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New guide for the main page


Kiahdaj

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Recently, a member-driven project to overhaul the Tulpa.info topsite has been being worked on. One of the items proposed was a guide to be placed on the main page, along with the FAQ, glossary, etc.

We would like for any of you to read this piece, and give any and all input you have on it. This guide may be one of the first things that a new user reads on this website, and so we would like for it to represent our community well.

 

http://pastebin.com/gDJjPJg0

 

This guide is not intended to replace any others—only to serve as a somewhat brief introduction to the process, to help new users understand and get started.

 

What do you think of it? Do you support the whole idea, or are you against it? Is there anything you think could have been written, or worded better?

If you have any thoughts at all, we would like to hear, so that we can sculpt this guide into one that will best serve its purpose.

 

This guide was originally written by Vos.

"If this can be avoided, it should. If it can't, then it would be better if it could be. If it happened and you're thinking back to it, try and think back further. Try not to avoid it with your mind. If any of this is possible, it may be helpful. If not, it won't be."

 

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Not a bad guide at all. I think it's a good idea. I personally would add a brief section on wonderland creation. I understand that a wonderland is unnecessary and is stated so in the visualization part, but I think that new members who read it might like a section on it. Overall though it's a good guide and I wouldn't mind seeing it on the main page.

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Putting possession in the first paragraph is bound to make a lot of people uncomfortable, or at least, confused about the process. Save it for later. It deserves its own longer explanation, and because possession doesn't define what a tulpa is, which is what you set out to do, I'd say just delete that entire sentence. Just going a little into it and then leaving it for later is going to raise more questions and put more people off than anything. The "our body" stuff in later paragraphs, again, is probably going to set off some alarms. I'd scrap all the references to possession within the entire article, and add paragraphs on that, switching, and imposition as three "endgame" possibilities.

 

This reads a lot like FAQ's guide, and that's probably not a bad thing. I like that it puts emphasis on interaction, although I wish it'd talk a little more about forcing that is a little more free form. I really think that forcing shouldn't be seen as the means to an end, but a cool activity on its own, and that hanging out with your tulpa shouldn't be turned into a chore, but if that's a little too abstract for someone who's just getting into the whole thing, that's understandable.

 

Although everyone's basically agreed that hour counts suck, I'd say that more emphasis should be put on the fact that this takes a long time, and no one knows how long it'll take another person.

 

If you're gonna put this on a main page, I'd link to other guides at the bottom, so newbies will have the ability to expand their foundation of knowledge (is that cheesy?) right from the get go.

 

Good guide though, as someone who's fairly new, I'd say that this would've made the whole learning process a little quicker. It's nice, because I think people in this community forget that "form" and "forcing" among some other words are stuff that an outsider isn't going to understand without some explanation.

We're all gonna make it brah.

 

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Thank you two for the input. Stevie, you reminded me of a thing or two that I think would be good to add to the guide, as well.

 

I would like to hear input from anyone else, as well. Two people definitely isn't enough to assure that it's quality.

"If this can be avoided, it should. If it can't, then it would be better if it could be. If it happened and you're thinking back to it, try and think back further. Try not to avoid it with your mind. If any of this is possible, it may be helpful. If not, it won't be."

 

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I like it, and agree with the feedback that was said above. It's basic enough to be a good introductory guide for new users without getting them muddled in weirder things like possession, switching, parroting, etc. and it avoids most of the 'mancer jargon.

WTB: Rare Tulpas

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Guest Anonymous

I think that the most important thing, as I have previously discussed it with a few other members, is to really enforce the concept that newcomers should give their tulpas a lot of attention. Once discussing that belief some people told me I exaggerated with attention and, to an extent, 'devotion' to the commitment tulpamancing represents. Because the misconception that some newbies seem to get is that tulpas are something you can more or less neglect, either via slacking off with forcing extremely or simply not taking it seriously, this being due to the bad advertizement that has been given to tuplamancing. Yes I am looking at the Vice article and the talk going on other boards. As someone told me in PM, with the influx of young users due to summer break, I feel like a page should be put in place with those terms and reading through would be mandatory. Would this reduce the amount of 'newcomers'? I assume so, but it would raise the quality of the userbase overall.

 

Just our $.02

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I'll second what Stevie Irons said. This guide seems to have been written by someone who places a lot of value on possession and switching. Not everybody does. Some people who make tulpas consider imposition the end goal, or don't want to do possession, switching, or imposition at all. Such people might find this sentence disturbing:

 

Also, it is a good idea for you to refer to the body as "our body" or "the body" rather than "my body", because it enforces that the tulpa is there and is like you.

 

Also, the writing seems a bit awkward in places:

[hidden]

Chances are that anyone reading this page already has a clear idea of what a tulpa is, but for those who don't know:

 

Either tell us or don't. Don't tell us why you're telling us -- that's just wasted words. People tend to have short attention spans. You might look at it like cutting out these 23 words will hold the reader's attention 23 words longer.

 

Two of the most common questions that you'll find in this community are, "What is forcing?" and "What is the difference between active and passive forcing?".

 

Another 26 words with no meaning. Cutting them makes the writing stronger in my opinion.

 

Something that is often recommended to people who are just starting the creation of their own tulpa is an introductory session.

 

Two things wrong with this sentence: A. It's passive voice. B. It's boring.

