Application Tips/What We're Looking For

[Opal]

And when I say "we," I mean me (and sometimes my husband), so other judges can feel free to chime in with their two cents. :P

For newcomers to the survivor scene, writing applications can be difficult. I know the first applications I ever wrote were abysmal. I'm going to list some of the common mistakes that are made so you know to avoid them (and write apps much more polished than my first attempts were).

- First, don't use a character you've RPed with or used on other sites before. I know this is in the Application Info thread, but I am repeating it here, because sometimes people have done it anyway. Also, don't register for these forums with the same name of the character you are applying with! Even if it is not a recycled character, it will make me think it is. Plus, it can come off as a tad pretentious, even if that was not your intent. It can make me think that you are so sure you're going to get into this contest, you're not even waiting for the results of the vote and for me to make your contestant forum account for you.

- Don't give your character weird, unnatural markings or eye colors just to make them look cool. It doesn't. If you really want to give them some weird marking, you'd better have a good reason for it!

- Weird, unpronounceable names don't win you any points, nor do they make your character more interesting. Your writing should speak for itself. Gimmicks will not help you get into the contest. They will more than likely hinder you. Again, if your character just has to have a weird name, you'd better have a good reason.

- Tragic pasts (parents and siblings murdered before your character's eyes, etc.) can be really overplayed. I'm not saying don't have them (because bad stuff does happen, and it's not all rainbows 'n' sunshine ;)), but you really have to be careful how you play them up. A good rule of thumb is that if it is not important to your character or to the plot, it's probably not necessary. If your character has a tragic past, unless they deal with death extremely well, they're probably going to be pretty depressed most of the time. If you're not aiming to write a tragic figure, you don't have to give them a tragic past. Maybe your character is all alone because they came of age and wanted to travel? Or maybe their family is alive and well and living nearby? There are other options. A warrior character does not have to become a warrior simply to avenge someone's death. Not everyone enlists in an army simply for revenge.

- Making your character the close relative of someone very high up in the prologue does not endear me to you. Tying your character into the prologue is excellent, but trying to make them immediately superior to/more important than the other contestants just rubs me the wrong way.

- Avoid writing a Mary-Sue at all costs! A Mary-Sue is a character with virtually no flaws and who is generally loved by everyone, which makes them incredibly boring (see: Isabella Swan from Twilight). Everyone has flaws. A good rule of thumb: for every strength you give your character, try to give them two flaws.


Now that you've come up with that original character without a weird name, weird markings, or cliche past, how do you go about writing that winning app? You only have 600 words. Ack! Surely this is impossible.

It's not impossible, though it can be tricky. And don't call me Shirley.

First off, applications should neeeever be just a straight up bio of the character's life. I don't want to know everything about your character, and I don't want you to just tell me what they're like. Show me. Show me through their words, their thoughts, their actions.

What you're going to want to do is pick a short scene in the character's life. This can make or break an application sometimes, in my opinion. I have rewritten applications sometimes because I've realized halfway through that I've chosen a scene that is not conducive to what I am trying to portray about the character. Try to strike a balance of inflection, dialogue, and action. Too much inflection, and you're risking too much telling over showing. Too much dialogue, and you're risking stagnating your app or making it more confusing. Too much action, and you're risking not showing us enough about your character.

Try to choose just one scene if possible. Trust me, you do not have enough space to do a bunch of jump cuts smoothly. It will most likely look choppy and forced. Sometimes you can do a short jump cut at the end, though honestly, if it is just a scene about how they become involved with the activities in the prologue, it is probably not necessary. If it is anything that could be covered in your first contest post, cut it, and save yourself some valuable space. Even if your app takes place somewhere far away from Kotir, I will expect that you are going to transition them somehow once the contest starts. You don't have to show me that in your app.

