Forum:SH Archive/OOU Layout Guide

안녕하세요,

The idea of a Layout Guide for Out-of-universe articles has been discussed a bit recently, and I say we go for it. I've FAN'd a couple of OOU'ers lately, and I know that others are working on more. Before it comes to a CT, though, I say we get input from as many interested parties as possible.

I used Greyman's Tales of the Jedi article and Sikon's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (comics) articles as the major precedents when I recently wrote up Agents of Chaos Duology and Into the Great Unknown, and also when I revamped the Star Wars: Legacy article way back when. I think it's a pretty good system, but still one that a few details need to be hammered out on. And since this will be a layout "guide", hopefully it can be just that instead of a rigid requirement.

So here's my rough proposal. Feel free to agree, disagree, tweak, improve, whatever. More detail probably has to be added.

1. Conception discusses events and decisions that brought about the development of the subject. As these events happened in the past, they should be discussed in the past tense. This can be further sub-sectioned if necessary.

2. Production discusses decisions, ideas, and jettisoned concepts of the author(s)/developer(s) while writing/creating the product. This should also be written in the past tense. This can be further sub-sectioned if necessary.

If there is not enough information to justify two sections, Conception and Production can be merged into a Development section.

3. Main characters is a sub-sectioned section that spotlights major characters who appeared in the work. If pictures of the characters exist, they should be included on the left side of the page. If possible, pictures of the characters from the actual work (book cover, comic pages, etc) are preferable.

Character biographies should be written in-universe in the present tense, but an opening out-of-universe paragraph is optional.

4. Plot summary summarizes the plot of the work, written in-universe and in the present tense. If the article covers multiple works (eg, it is about a trilogy or a comic book arc), the summaries should be more condensed than if the article is about a single work (eg, one book or comic).

5. Media is an optional section. If the article is about a single book, comic, video game, etc, a picture gallery of the various covers is in order. If it is about a comic series, a pretty table is in order. If the article is about multiple works, the media section is unnecessary.

6. Continuity discusses past continuity used/referred to by the work, continuity errors, and significant continuity created by the work that has been later used/referenced/retconned.

7. Reception discusses, in general, the reception to the work. Professional reviews, significant fan response, awards won, sales, and media spotlight are all fair game.

8. Legacy is an optional section that discusses the impact on the work on future Star Wars media. It is up to the writer's discretion as to what to include here rather than in Continuity.

_________

Anyway, that's an incredibly rough outline. My purposes were more hammering out the sections an OOU article should and shouldn't have, rather than getting exact wording down. Please discuss! Menkooroo 04:53, June 30, 2010 (UTC)