Hey all, Tzol here, offering you a few things I've learned while trying to get NIMHmuck back to its old RP-laden self. I thought the word probably needed to get out about what might be a very useful technique I've been experimenting with (Yes, I've been experimenting on you! Buahaha!), and Tim seemed to agree, so, here goes...
First of all, stop worrying so much about having a really great idea to bring to the table. That'll just get you stuck at the starting gate. You'll have plenty of opportunity to birth that particular brainchild later, trust me. Another thing you might want to avoid is spilling all the beans about the plot you are planning during a discussion. A MUCK is like a game of pretend, and think about it.. why pretend something when it has already played out in your mind? Sure, some aspects might need to be at least hinted at to garner interest, but choose those aspects wisely.
Second, you don't need to ask around every time you want to start a scene. 'If you build it, they will come,' as the saying goes. All you need is a good inkling of what your character is going to be doing, and an audience. Voila! You have the beginnings of an RP. Now, just have your character ICly do whatever it is he or she would be doing. If others want to join you, they will, and that happens more often than not.
However, it's got to be something which seems purpose driven. If your character is bored, or not doing something that makes sense for them, then it's likely that others are going to be bored as well. Fellow RPers like seeing movement, and progress, which is a major factor in whether a scene will succeed.
Third, look around! Read those descs, even if you've already read them. Something might have changed, or there might be a little detail you missed which you can then use to make the fantasy all the more believable and vivid. String together sessions, events, random thoughts, goals your characters have, anything! The most detailed description in the world isn't as effective as the connections a character has with what's being described.
Which leads to my final suggestion. Invest in your characters. Flesh them out, give them a dynamic personality, a personal history, motivations, goals, fears, hopes, and dreams.. But make sure they're something you can actually pretend to be, believably in writing. Make sure you can get inside their head, reliably. When you can do that, you can live their experiences, and through their connections with the IC world, the MUCK will come alive for you.
Master these things, and hatching that grand scheme you had imagined, and more, will just be a matter of imagination and timing. :)
Thanks for reading, I hope it helps..
P.S. -- Posing out often works much better for the more typical kind of RP than trying to pause and resume. I've noticed that the only RPs which really get resumed after pausing are the very intense ones which pause with cliffhangers. So, if you're going to do a pause and resume, end on a cliffhanger! ;)