Forum:CT Archive/OOU Layout Guide: Published narrative works

Hey everyone,

Now that we have the Out of universe layout guide, I guess it's finally time for me to re-propose this. In 2010, I first proposed a layout guide addition for published narrative works --- that is, works that would be listed in an in-universe article's "Appearances" section and which have not been canceled (films, novels, comics, video games, television episodes, RPG adventures, etc). It was based on the work I did on such articles as Agents of Chaos Duology and Into the Great Unknown.

I proposed leading with the "Development" section, but the community consensus was that "Plot summary" and "Main characters" should instead go first. I ended up agreeing with that consensus, and started an SH thread asking for ideas on how to refine the layout guide proposal. Then I procrastinated for two years, and now here we are.

Now that we have an OOU Layout Guide, I want us to finally hammer home how we should go about writing articles on books, comics, video games, etc. Thanks to Dogma for the push in finally getting this done. This is a cumulative effort that began with Greyman's Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi and Sikon's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (comics), and then got refined by the community through an SH thread, a CT, and another SH thread.

Articles on published narrative works
Articles on published narrative works

There are some guidelines for the organization of articles on published narrative works, including but not limited to films, novels, comics, video games, television episodes, and RPG adventures&mdash;that is, works that would be listed in an in-universe article's "Appearances" section and which have not been canceled. Each of these sections may be further subdivided if necessary.
 * 1) Plot summary summarizes the plot of the work, written in-universe and in the present tense. If the article is about a collection of multiple works (eg, a book trilogy or a comic book story arc), the summaries should be more condensed than if the article is about an individual work (eg, a single book or comic). If the article is about an individual work that has a publisher's summary, then a sourced Publisher's summary subsection should lead this section. If the work includes an Opening crawl, it can be added at the beginning of this section using Opening crawl.
 * 2) Main characters utilizes subsections to give brief, individual descriptions of major characters who appear in the work, and their role within. A character profile should be written in-universe and in the present tense. If pictures of the characters exist, they should be included, either alternating between the left and right sides of the page or consistently on one side. Images should ideally be sized so as to prevent significant overlap with other character profiles. If available, pictures of the characters from the actual work, or from a chronologically close work, are preferred. For very short works, a Main Characters section is not necessary.
 * 3) Development discusses background, events, and decisions that brought about the development of the work. It also discusses ideas, decisions, and concepts discarded by the author(s)/developer(s) throughout the production of the work, as well as information on the work's publication and release. If a surplus of information exists, this section can be further subdivided into Conception and Production sections. This and the following sections should be written out-of-universe and in the past tense.
 * 4) Continuity discusses past continuity used/referenced/retconned by the work, continuity errors, and significant continuity created by the work that has been later used/referenced/retconned.
 * 5) Reception discusses response, reaction, and reception to the work, including professional reviews, significant fan response, awards won, sales, and media spotlight. If no such information is available, this section need not be included.
 * 6) Legacy is a section that discusses the impact of the work on later Star Wars media, and, if applicable, broader popular culture. If no such information is available, this section need not be included.
 * 7) Media is a section with different uses for different types of articles. Articles on comic series make use of Prettytable to create a chart similar to this one. Articles on individual works such as novels include a cover gallery, if more than one cover exists. Articles on novels list the various editions of the work complete with ISBN numbers and publication dates. For other types of works, the section is optional and can be filled with applicable media at the editor's discretion.
 * 8) Cast is be a bulleted list of the work's cast. It is ordered as described in the work's original credits, followed by an alphabetical list of uncredited cast members whose identities were later discovered or revealed. This section is reserved for works such as movies, television episodes, and radio dramas, and need not be included if not applicable.
 * 9) Appearances uses App and is only necessary for articles on individual works, such as a single novel or comic. It should not be used for articles on collections of multiple works, such as a book trilogy or a comic book story arc. For novels with a Dramatis Personae, the Dramatis Personae is listed at the beginning of this section's "Characters" sub-section.
 * 10) Collections is a bulleted list of any collections in which the work has appeared, such as trade paperbacks or short story collections. If not applicable, this section need not be included.

If you have any questions, or any suggestions on how to improve it, let me know in the discussion section. Menkooroo (talk) 15:24, February 25, 2013 (UTC)

Support

 * 1) Menkooroo (talk) 15:24, February 25, 2013 (UTC)
 * 2) 501st  dogma ( talk ) 01:02, February 26, 2013 (UTC)
 * 3)  Commander Code-8  G'day, mate 05:18, February 26, 2013 (UTC)
 * 4) &mdash; 17:23, February 27, 2013 (UTC)

