Thinking about thinking. (Help!)

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Writing in-character thoughts doesn't come naturally to me. When I try it, it feels embarrassingly inane or like I'm trying too hard for an audience that may or may not exist. Does anybody have tips on how to get into a good thinking groove?

[Pixie]

Oh gosh, I have the same problem. Always have had an impossibly difficult time with thinking during RP. +1 to the request for tips.

[Voxumo]

For me, I typically use thoughts to express my characters opinion on current matters in the scene. Snide comments they wouldn't say out loud, how they truly feel about someone who is talking, etc etc. I've also had a character think out of boredom, either they didn't follow the topics being expressed around them or just didn't care, and their thoughts instead went to what they should have for dinner.

[Whisper]

To those of you who don't know about this. Putting a , in your think opens up a whole other world of possibilities.

Example: You want to play a character who hears voices? You can do that! The , allows you to do something like this: think , hears a low raspy voice call out to them. "BOO!."

It actually shows up in think like your character heard it instead of thought it themselves. I found this cool.

[Kinaed]

I use think a lot, and mostly because it's fun for me to have a running, layered monologue.

I guess I try to express the truth of my character's perception with thinks. That is, I write emotes in the third person, so when I write thinks, it's *very* first person. "What is this character thinking about what they see right now? Is it something they wouldn't say, or something that'd reaffirm the honesty of what other people are seeing?" etc.

[Solipsis]

For me, I typically use thoughts to express my characters opinion on current matters in the scene. Snide comments they wouldn't say out loud, how they truly feel about someone who is talking, etc etc. I've also had a character think out of boredom, either they didn't follow the topics being expressed around them or just didn't care, and their thoughts instead went to what they should have for dinner.

Definitely second all of this. Thoughts are a great place for true thoughts on a subject (where my character might kiss up to another person in speech, he/she will reflect on what a fool they are in his/her head). Alternately, mull on their insecurities or jealousies, especially of the person they are talking to; reflect on how hot they are, how much the weather sucks/doesn't suck, what can be done about that uncomfortable corset chafing that you know you can't fix in polite company...

General thoughts (especially from an unaware character) are a great way to indulge yourself in some humor, help get into character and the setting, and in general reward (and potentially embarrass yourself in front of) anyone that might be listening. Like Vox says, unless you have a lot of IC practice at wrangling your thoughts, they should definitely cut loose and skew towards the honest and the emotional state of your character.

[AlwaysShunny]

Thinking is great! I basically do what Kinaed and Voxumo do. It's an easy way to define your character's narrative. We know what everyone else sees when they emote, but what does your guy/gal ACTUALLY think about this pompous noble standing in front of them? Stuff like that.

I treat thinking like talking to yourself, which I do sometimes because, y'know, I've got shit to say, even though I may not have an avenue to say it. Here's how a thought usually runs for my characters:

I think, "My Lord, is that REALLY what she's wearing to this party? The colors don't run together at all. What an awful err by her ladies-in-waiting."

And then if their next pose is them looking or acknowledging my character, the thought can transition several ways:

I think, "Arien! Why has she looked at me for? Must I really go over there and talk to this gammer?"

or

I think, "She's noticed me! Abyss take her. Is my hair all right? My dress! Oh, the skirts are all uneven and hiked up! What was I thinking? I shouldn't have come!"

Those two thoughts could have even been combined into one! But I usually choose to spread them out for dat sweet RPXP gain, especially if the scenes are taking long and the rate refreshes every thirty minutes.

OH! Don't forget that you can express your thoughts in third person as well! So you can feel like you're writing your own personal novel for your character whenever something happens. These third person thoughts can even be brought into your emotes if you want. Just a way to spice up your character's feelings on something, even if others can't see it:

My character wonders how such treachery could have gone unnoticed. Had they no checks? No balances? Why was there no one standing in their way as they dragged the lifeblood of the city through the streets? How could they have done it so easily? My character feels the shivers, and it isn't from the cold.

You can add the shivering into an emote or hemote! I hope you now better know how to incorporate thinking into your RP experience after all the responses in the thread!

[Helena]

I am facing the same difficulties with thoughts...

Using think to express a character's hidden opinion only works in some rare occasion: when the character has to hide his opinion carefully. Most of the time, I tend to display those half hidden things with body language or other subtle ways, which makes me feel that everything is yet written in the emote.

The first person by default, is also disturbing me, as well as the priority given to the speech. Natural thoughts seems much more vague, much more like feelings and affects, and it is always an obstacle course for me to render them through the syntax of the think command. It would ease me a lot if it were using the same syntax as emote.

[wimple]

To those of you who don't know about this. Putting a , in your think opens up a whole other world of possibilities.

Example: You want to play a character who hears voices? You can do that! The , allows you to do something like this: think , hears a low raspy voice call out to them. "BOO!."

It actually shows up in think like your character heard it instead of thought it themselves. I found this cool.

Mind blown. I had no idea you could do that with think. Thanks for pointing it out.

[Andruid]

Interesting timing! I just published a blog post on using the think command that I'd been putting together this past week. It's not exactly aimed at answering the OP's question, but it may stir up some additional ideas.

https://ti-legacy.com/andruid-journal/u ... k-command/