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MarioWiki:Good writing: Difference between revisions
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*'''Flowery writing''' – Overly fancy writing looks forced and is distracting to the reader. Repetition is bad, but abusing the thesaurus and using too many adjectives is just as undesirable. | *'''Flowery writing''' – Overly fancy writing looks forced and is distracting to the reader. Repetition is bad, but abusing the thesaurus and using too many adjectives is just as undesirable. | ||
*'''Epic writing''' – Grandiose, over-the-top dramatic prose does not make games sound more epic and interesting. It just makes the articles tiring to read. Keep it level-headed when writing summaries. | *'''Epic writing''' – Grandiose, over-the-top dramatic prose does not make games sound more epic and interesting. It just makes the articles tiring to read. Keep it level-headed when writing summaries. | ||
*'''Grimdark''' – There may be a few interesting instances in which ''Mario'' gets serious, but don't fixate on them: blowing stuff out of proportion just skews our coverage and lowers the wiki's credibility. | *'''Grimdark''' – There may be a few interesting instances in which ''Super Mario'' gets serious, but don't fixate on them: blowing stuff out of proportion just skews our coverage and lowers the wiki's credibility. | ||
*'''Reading between the lines''' – The articles are for facts, not speculation. Keep original interpretations and personal biases out of the writing. | *'''Reading between the lines''' – The articles are for facts, not speculation. Keep original interpretations and personal biases out of the writing. | ||
*'''Unsupported analysis''' – Some things in the ''Super Mario'' franchise are left ambiguous and making a few straightforward inferences is better than nothing, as long as it's supported by quotes and references, and is presented as being "implied" (etc.) and not fact. | *'''Unsupported analysis''' – Some things in the ''Super Mario'' franchise are left ambiguous and making a few straightforward inferences is better than nothing, as long as it's supported by quotes and references, and is presented as being "implied" (etc.) and not fact. | ||
*'''Judgement calls''' – There is also a lot of contradictory material in the ''Super Mario'' franchise, but don't make assertions about which story is true or false. Just present them both and note which one is more recent or more widely adhered to in the games (if applicable). | *'''Judgement calls''' – There is also a lot of contradictory material in the ''Super Mario'' franchise, but don't make assertions about which story is true or false. Just present them both and note which one is more recent or more widely adhered to in the games (if applicable). | ||
*'''Knitting everything together''' – By nature, most ''Mario'' games do not fit together into a cohesive timeline. Trying to link them together is speculation and should not be done. | *'''Knitting everything together''' – By nature, most ''Super Mario'' games do not fit together into a cohesive timeline. Trying to link them together is speculation and should not be done. | ||
*'''Fan worship''' – Character pages should not be bogged down by rambling essays and excessive details. That level of coverage and the way it's written is not thorough or informative, it's unprofessional and even off-putting at times. | *'''Fan worship''' – Character pages should not be bogged down by rambling essays and excessive details. That level of coverage and the way it's written is not thorough or informative, it's unprofessional and even off-putting at times. | ||
*'''Fusing gameplay and story elements''' – Don't treat the mechanics of gameplay as if they were part of a flowing narrative. Gameplay is gameplay, and trying to treat it like story is unnatural and lowers the quality of the article. | *'''Fusing gameplay and story elements''' – Don't treat the mechanics of gameplay as if they were part of a flowing narrative. Gameplay is gameplay, and trying to treat it like story is unnatural and lowers the quality of the article. | ||
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Several users fall in the trap of thinking that short sections or articles are automatically "stubs", and thus, "bad". In reality, there's a difference between stubs (short articles that are missing information and could be expanded) and sections/articles that are short because the subject itself is short, simplistic, or otherwise. If there is not much to write about, by all means, that section or article ''should'' be short, rather than filled with off-topic or unnecessarily verbose padding. | Several users fall in the trap of thinking that short sections or articles are automatically "stubs", and thus, "bad". In reality, there's a difference between stubs (short articles that are missing information and could be expanded) and sections/articles that are short because the subject itself is short, simplistic, or otherwise. If there is not much to write about, by all means, that section or article ''should'' be short, rather than filled with off-topic or unnecessarily verbose padding. | ||