 

A. The subject of a sentence is usually the most important and active noun in the sentence. Here, your subject is "something". See something wrong with that?

B. Most people have the same favorite subject to read or talk about: themselves. In the case of this sentence, you are talking to the reader about the reader, but you're making them less important than "something".

 

So to fix both these problems, write the sentence more like this:

 

People who are just starting the creation of their own tulpa may find an introductory session helpful.

 

But that sentence can still be better. You see, there's a magic word that catches people's interest like no other -- a word that advertisers use all the time because they know its power. Like I said earlier, people love to read about themselves and talk about themselves, so the absolute most powerful thing you can write is their name -- but in instances like this, where you don't know your reader's name, the next most powerful thing is the word "you".

 

So the sentence is best if you write it more like this:

 

When you're just starting the creation of your own tulpa, you may find an introductory session helpful.

 

This not only makes the sentence more interesting, but it also matches the rest of the guide. The previous paragraph talks to "you", as do all the other words of this paragraph.

 

Of course this means the next paragraph should be changed too:

 

Generally, the host will [s]it down in a comfortable position, in an environment where there's not a lot of distractions, and they'll start to introduce [yourself] to [your] tulpa. A form and name aren't necessary for this step, but keep in mind that you need to direct your thoughts/speech to your tulpa, as you would with anyone else. Tell your tulpa a little bit about yourself—your name, occupation, hobbies, likes and dislikes, and so on. Keep in mind that you can always share more about yourself later, so don't limit it to just this session. [You may] like to go over the general creation process as well, explaining what steps [you] will be taking and what creation goals [you] have in mind.

 

Next:

 

As shown in the introductory step above,

 

You only need to tell us about it if it hasn't been shown. Since it has been shown, this can be cut out entirely. Just start the sentence with "Narration".[/hidden]

 

Aside from that, I think this guide is great. It goes over the basics very well, and doesn't stray into more complicated areas that might put new people off.

"Some things have to be believed to be seen." - Ralph Hodgson

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I've changed some of the things that sushi pointed out with the writing, removed possession from the guide entirely (most people I've talked to agreed that things like that, imposition, switching, etc. should be saved for other guides).

 

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I personally would add a brief section on wonderland creation. I understand that a wonderland is unnecessary and is stated so in the visualization part, but I think that new members who read it might like a section on it.

 

I don't really see the need to make a section for wonderland creation, since you just imagine a place in your mind and it's there like that. But hey, if others think it's a good idea, I'll definitely throw that in there. What do you think newbies would be looking for?

 

I like that it puts emphasis on interaction, although I wish it'd talk a little more about forcing that is a little more free form. I really think that forcing shouldn't be seen as the means to an end, but a cool activity on its own, and that hanging out with your tulpa shouldn't be turned into a chore, but if that's a little too abstract for someone who's just getting into the whole thing, that's understandable.

I think that the most important thing, as I have previously discussed it with a few other members, is to really enforce the concept that newcomers should give their tulpas a lot of attention.

 

How would you recommend implementing those into the guide?

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The guide is not bad, but it skips a crucial step that I feel is neglected in most tulpa creation guides. This step would go before the "What is Forcing" section, and I would call it "Planning", or maybe "Forward Thinking". This step involves asking yourself several questions, and would prepare you for your journey through tulpa creation. Here's what it would probably end up looking like.

 

Planning

 

Before you decide to create a tulpa, there are many things you should ask yourself:

 

Can I fully commit myself to the creation of my tulpa?

Although all of the work in tulpa creation is mental, it is by no means effortless. In fact, some find it to be the exact opposite. Tulpa creation requires that, in varying degree, you give conscious effort in narrating, visualizing, and imposing your tulpa on a daily basis. At the very least you need to be able to give a substantial amount of attention to your tulpa to get any results. Also be aware that results can take weeks to months to appear depending on your effort. If you feel you can't dedicate much time to it, then it might not be a wise choice to create a tulpa at this time.

 

Can I see myself with my tulpa a year from now? Five years from now?

Your tulpa could very last a lifetime (your lifetime), if you want it to. Therefore you should spend some time to think about your future together with your tulpa. Will you still be able and willing to be with your tulpa when you go to college, get married, or even start a family? This may be a long-term example, but it is definitely a realistic one. Could you imagine being thirty years older with tulpa? How will your relationship change? Of course, your tulpa is just like any other human, and will inevitably change too, bringing in a whole lot more questions to think about.

 

How will daily life be like with my tulpa? Can I live a normal, socially adjusted life with one?

...

 

Thoughts? I feel like most guides assume that the reader has already thought about these things, which is disastrous because I know that there are people who haven't, and asking yourself these questions after the fact can be stressful for both you and your tulpa. Again, this is especially important for new members, as I feel that the community has a responsibility to teach new members so they can make informed decisions about whether they can do this or not.

My Tulpa

And then it cuts to a scene where you're sitting in a padded cell.

 

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How would you recommend implementing those into the guide?

 

I'd say just expand the 'What is Forcing?' paragraph to include maybe a sentence or two about interacting with your tulpa as you would another person, and how because narration/visualization/whatever falls into that, it's a valid way to force.

 

It's probably not entirely necessary, but as it stands I think it's worded in a way where that wouldn't be clear to someone who doesn't already know a thing or two.

We're all gonna make it brah.

 

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