All The Tropes:How to Write An Example: Difference between revisions

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Here at All The Tropes, we like to encourage editors to dive right in and add examples without forcing them to spend months lurking around and arduously studying [[Good Style|proper]] [[Help:Formatting|editing]] [[All The Tropes:Page Templates|form]]. Unfortunately, unleashing an ever-increasing horde of eager-but-clueless contributors onto an unprepared wiki can lead to ''problems''. With that in mind, here are some pieces of advice and common pitfalls for tropers new and old to consider when posting examples.
Here at All The Tropes, we like to encourage editors to dive right in and add examples without forcing them to spend months lurking around and arduously studying [[Good Style|proper]] [[Help:Formatting|editing]] [[All The Tropes:Page Templates|form]]. Unfortunately, unleashing an ever-increasing horde of eager-but-clueless contributors onto an unprepared wiki can lead to ''problems''. With that in mind, here are some pieces of advice and common pitfalls for tropers new and old to consider when posting examples.


Also see: [[Example Indentation in Trope Lists]].
Also see: [[All The Tropes:Example Indentation in Trope Lists|Example Indentation in Trope Lists]].


* '''The point of an example is to convey information.''' Clarity is the most important aspect. "Clever" is nice, "Funny" is nice, "Detailed" is nice. But if any of them get in the way of ''clarity'', they cease being nice additions and become a problem.
* '''The point of an example is to convey information.''' Clarity is the most important aspect. "Clever" is nice, "Funny" is nice, "Detailed" is nice. But if any of them get in the way of ''clarity'', they cease being nice additions and become a problem.
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* '''Check For Duplicates''': Before you hit the edit button, it's always wise to search existing examples to make sure yours hasn't already been added. If you don't want to read them all, Ctrl+F the page instead.
* '''Check For Duplicates''': Before you hit the edit button, it's always wise to search existing examples to make sure yours hasn't already been added. If you don't want to read them all, Ctrl+F the page instead.


* '''Group Examples''': If something merely very similar or from a related work (such as another entry in a series) is already there, write your example into it or indent it with other examples under a description of the group. Whatever you do, don't indent an example under the first one. Also see [[Example Indentation in Trope Lists]].
* '''Group Examples''': If something merely very similar or from a related work (such as another entry in a series) is already there, write your example into it or indent it with other examples under a description of the group. Whatever you do, don't indent an example under the first one. Also see [[All The Tropes:Example Indentation in Trope Lists|Example Indentation in Trope Lists]].


* '''Make Sure it's Relevant:''' [[Entry Pimp|Entry Pimping]] is extremely common among editors new and old, and is the main reason most of us know anything about ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'', but it is not without its downside. Sometimes we think we understand a trope better than we do and wind up [[Square Peg, Round Trope|shoehorning examples in where they don't fit]] as a result. Remember, ''always'' make sure to read a trope before you add an example to it. If you are still not sure if it fits, you can always click on the little "discuss" link at the top and ask someone about it. Write the example to address the trope. For example, the trope [[Badass Longcoat]] is about ''the garment'', not the person wearing it. Your example should be more about the coat than the person.
* '''Make Sure it's Relevant:''' [[Entry Pimp|Entry Pimping]] is extremely common among editors new and old, and is the main reason most of us know anything about ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'', but it is not without its downside. Sometimes we think we understand a trope better than we do and wind up [[Square Peg, Round Trope|shoehorning examples in where they don't fit]] as a result. Remember, ''always'' make sure to read a trope before you add an example to it. If you are still not sure if it fits, you can always click on the little "discuss" link at the top and ask someone about it. Write the example to address the trope. For example, the trope [[Badass Longcoat]] is about ''the garment'', not the person wearing it. Your example should be more about the coat than the person.
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