Due to the often simplistic nature of non-RPG ''Mario'' games (particularly platformers), users often try to supplement these articles' short Story sections with world-by-world (or even level-by-level), boss-by-boss descriptions of the games. Story sections are not walkthroughs, and while it's well-meaning, this approach to summary-writing should be avoided at all costs. "''[[Princess Peach|Peach]] is kidnapped by [[Bowser]] and [[Mario]] sets off to rescue her.''" is plot. "''Mario traversed the grassy plains of World 1 and used Super Mushrooms, Fire Flowers, and rare Invincibility Stars to defeat new foes and challenge the False Bowser waiting for him at the castle.''" is not plot, it's cruft. | Due to the often simplistic nature of non-RPG ''Super Mario'' games (particularly platformers), users often try to supplement these articles' short Story sections with world-by-world (or even level-by-level), boss-by-boss descriptions of the games. Story sections are not walkthroughs, and while it's well-meaning, this approach to summary-writing should be avoided at all costs. "''[[Princess Peach|Peach]] is kidnapped by [[Bowser]] and [[Mario]] sets off to rescue her.''" is plot. "''Mario traversed the grassy plains of World 1 and used Super Mushrooms, Fire Flowers, and rare Invincibility Stars to defeat new foes and challenge the False Bowser waiting for him at the castle.''" is not plot, it's cruft. | ||
Similarly, character pages often make the mistake of describing the entire plot of a game instead of that particular character's role in it. It is okay to provide context for what the character's doing, and obviously how other characters interact with them is also relevant, but it should be kept to a minimum. Another thing to watch out for is the Mario-centric nature of the series bleeding into other characters' pages. It's a subtle difference, but "''Peach is kidnapped by [[Bowser]] and held in his castle until she is rescued by [[Mario]].''" keeps the focus on Peach and would be appropriate for her page's History section, while "''Peach is kidnapped by Bowser and Mario goes to rescue her.''" changes the focus to Mario's actions and would not be as ideal for Peach's article. | Similarly, character pages often make the mistake of describing the entire plot of a game instead of that particular character's role in it. It is okay to provide context for what the character's doing, and obviously how other characters interact with them is also relevant, but it should be kept to a minimum. Another thing to watch out for is the Mario-centric nature of the series bleeding into other characters' pages. It's a subtle difference, but "''Peach is kidnapped by [[Bowser]] and held in his castle until she is rescued by [[Mario]].''" keeps the focus on Peach and would be appropriate for her page's History section, while "''Peach is kidnapped by Bowser and Mario goes to rescue her.''" changes the focus to Mario's actions and would not be as ideal for Peach's article. | ||
===Everything but the kitchen sink=== | ===Everything but the kitchen sink=== | ||
One common form of padding is when users try to make articles a bit too thorough and end up describing things or events that are only superficially similar to what the page is about. For example, [[Mini Mario (form)|Mini Mario]] is a specific form that appears in the ''[[New Super Mario Bros.]]'' series with specific abilities. The page for it should not [http://www.mariowiki.com/index.php?title=Mini_Mario&diff=1359932&oldid=1359536 feature every instances of Mario being shrunk in some way], although briefly mentioning in the introduction that he's been shrunk in ways besides the Mini Mario form is acceptable. Similarly, [[Baby Mario]] is a specific entity, and his page should not list every time Mario is shown as an infant in other ''Mario'' medias (unless, of course, those appearances are based on ''the'' "Baby Mario" the page is about). However, like the Mini Mario example, a short paragraph in the introduction summarizing the other baby appearances would ensure the article is indeed exhaustive and won't appear to simply be missing the extra info, but at the same time, limiting it to a paragraph or less means the article doesn't get cluttered up by users writing detailed sections about everything but the kitchen