1. includes my character in some way + gives me something concrete to respond to
2. yes. i like having the thread in my tracker right away (isn’t it great that we have automatic trackers now) + setting the Vibes is usually pretty fun

A starter should definitely be inviting for the other person to be able to hop in. But I am guilty of sacrificing that sometimes to set what I feel is the most important: the story.

I remember how I used to hate making starters when I was relatively still new to freeform rping. But I loved naming threads, and I eventually learned to love making starters. It's not easy, but it is very rewarding. My favourite thing to do is to look up opening starters from novels, be it for the whole book or for the chapter. It's something I do to when writing fics.

Getting to the point is the most important for starters IMO. And it shouldn't be full of thoughts and feelings (unless that was the tone you want to set), but information that is moving the narrative. Your partner needs to know what's up. But it also establishes a pace that something is happening, or has happened to lead to the current circumstances of the thread.

But then there's the balance of length. you want novel intro inspo but not actually wanting to write a novel. sometimes, it can be painful to not have to include some beautiful prose that would really work well - and is still relevant. but chopping things down is vital part of editing...

i do imagine rping often as cutscenes in games. so a starter can always be a separate cutscene, as long as it leads then to you and your partner meeting next thread post.

i also think scene break to be underused! it's not usual to have them at starters, but they're useful when you want to lay down the progression leading to the interaction. the set up doesn't have to be complex. things don't have to be heavily descriptive. as long as you have a narrative running, people can picture the scene itself and feel more inspired to continue it.

{ What makes a good starter? }

for me, i tend to enjoy starters that get straight to the point and drop our characters into a scene. if it is a longer post bc the person wants to set up a precursor for their character — by all means. just give my character some bait to bite and it's good enough for me.

if the post has nothing to do with my character and puts me in a position where i need to initiate the interaction with my post then i'd dub it a not so good starter. bc at that point, it ends up being me writing the starter.

{ Do you like starting threads? If not, why? }

i do when i have an idea of the type of thread we are doing. the scene we want to set. what we are exploring. etc.

but if it is one of those 'just throw them into anything' type plots with not too much discussion beforehand — i hate starting them. yuckie. 😿 some people are really good at that but i am not.

I. for me personally i think the tone/feeling of the starter is important. you can have the right everything to make a scene, but if it doesn't 'feel' like anything then it's just two characters in a lifeless space. and the rest of the thread is going to feel like we're just doing it for the sake of activity checks. if that makes sense? idk how to explain it exactly. but i want to feel that your character is pissed, or that they're enjoying themselves. because if i can immerse myself in your writing then it will definitely help me in responding back and enjoying the rest of the thread. it's kind of like making a first impression.

II. i don't really like starting threads, whether we plan it or not. tho i do like writing open threads. anyways, reason being i tend to write a lot and it usually ends up being this para heavy starter. of course i could, and do, chop a bunch of stuff out, but i always end up feeling like a little sad about it. plus i feel angsty whenever someone has to wait for me to write something. like i don't mind waiting 80yrs for a starter but i feel bad when it's the other way around. but if i need to i don't mind especially if we're taking turns in whose starting the next thread.

1. what makes a good starter?

when i read your post, i should be able to know where i'm going to go and how i'm gonna write my post. i actually enjoy reading people's longer posts, it excites me because it tells me that they're enjoying writing with me and have plenty to respond to (usually). 

2. Do you like starting threads? If not, why?

i do! i actually prefer it and enjoy it the most, if i'm being honest. most of my threads are planned out in some way,  and that is something i prefer because as i stated previously, i like to know where i'm going when i write. i don't even necessarily have a gameplan or know how my character will respond, i just prefer to know ahead of time so i know the thread is going to go somewhere. i also tend to ramble on about my own character a bit so it's nice to be able to take the time to set the scene with my character in it. 

What makes a good starter.

^{I. A post that actually shows character. Like thoughts of their life, things that happened to them etc. I've read a lot of start posts where...I learn 0% about the character. In fact the name can be replaced with x y & z and it would make no difference. I don't need a ton of action or a post that's a mile long, but really seeing who your character is as a person through their writing is always such a treat, makes them feel so real and interesting.}

Do you like starting threads?

^{II. Yes and no! I enjoy doing it, but then when I've done it 20+ times, that's when I start to not enjoy staring up threads.}

What makes a good starter?
Give me a setting to write in. Give me a character to respond to. I'm not especially fussed on if my character is mentioned at all. I often like doing 'dropped in the moment' starters where it's one person set in the scene, and the person replying gets to decide what their character is doing in response. I dislike assuming what other characters would do or not, and so I try to make a real enough scenario the writer can decide how to integrate themselves into it.

Do you like starting threads? If not, why?
I do! Because I like naming threads, and it's easier for me to keep track of threads that way to be quite honest!