Discussion

 * I once brought up a CT for whether or not our video game articles should include sections on game mechanics, but the consensus at the time was that since there was no policy preventing it at the moment there was no reason to do approve/reject the inclusion of one section. So while we're doing the whole thing at once, would anyone be opposed to something like that? NaruHina  Talk Anakinsolo.png 17:40, February 25, 2013 (UTC)
 * That's not a bad idea. Menkooroo (talk) 02:33, February 26, 2013 (UTC)
 * More on this below: See my bolded point. Menkooroo (talk) 03:17, February 27, 2013 (UTC)
 * I think "Cast" is too limiting. We should have articles on everyone involved in the project, like I endeavored to do (and will one day get back to, dammit!) on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. I think it should be a "Credits" section and that it should be subdivided as "Cast" followed by "Crew." This should be for more than just movies, television episodes, and radio dramas, as well. Lots of people work on all Star Wars products, and if we know they did, they should be in the section of the article dedicated to those who did. NaruHina  Talk Anakinsolo.png 17:51, February 25, 2013 (UTC)
 * And one more thing! Are you sure this CT is for "Musical Theme Articles?" :3 NaruHina  Talk Anakinsolo.png 17:51, February 25, 2013 (UTC)
 * Got this one. What does everyone think about an entire comprehensive "credits" section? I know that we are not Wikipedia, but I think it's worth noting that Wikipedia doesn't list everyone. Menkooroo (talk) 01:16, February 26, 2013 (UTC)
 * Also I guess I didn't make it clear, but my intention was that for comics, for example, writer, penciler, inker, cover artist, etc, would all be listed as part of publication information. Menkooroo (talk) 02:33, February 26, 2013 (UTC)
 * I'm not sure video games should be lumped into published narrative works. What about a Gameplay and features section, and a Metaseries section? TOR is far too big for me to create a plot summary, so I'm giving overviews of each class, planet, operation, flashpoint, etc. Also, TOR, KOTOR, The Force Unleashed, and other games have spawned significant metaseries of other material and works, and I think we'd be remiss if we didn't cover them. Cade   Calrayn  StupidRepublicEmblem-Traced-TORkit.svg 21:17, February 26, 2013 (UTC)
 * An article on a metaseries wouldn't be covered under this, as it goes beyond the scope of a "published narrative work." An article on the TOR metaseries would be written a different way, and an article on TOR could mention the metaseries in the "Legacy" section. Since there's freedom for every section to be subdivided, "Legacy" could even include a "Metaseries" subsection that gave a brief overview of the metaseries and included links to the various relevant articles. As for your former point: overviews of each class, planet, etc, could be subsections of Plot summary. I hope that the ability to subdivide will allow freedom in cases like this. Menkooroo (talk) 02:59, February 27, 2013 (UTC)
 * More on this below: See my bolded point. Menkooroo (talk) 03:17, February 27, 2013 (UTC)
 * As an aside, and I know I already voted, but why should the plot be written in present tense? Isn't the plot the in-universe part of the book, and as such it should be treated as a past tense thing? 501st  dogma ( talk ) 22:54, February 26, 2013 (UTC)
 * Took a cue from Wikipedia on this one, and also from precedent here on the Wook. Present tense has worked well for existing OOU articles. We write in-universe articles in past tense because we're describing something that happened "A Long Time Ago," but in an out-of-universe article, we're breaking the fourth wall and discussing the events of a real-life book that exists in the present. Menkooroo (talk) 02:59, February 27, 2013 (UTC)
 * Naru and Cade: How about adding a Gameplay section specifically for video game articles, which could be further subdivided and include stuff on game mechanics as well? Menkooroo (talk) 03:17, February 27, 2013 (UTC)
 * I'd go for that, but I'm still wary of dividing TOR's "Gameplay and features" section into a "Plot Summary" and "Gameplay" section. I'm covering both the gameplay aspects and the basic outline of the story in the current section, and I don't see the benefits of splitting it in this situation. And the fact that I have a "Game update and release history" section makes me think that TOR really shouldn't be included in this. Cade   Calrayn  StupidRepublicEmblem-Traced-TORkit.svg 17:04, February 27, 2013 (UTC)
 * The fact that you've done something different in your first draft of the article isn't a reason to not include TOR in this, though. It's a video game and should be written the same as other video games. If you think video games in general shouldn't be included in this, that's one thing, but the fact that TOR is a project of yours doesn't grant it special exclusion. "Game update and release history" would fall under the scope of the "Production" section and could easily be a subsection of it. Menkooroo (talk) 17:30, February 27, 2013 (UTC)
 * Addendum: Looking at what you've done with Star Wars: The Old Republic, I do think it could use a plot summary section, separate from and preceding the current "Gameplay and features" section. As something that goes in an IU article's "Appearances" section, TOR has a story, and summarizing that story in a "Plot summary" section would be hugely beneficial to the reader. If we allow significant freedom in the "Gameplay" section, you could still do whatever you think is best with it, but I still see a plot summary as beneficial, even essential. A lot of SW fans, myself included, are interested in the story but not the gameplay, and will likely come to Wookieepedia to read a summary of the story. "Plot summary" could first summarize the story, and that would in turn allow "Gameplay" to reference already-explained story points without having to summarize them in detail. It could also discuss how game mechanics and player choices affect said story. Make sense? Menkooroo (talk) 17:36, February 27, 2013 (UTC)
 * And that story is impossible to describe in an article. It's eight different stories wrapped around each other with hundred of other quests intermixed. How specific would it have to be? An overview of the general storyline for the entire game? Cade   Calrayn  StupidRepublicEmblem-Traced-TORkit.svg 17:42, February 27, 2013 (UTC)