sink. | One common form of padding is when users try to make articles a bit too thorough and end up describing things or events that are only superficially similar to what the page is about. For example, [[Mini Mario (form)|Mini Mario]] is a specific form that appears in the ''[[New Super Mario Bros.]]'' series with specific abilities. The page for it should not [http://www.mariowiki.com/index.php?title=Mini_Mario&diff=1359932&oldid=1359536 feature every instances of Mario being shrunk in some way], although briefly mentioning in the introduction that he's been shrunk in ways besides the Mini Mario form is acceptable. Similarly, [[Baby Mario]] is a specific entity, and his page should not list every time Mario is shown as an infant in other ''Super Mario'' medias (unless, of course, those appearances are based on ''the'' "Baby Mario" the page is about). However, like the Mini Mario example, a short paragraph in the introduction summarizing the other baby appearances would ensure the article is indeed exhaustive and won't appear to simply be missing the extra info, but at the same time, limiting it to a paragraph or less means the article doesn't get cluttered up by users writing detailed sections about everything but the kitchen sink. | ||
This issue often overlaps with [[MarioWiki:Generic subjects]], which addresses the problem of users writing about every appearance of a generic real world item or animal appearing in ''Mario'' media, rather than limiting the scope of the article to appearances in which the subject has a specific function, and isn't simply acting as it does in real life and is not key to the gameplay and/or story. For example, the [[Boomerang]] page is about the power-up in the series and should not list every generic instance of boomerangs being used in the ''Mario'' franchise, although acknowledging that generic boomerangs appear in various other installments in the ''Super Mario'' franchise is fine. | This issue often overlaps with [[MarioWiki:Generic subjects]], which addresses the problem of users writing about every appearance of a generic real world item or animal appearing in ''Super Mario'' media, rather than limiting the scope of the article to appearances in which the subject has a specific function, and isn't simply acting as it does in real life and is not key to the gameplay and/or story. For example, the [[Boomerang]] page is about the power-up in the series and should not list every generic instance of boomerangs being used in the ''Super Mario'' franchise, although acknowledging that generic boomerangs appear in various other installments in the ''Super Mario'' franchise is fine. | ||
===Captain Obvious=== | ===Captain Obvious=== | ||
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Overly fancy language is the worst offender – to put it simply, it feels forced. To use the ''Luigi's Mansion'' quotation form earlier as an example, there's no good reason to call a ghost baby a "cherubim", just call him a "baby", or change things up with normal synonyms like "infant". Flowery language often goes hand-in-hand with attempts to inject a sense of "epicness" to the content, and using grandiose and overly-dramatic language is just as bad as run-of-the mill thesaurus regurgitation. There is no need to fill the pages with superlatives about how heroic a character is, or how harrowing their situation is, or whatever. | Overly fancy language is the worst offender – to put it simply, it feels forced. To use the ''Luigi's Mansion'' quotation form earlier as an example, there's no good reason to call a ghost baby a "cherubim", just call him a "baby", or change things up with normal synonyms like "infant". Flowery language often goes hand-in-hand with attempts to inject a sense of "epicness" to the content, and using grandiose and overly-dramatic language is just as bad as run-of-the mill thesaurus regurgitation. There is no need to fill the pages with superlatives about how heroic a character is, or how harrowing their situation is, or whatever. | ||
Similarly, users sometimes fixate on the darker aspects of ''Mario'' plots and blow things way out of proportion. Yes, [[Dimentio]] turning out to be a psychotic puppetmaster who wants to wipe all of reality out of existence is interesting and serious stuff, but it does not require half a dozen pages to adequately cover this one-time character. Similarly, while Bowser ''does'' make a habit of invading the Mushroom Kingdom, saying he's a ruthless, bloodthirsty tyrant who threatens hundreds of lives with his incessant violent attacks is going a little too far. This is ''Mario'' we're dealing with after all. It's fine to take it seriously if you want, but keep the heavy-handed dramatic prose off the articles. | Similarly, users