Now that you have the right scene, write your application. Unless you are God's Gift to Application Writing, it is probably over 600 words or cutting it very fine (and if it is way under 600 words, you should probably choose a longer scene; unless your app is pure, succinct genius, you should aim for anywhere between 450-600 words). Firstly, do not despair! 100 words can be trimmed off much easier than you think. Here are some tips:

- Description can be lovely, but you just don't have a lot of space for it in an app. Cut out all unnecessary description of scenery or physical appearance. Also, cut out all unnecessary adjectives, especially if it is an object you have previously described in the app. One description is generally all you need. The "red shirt" can just be described as the "shirt" later on. And so on.

- Keep your dialogue crisp and to the point. If your character is highly loquacious, try and give off this impression in other ways than just having them talk through the whole app. Perhaps they keep getting interrupted, and it gets them a lot more steamed than normal? Things like that can be good tricks to still get your point across, but to make sure your app isn't 1000+ words long!

- Dialogue tags. Pare them down ("he shouted angrily" can just be "he shouted"; if the dialogue you wrote before that sounds angry, then you don't need the adverb as well) or even eliminate them whenever possible (but still be careful to make it clear who's talking; just because you can see who's talking does not mean your audience will!).

- Rewrite long sentences in a more simplistic form, if possible. Sometimes a simple rephrasing of a long sentence can cut out half of it.

If you're still over 600 words, you may have to do a bit more merciless slashing. Sometimes you have to cut lines you absolutely adore, because they may have nothing to do with the main focus of the app. Just be direct, stay on topic, and cut out everything that strays. That should do it. If it doesn't...you may have tried to cover too much, or you have chosen the wrong scene. Remember, applications are just a small window into a bigger picture. We want to be tantalized and we want to find out more! You don't have to give us everything at once.

Now that you've gotten your app down to 600 words or less, don't think you're done yet! Reread. Reread some more. Search out every little SPAG (Spelling, Grammar, And Punctuation) error you can find, and edit like mad. We judges expect your application to be a well-polished piece of work. If we find a lot of careless errors, it can make us think you didn't spend any time on it, and we wonder if you will put that same amount of care into the rest of the contest. Don't stress too much about it; one or two little errors is not going to make us automatically reject you. Just don't wing something off on the fly. You've got basically two weeks to write these applications. That's an entire week you can devote to each application. Or two whole weeks if you're just planning on writing one. Even when you think you're done, sleep on it. Sometimes you will notice things you did not the night before, or change your mind about certain things.

And remember: even if you do all this, sometimes apps you think are excellent will not make it in. It does not mean we thought your app was horrible. Sometimes you're just up against a lot of stiff competition, and there might be just one little thing to make yours fall just short. Judges can be fickle, or just not quite get the point you were trying to make. We tend to get a lot of applications, so not everyone's can make it. If you do not get into this contest, please don't give up! After the contestants have been chosen, if you would like feedback on how to improve, I would be happy to give you some advice. I'm sure the other judges would be willing, too. But keep applying to more contests! You can only improve with practice.

[Opal]

I meant to post this much earlier. Here are some examples of apps that made excellent use of the small space they were given, for people to use as a guideline when writing their own. This is in no way an authoritative list, just a few I plucked out in a matter of a few minutes,and there have been lots of other darn good apps out there (feel free to shout out more, people!). I haven't included ones from the ROC:S series, but only because they're written in a different format. They are still good, though. ^^

Lyosha Obolensky, QBIII
Nian Leafbright, QBIII
Gabrielle Arganbright, QBIV
Khalfani, QBIV
Skara, QBIV
Alacia Demelia Quillrussen, RV2
Reilch Vogel, RV3
Ashira, RV4
Eliza Lacrimosa, RV5
Rath the Whirlwind, RV5
Revel, RV5
Suellyn, RV5
Kapler, MM2

[Coobreedan]

I've made one here: [Link removed.]
Is this okay?

[Opal]

Hey there, Coobreedan! I've PMed you some tips for your application. :)