1.) A minimum of 200 words is required. This counts only your own original words - quoting another player's post does not count towards the word count. This rule is there to create a certain coherence between the players. Nevertheless, this allows you to create an atmosphere around your character. Therefore, 200 will make you develop your skills in RPG and improve yourself. 

Bellow are a few ways to achieve more easily the 200 words :

• Describe your actions correctly: Take the time to describe every little detail of the place where you are RPing. (The table, the chair, anything that could enter in the peripheral vision of your character. It will help you to create a certain atmosphere for the reader) Feel free to explain the said atmosphere.   

• Describe your actions towards your partners: At the same time, take all of the information that you need from your partner to write your RP post. Each little detail can make you write a few words. How is your character acting towards a certain action your partner has taken? Is he affected by his background when he answers an action in a specific way? If so, write it! 

• Describe your feeling towards those actions: This might be the most important one to make you write a lot of words. Describe how your character is feeling towards those events. Why is he feeling like this? Is there a specific reason to resent certain feelings towards an action? (They could be linked to his background, experience, personality, etc.) 

• Memories/Ambitions: Whatever you are experiencing may bring back a memory of a past incident that had relevance to your character, this situation or this moment might mark a change in your character. Write it out!

Please note that quoting someone else's work (like your RP partner's words or the lyrics of a song) does not count towards the word count minimum. In addition OC (out of character) statements do not count either.

I would suggest using lots of description. Does your post mention a person, place, or thing? Describe them, or how your character feels about them. If it's a new surrounding that your character has never seen or doesn't frequent, then this opens up a perfect opportunity to describe it! You can include looks, smells, sounds, etc. You could also describe your character's body language and facial expressions. Give the reader the mental image of how your character is sitting, what they're feeling, or a change in expression. A good rule of thumb if you're unsure of how to move forward with word count is "show, don't tell".