sometimes fixate on the darker aspects of ''Super Mario'' plots and blow things way out of proportion. Yes, [[Dimentio]] turning out to be a psychotic puppetmaster who wants to wipe all of reality out of existence is interesting and serious stuff, but it does not require half a dozen pages to adequately cover this one-time character. Similarly, while Bowser ''does'' make a habit of invading the Mushroom Kingdom, saying he's a ruthless, bloodthirsty tyrant who threatens hundreds of lives with his incessant violent attacks is going a little too far. This is ''Super Mario'' we're dealing with after all. It's fine to take it seriously if you want, but keep the heavy-handed dramatic prose off the articles. | ||
===Reading between the lines=== | ===Reading between the lines=== | ||
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That being said, analysis and dissection are not inherently bad if they're kept to a minimum. There are admittedly some things included in the ''Super Mario'' franchise that are left somewhat ambiguous (i.e. the various character backstories hinted at in ''Super Paper Mario''), and it is better to have something rather than nothing about these aspects. But keep in mind that the interpretations ''must'' be straightforward and logical, backed up with solid references (i.e. the original quotes from the games or related material), and explicitly stated to be "implied" or "hinted at" (etc.), rather than passed off as solid fact. | That being said, analysis and dissection are not inherently bad if they're kept to a minimum. There are admittedly some things included in the ''Super Mario'' franchise that are left somewhat ambiguous (i.e. the various character backstories hinted at in ''Super Paper Mario''), and it is better to have something rather than nothing about these aspects. But keep in mind that the interpretations ''must'' be straightforward and logical, backed up with solid references (i.e. the original quotes from the games or related material), and explicitly stated to be "implied" or "hinted at" (etc.), rather than passed off as solid fact. | ||
However, this does not mean that users should go out of their way to resolve contradicting information or try to link unrelated events and games together into one cohesive narrative. If there is a contradiction, simply provide both stories and comment on how they conflict without giving more credence to one version over the other, unless one is clearly anomalous when compared to all other relevant info (i.e. a single game guide mislabeling one enemy as another, etc.), although references should still be provided. Straightforward resolutions are not always easy to come by, however, since in most cases, ''Mario'' games do not link together (except in the recycling of main characters, generic enemies, items and places; occasionally, cameos and other nods and references to early games may also be included). Therefore, [http://www.mariowiki.com/index.php?title=Mario&oldid=764279#Super_Mario_Bros.:_The_Lost_Levels users should not try to string things together into solid timelines], as this is just as speculative as choosing a side when it comes to contradictions. Users must remember that while there is no official ''Mario'' timeline, it ''is'' possible to create overviews of characters that are coherent and logically arranged without getting ambitious and speculative about it. | However, this does not mean that users should go out of their way to resolve contradicting information or try to link unrelated events and games together into one cohesive narrative. If there is a contradiction, simply provide both stories and comment on how they conflict without giving more credence to one version over the other, unless one is clearly anomalous when compared to all other relevant info (i.e. a single game guide mislabeling one enemy as another, etc.), although references should still be provided. Straightforward resolutions are not always easy to come by, however, since in most cases, ''Super Mario'' games do not link together (except in the recycling of main characters, generic enemies, items and places; occasionally, cameos and other nods and references to early games may also be included). Therefore, [http://www.mariowiki.com/index.php?title=Mario&oldid=764279#Super_Mario_Bros.:_The_Lost_Levels users should not try to string things together into solid timelines], as this is just as speculative as choosing a side when it comes to contradictions. Users must remember that while there is no official ''Super Mario'' timeline, it ''is'' possible to create overviews of characters that are coherent and logically arranged without getting ambitious and speculative about it. | ||
===Fan worship=== | ===Fan worship=== | ||