Hey everyone!

It has come to the staff's attention that people are feeling a little insecure with the way that their ranking-up is going. We're here to tell you not to worry about it - stressing out over it is definitely going to cause you more harm than good! You'll end up with gray hair and hunched over from spending too many hours at the computer and being a younger person, it's certainly not time for you to have gray hair. Or a hunched back.

So this here thread is made in the attempt to draw stories from people who have gone through the whole ranking system, are currently in the ranking system, or aren't sure that they want to rank up at all. List down your experiences, your worries, your triumphs, advice that you might give to someone else trying to rank up, and anything else that you feel should be said regarding the Ranks. =)

Erm well i'm only a novice so i've only moved up one rank but the only reason that I applied to move up was because I just wanted a different rank. I wasn't forced into it and if i'm perfectly honest, there isn't much difference between the ranks.

Also just something for the huchbacked people out there. Don't get stressed! While your doing your topics just make three key points and add it to your profile. It's so much more easier and it flows much more better. Anyway good luck!

These are all things I've done to improve and rank up:

A little grammar goes a long way! Just make sure to run your posts through a word processor before hitting that 'Add Reply' button. It's easier to focus on the post content when there aren't really obvious errors staring you in the face, and those awesome sentences you wrote and funny actions your character did are gonna be a lot easier for the review team to pick out. My browser actually has a built-in spell checker, which is amazing for picking out all those little typos as I'm rushing out an idea before it goes away.

Practice makes perfect! By RPing with lots of people, you tend to improve your posts to match their standard, pick up on things they're doing and learn from them. And read threads you're not in too, it helps you get ideas and inspiration. This goes for other ranking threads too; their criticisms may apply to you too.

Working on your profile will help improve your RP skills, as you get a better grip on your character. Equally, you may discover traits in your RP that aren't yet in your profile. When this happens, add them in! Your profile will be long and detailed in no time.

Other than that, seriously, don't stress it at all. It's all about improvement; if you don't rank up, you will be told why so you can work on it and reapply. The system wasn't designed to be the bane of your existence.

I'm going to be completely honest here - the ranking system is the best thing that's ever happened to my writing. That and writing a research essay this year in school, but THAT'S ANOTHER STORY, EH? I am an Elite, and I worked quite hard to get up there. When I first joined WR, my posts were okay, but nothing special. They still aren't works of art or anything, but the real thing that I've achieved is getting to know Cloe better. I know how she will react to any situation that comes her way, and how she'll deal with bad things and good things and stressful things and lots of stuff. I have to admit, since we're both very similar, this was a lot easier than if I had tried to play another completely opposite character. I am planning on trying that out very soon, though. SO PARTY!

But yes. Now that I review you guys, I also have started to notice things in my writing that I wouldn't have picked up on before spelling and grammar-wise.

And I just want to say, from a reviewers standpoint - We may seem harsh at times, but we try our absolute hardest to make it objective, constructive criticism. If you feel like we're singling you out, or you feel offended by what we have to say, please talk to us. We don't want any underlying grudges because of a system we've put in place to help improve your writing. <3

When I first showed up at WR, I was amazing at one-liner posts. I thought I was doing really well getting even that much. Sure, I'd seen other posts that were long and well thought out and that was the driving force behind even trying to get a decent paragraph in one post - then, a 'decent paragraph' consisted of three lines - before the ranks had even showed up. And, when the ranks showed up, I was resistant towards them. I couldn't tell you why that was so then, but I really appreciate them now.

Like a whole bunch of other people, the ranks really helped me out. Though I will say that it was frustrating to rank up to one rank and then have to start all over again, I think I actually enjoyed it. Instead of just coming back to have one rank left, I came back to have them ALL to get through and it was a challenge to do it again. But I improved more than I would have if I'd just had that one to get through instead of all of them. And it was hella sweet when I finally got to be Elite. <3

Don't let yourself get discouraged if you find that you've been denied a rank - sure, it sucks, but it only sucks for a little while. Prove the review staff wrong! Make us think "oh, wow, we messed up". Trust us, that's one thing that we wouldn't really mind having made a mistake about. The ranking system is only here to help you improve your writing and make you feel GOOD about the posts that you provide other RPers with. It's not meant for self-doubt or to make you think you aren't good enough. <3

I haven't got a story. However, using word to write your roleplays on helps with spelling and grammar. But i've found that it doesn't help, a friend was rejected for spelling and grammar when they use word for their posts. It doesn't make sense :blink:

I think it's totally okay if you got the wait stamp on your application, because then you'll get in a much better application and the review team would be like...WOAH! And then bump you up. And give you shiny things.

Oh, and, the more threads, the better, I think. Because variety and all that jazz. I'm not on the review team but that's the vibe I'm getting. And profile-workshopping helps so much! It's great to get feedback from others because people look at things differently, and you answer more questions and such. And you get to understand your character. I don't know what Andrew would do in any situation, but I'm getting there. <3