On Roleplaying

So, you're an e-fedder. The vast majority of feds today are roleplay feds, though there's a strong minority of angle feds out there still. Seeing as how I've always participated in RP feds and tournaments, that's where my experience lies.

So what do I think makes a good RP?

• Readability. If the judge can't figure out what you're saying, he's probably not going to think highly of your roleplay. This includes spelling, grammar, sentence structure, formatting, the whole nine yards. I've always been an advocate of color-coding your dialogue. It makes it easier to tell who's talking, and it doesn't force you to use phrases like "he said"all the time, which can easily get repetitive.
• Theme. Have some sort of overall message to the RP, and keep everything close to that message. You don't have to outright declare the theme of the roleplay, but make sure that it's readily apparent what you're trying to say. I like to have someone else read the RP, even someone that has no idea what e-fedding is about. Give them the basic gist of your character, and see if they can tell you the overall theme of the roleplay. If you're a decent writer at all, even someone who's never seen a wrestling promo in their life should be able to get the message.
• Relevance. I'm not saying that every RP has to be strictly about the match and nothing else. I'm just as fond of character development as the next guy. But unless you know that the judge for your match feels the same way, it's probably a good idea to at least mention your opponent. I've seen amazing character RPers lose matches because the judge thinks that every roleplay needs to be in a strict promo style. And I'm not saying there's anything wrong with promo RPs. I've read some incredible in-rings that would blow the best character development RP out of the water. In my experience, it's easier to trash talk with promos, and easier to show your character's personality in a philosophical diatribe on the duality of man (or whatever floats your Fruedian boat). Whatever your preference happens to be, go for it.
• And last but not least, Originality. Nobody likes being ripped off. In my limited days of fedheading, there was a guy that wrote shit. I'm not joking at all, his RPs were terrible. But then one week, he busts out the most mind-blowing, cock-tingling, literary orgasm of a roleplay. Of course, the first thing I thought was "Either this guy was having his dog write his first RPs, or this one isn't his." Sure enough, a quick Google search brought up the original RP, something written in a little unknown fed that this guy had been a part of before, by their world champ. He thought no one would pick up on it, and until I kicked his ass out of my fed and posted the link to the original roleplay on the OOC board, no one did. He actually had the balls to ask for constructive criticism on something he plagiarized. So, in short, make sure that the stuff you write is actually your stuff. Everyone will thank you for it, even if you suck.