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MarioWiki:Good writing: Difference between revisions
Suggested changes + some other fixes.
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The goal of the Super Mario Wiki is to provide a complete, comprehensive and ''well-written'' account of the [[Mario (franchise)|''Mario'' franchise]]. This need for quality goes beyond merely using proper grammar, spelling, syntax and punctuation | The goal of the Super Mario Wiki is to provide a complete, comprehensive, and ''well-written'' account of the [[Mario (franchise)|''Mario'' franchise]]. This need for quality goes beyond merely using proper grammar, spelling, syntax, and punctuation. The content itself also has to be good, which is accomplished for the most part. However there ''are'' a few issues that frequently come up with the writing. This is a guide to help users try to avoid these pitfalls. | ||
==Bad writing== | ==Bad writing== | ||
This is a summary of what users should avoid doing while they're writing. The following section goes into detail about these issues. | This is a summary of what users should avoid doing while they're writing. The following section goes into detail about these issues. | ||
*'''Summaries that aren't''' - "Story" sections on game pages should only cover the meat of the plot | *'''Summaries that aren't''' - "Story" sections on game pages should only cover the meat of the plot. Nitty-gritty details should be saved for articles on characters, enemies, levels, etc. | ||
*'''Pseudo-walkthroughs''' - If a game does not have a very hefty plot, its "Story" section should be short | *'''Pseudo-walkthroughs''' - If a game does not have a very hefty plot, its "Story" section should be short. A level-by-level overview is unnecessary filler. | ||
*'''Padding''' - Short articles and short sections aren't bad if there's not much to write about | *'''Padding''' - Short articles and short sections aren't bad if there's not much to write about. It's better to keep it short and relevant, not long, rambling, and tangential. | ||
*'''Mario mania''' - Mario may be the main character of the series, but he's not the center of the universe | *'''Mario mania''' - Mario may be the main character of the series, but he's not the center of the universe. Don't make other characters' pages all about Mario, keep the focus on them. | ||
*'''Everything but the kitchen sink''' - Don't fill articles with descriptions of things that are only superficially similar to what the page is about | *'''Everything but the kitchen sink''' - Don't fill articles with descriptions of things that are only superficially similar to what the page is about. It's just more padding. | ||
*'''Captain Obvious''' - Don't bother explaining something if the name itself already says exactly what it is. | *'''Captain Obvious''' - Don't bother explaining something if the name itself already says exactly what it is. | ||
*'''Flowery writing''' - Overly fancy writing looks forced and is distracting to the reader | *'''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 | *'''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 ''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 | *'''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 ''Mario'' series 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.) | *'''Unsupported analysis''' - Some things in the ''Mario'' series 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 ''Mario'' series, but don't make assertions about which story is true or false | *'''Judgement calls''' - There is also a lot of contradictory material in the ''Mario'' series, 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 | *'''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. | ||
*'''Fan worship''' - Character pages should not be bogged down by rambling essays and excessive details | *'''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 | *'''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. | ||
==Things to avoid== | ==Things to avoid== | ||