In any particular mission the commanding officer will usually begin the story line, after that allowing others on the crew to develop it into whatever they wish to make of the mission. This is when having a diverse crew with different writing techniques makes the game so much fun. Everyone who has turned in mission suggestions thus far has all had some excellent ideas, and these would be the sort of ideas your commanding officer would start the crew off with and allow you to work from there and develop into really interesting stories. Generally though, there are a couple things you need to remember when adding a post to the story:
*NOBODY IS SUPERMAN:
If any one character is too smart, or too strong, has too many right answers, or can fix things too quickly, that makes the game boring and no fun for everyone else. Look at it this way...if there was a Q on the ship there would be no point in writing a mission because whenever the Q posted he or she would just solve all the problems and make everything okay. Everybody, myself included, wants to make their character look good, but you have to try and keep your character realistic as well. Instead of making an easy solution that your character can just miraculously fix the Warp Core because of an inborn talent due to extenuating circumstances when you were in your mothers womb, it would perhaps be more appropriate for you character to work together with your assistant, and come up with a risky suggestion that MIGHT work if you can get the statistics right. Then you leave the story open to be expanded upon by your assistant and perhaps your superior, and all of a sudden the whole ship is involved, and it is a lot better then an easy fix!
*ENGINEERS HAVE FEELINGS TOO:
I can not emphasize the importamce of building the human level of your characters. Even in crisis situations and in the middle of a mission you want to be sure that you include a little bit of humor or drama or even just some light sarcasm of conflict or SOMETHING that distinguishes you from the Computer. It makes your post more enjoyable to read also, if you interweave action and character building. A good writer is able to establish an acceptable balance.
*ITS OKAY TO MOVE THE STORY ALONG:
In fact, if you DON'T make discoveries, or contribute in fighting, i.e. whatever is required of your character in any given mission, then NOBODY has anything to write about and the mission just kind of dies out. Although it is the CO's job to actually END the mission, it is the job of the crew to lead UP to the end of the mission.
*TIME IS NOT DEFINITE:
If somebody else posts and you wanted something to happen before that post you can always write a post still and either use thinking back techniques--have your character remembering what happened the night before as he prepares for his shift in the morning. Or simply put a little line that says, "USS Calidorn, 5 hours earlier" or whatever the case may be. There is almost always a way to get around this, and if it REALLY bothers you then you can take it up with the CO and/or the other person involved, but it should hopefully not come to that as we are all just doing this to have a good time.
*PEACE IS A GOOD THING:
Generally, when COs assign Shore Leave, they have a reason for doing this--usually either the crew needs some time to relax after a particularly stressful mission, or they need time to get things in order before a new and exciting mission begins. Although action is fun, it is not always preferable to some good R&R. If you feel the Shore Leave is lasting too long, and are ready for a break, then e-mail your CO or XO and ask them about it, but otherwise just enjoy the vacation like the rest of the crew! Or perhaps create an interesting sub-plot that will not disrupt the Shore Leave for those who are enjoying the peacefulness
*DUTY AND PERSONAL LOGS:
Each crew member can write Duty and Personal Logs. Your Duty Log could include general information about what happening in the thread. You can include events that your character participated in or those of which he was aware during the course of the game. You might also include your character's recommendations for things that might need to be done as a result of whatever took place in sim or even the actions he or she plans to take as a result of something that occurred. For example, a Counselor who was on the bridge during the crew's battle with a previously unknown hostile species, could detail his or her observations about the species in a duty log and include theories as to why the hostile species attacked without warning and what, if anything, the crew might do next time to avoid battle.
Another way of writing Duty Logs is to write about things your character would do after the events of the day. In the above scenario, for instance, the counselor could wrote one or more Duty Logs about how the crew is handling the stress of the battle and what measures the counselor is taking to reduce the crew's stress level. Personal Logs should be written as if you are off duty. Be sure to include what you are planning to do with your off duty time. You can also include personal feelings about the current mission or one that is coming up. You might include your feelings toward other crewmembers and how well you understand or get along with them. These logs are designed not only to enhance your character, but to give both you and your shipmates a week by week chronicling of how well you are progressing and how your friendships are maturing.
Another type of Personal Log is the story log. A story log is a log or series of logs that tell a story about your character outside of the immediate events of the mission. A story log could detail incidents in your character's past, tell about a dream he or she had or recount a holodeck adventure.
Reading the logs you write is one of the single best ways for people to get to know your character. Things sometimes move quickly and people miss things. Writing a log, and posting it insures that your crewmates will have a chance to read about your character at their leisure.
You don't have to do this if you don't want, but feel free. I am not sure if we should have a seperate thread for personal/duty logs. If everyone starts doing them, I might suggest the creation of one.