Ok, we get a LOT of really rushed fics here. Basically, people just whip together some writing and submit it without doing any spellchecking, grammar checking, or basic editing. This page holds some guidelines to help anyone guilty of rushing their fic.
1. Spellcheck. MS Word has a spellcheck built into every version of it that I've ever seen. This means that all you have to do to catch a ton of basic typos and errors is to click a single button. That button may look like this
1b. Zelda Words. I know that some words in the Zelda vernacular do not get caught by spellcheck. For the love of everything good and holy, DO NOT spell Ganon with 3 Ns. Similarly, it's spelled Sheik, Kaepora, Kakariko, and Triforce. If you have any doubts, use our wiki.
2. Grammar checking. The easiest way to do this is to read your fic aloud. Better yet, ask a friend to read it with me (I understand how embarrasing that may be though). A lot of people don't write the same as they talk, which means that their writing always feels stilted and forced. Write the way you talk.
3. Punctuation. An ellipse ( ... ) is three periods, no more no less. Ellipses should be used very conservatively, otherwise your writing feels unfocused. Similarly, exclamations whould be used sparingly, otherwise they make your fic seem juvenile and "loud". Exclamations should never be used more than one at a time. If you triple them up it will get corrected when an admin has time. If you use mroe than three, it's grounds for spamming.
3b. More Punctuation. Periods come immediately after the last word of a sentence, not before the first of the next. I have no idea why people do that. Similarly, commas come after the last word of a phrase, not before the beginning. Comments in parentheses should be kept to an absolute minimum, if you have to make comments, put them in an authors note at the beginning or end of your story. Only use colons and semicolons if you know the grammatic rules.
4. Numbers. Write out numbers. Do not use 15, but write fifteen. Do not use 3, but write out three.
5. Dialogue. Whenever two or more characters are talking, they are having a dialogue. In a dialogue, each new speaker gets their own paragraph. Even if one character is interrupting the previous speaker, or directly replying to it, they get their own paragraph. Quotes should never be side by side.
6. Paragraphs. While we're on the subject, paragraphs on the web are different from paragraphs in an essay or official letter. An internet paragraph has no indentation, and a line between it and the previous paragraph. Indentation simply won't show up after you submit, and your fic will be very, very hard to read.
6b. Paragraph Length. A paragraph is usually anywhere from two to twenty sentences long. It should be more than a couple of lines, but you don't want a paragraph taking up the whole page. It makes your fic hard to read when your paragraphs are too long or too short, so try and balance them out. Just stick to one concise topic per paragraph and you'll be fine.
More ranting on the way!
1. Spellcheck. MS Word has a spellcheck built into every version of it that I've ever seen. This means that all you have to do to catch a ton of basic typos and errors is to click a single button. That button may look like this
1b. Zelda Words. I know that some words in the Zelda vernacular do not get caught by spellcheck. For the love of everything good and holy, DO NOT spell Ganon with 3 Ns. Similarly, it's spelled Sheik, Kaepora, Kakariko, and Triforce. If you have any doubts, use our wiki.
2. Grammar checking. The easiest way to do this is to read your fic aloud. Better yet, ask a friend to read it with me (I understand how embarrasing that may be though). A lot of people don't write the same as they talk, which means that their writing always feels stilted and forced. Write the way you talk.
3. Punctuation. An ellipse ( ... ) is three periods, no more no less. Ellipses should be used very conservatively, otherwise your writing feels unfocused. Similarly, exclamations whould be used sparingly, otherwise they make your fic seem juvenile and "loud". Exclamations should never be used more than one at a time. If you triple them up it will get corrected when an admin has time. If you use mroe than three, it's grounds for spamming.
3b. More Punctuation. Periods come immediately after the last word of a sentence, not before the first of the next. I have no idea why people do that. Similarly, commas come after the last word of a phrase, not before the beginning. Comments in parentheses should be kept to an absolute minimum, if you have to make comments, put them in an authors note at the beginning or end of your story. Only use colons and semicolons if you know the grammatic rules.
4. Numbers. Write out numbers. Do not use 15, but write fifteen. Do not use 3, but write out three.
5. Dialogue. Whenever two or more characters are talking, they are having a dialogue. In a dialogue, each new speaker gets their own paragraph. Even if one character is interrupting the previous speaker, or directly replying to it, they get their own paragraph. Quotes should never be side by side.
6. Paragraphs. While we're on the subject, paragraphs on the web are different from paragraphs in an essay or official letter. An internet paragraph has no indentation, and a line between it and the previous paragraph. Indentation simply won't show up after you submit, and your fic will be very, very hard to read.
6b. Paragraph Length. A paragraph is usually anywhere from two to twenty sentences long. It should be more than a couple of lines, but you don't want a paragraph taking up the whole page. It makes your fic hard to read when your paragraphs are too long or too short, so try and balance them out. Just stick to one concise topic per paragraph and you'll be fine.
More ranting on the way!
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