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
Musical Theme Articles

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. These events should be written out-of-universe and in the past tense. If a surplus of information exists, this section can be further subdivided into Conception and Production sections.
 * 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)

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 * 1) Menkooroo (talk) 15:24, February 25, 2013 (UTC)