
Give it a try - I'm sure you'll be amazed at the results.
And if you're not sure where to find some good copy to practice with, have a look at some of Gary Hilbert's work at 'thegaryhalbertletter.com' or Clayton Makepeace's 'makepeacetotalpackage.com'
