Diary Writing Tips

[sebsy]

Oh, there will be times when I have superstars written out with injuries purely for storyline purposes just like they do in real, but I want to have unexpected, unscripted injuries too, otherwise there will only be injuries when I decide they are going to happen. Also I want the challenge of planning a main feud out over a couple of months, then having to change it up halfway through when one of the two superstars gets an injury. I want their to be injuries the superstars can still work through meaning I have to limit what they do on the show, and I want injuries that pretty much prevent any kind of physical activity.

[James Casey]

Random number generators? 1-X the number of wrestlers you'll have legit injured at any time 1-28 for the number of days from today the worker will suffer an injury 1-336 for the length of time your worker will be out injured So say you do a random draw on your roster and get told that you'll have at least three workers injured at any time. Angry Gilmore, Kurt Laramee and Freddy Garcia are your first three. Angry will get hurt in 7 days, and be out for 28 days Kurt will be injured in 3 days and out for 16 days Freddy will be injured in 21 days, and out for 3 days When Kurt returns you roll again, and now Jack Bruce is going to be out in 21 days for 60 days Every time someone comes back from injury, you roll again, and at some point in the next month another worker will suffer a legit injury lasting anything up to a year. I'd recommend a relatively low max. number - 5 at most, although the greater the level of adversity the better it'll be for the story, I guess :p

[sebsy]

That is pretty much what I am already looking at incorporating, using a random number generator, but I want it to be totally random, not something where three people always have to be out injured as then the amount of injuries would be too high. Also, while there are a considerable amount of superstars currently injured, there are times when there are no injuries, I just want it to be realisitic, so ideally I will find out as accurately as possible how many injuries there are in say a 6month time period then set the random number generator up to that ratio. I'm looking more to see if the whole thing is practical in terms of writing the storylines and planning the shows. I mean, for a lower card guy it isn't going to be much problem, I can have a superstar who is only appearing say every second week to be squashed and if he gets injured I can happily live without him not appearing on the next show. But if it is a top star I will have a whole story set out for him and his feud which will go tits up if he gets injured. I want that challenge but I don't want it to be an absolute ballache. My problem is, as I say, that I would usually plan a whole 3 months worth of shows out completely, absolutely every segment, then write them all in a block, then continue again with the next few months. I'm looking for ideas as to how best to structure it so that I can plan a story ahead a whole 3 months but then write each show to take place one week and if someone gets injured I can more easily revamp the story. How does the real WWE do it? Do they only really thoroughly plan out say 3 or 4 main feuds so like at the minute they know what they plan to do with John Cena, CM Punk, The Miz, Triple H all the way to Wrestlemania but for people like Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler, Cody Rhodes, John Morrison they have a rough idea but plan things out more on a weekly basis?

[sebsy]

Any other thoughts on this? I've also thought of another option of just randomly deciding you know what, I'm going to have someone injured, then do a random draw. But I just want it to be more realistic than that without being a pain in the rear. Once I have watched Smackdown this Friday, I'll be in a position to start my new diary as that's where I'll be picking up from, so just after peoples thoughts and help really.

[James Casey]

WWE is flexible. They might have long-term plans for WM, say, but PPVs in general will be booked from month to month - and in some cases, clearly, only in the days or hours beforehand.

[sebsy]

Cheers James. Like I say I tend to write all my shows out well in advance doing every single segment right down to the last detail for about 3 months worth of shows. Will try and be more flexible this time and do the same for my main feuds although still not every single segment, and just write the smaller feuds on a week to week basis. Hopefully this should mean that instead of rigorously planning 3 whole months worth of shows then writing a whole block of shows, I can spend more time writing the shows albeit on a off the cuff basis, but be writing the shows more regularly than not and it should hopefully also keep my head clear in terms of where all my stories/feuds are going rather than planning stuff way in advance then forgetting the context by the time I get to it. Will also look at what method of random injuries I will implement over the next couple of days.

[C0NTR4l34ND]

Hi all, great thread here. I'm doing my first diary and it's really enhancing my gameplay and it makes me care about my booking. What I want to know is... how often is too often? I book show after show and want to update the diary, but it's causing a lack of response sometimes. I figured it might be best to keep the predictions to just the PPV events, and churn out the weekly stuff as often as I want, but making sure I leave time for people to predict the PPVs. I just want to get from point A to point B, because I have point B all worked out in my head. problem is, there's a lot of TV shows before point B :) Long live TEW! Also...props to anyone who does image-heavy diaries... I just can't do it, too much like work. lol. I'd like to think mine is fine the way it is though.

[LordJaguar]

[QUOTE=C0NTR4l34ND;1333138]Hi all, great thread here. I'm doing my first diary and it's really enhancing my gameplay and it makes me care about my booking. What I want to know is... how often is too often? I book show after show and want to update the diary, but it's causing a lack of response sometimes. I figured it might be best to keep the predictions to just the PPV events, and churn out the weekly stuff as often as I want, but making sure I leave time for people to predict the PPVs. I just want to get from point A to point B, because I have point B all worked out in my head. problem is, there's a lot of TV shows before point B :) Long live TEW! Also...props to anyone who does image-heavy diaries... I just can't do it, too much like work. lol. I'd like to think mine is fine the way it is though.[/QUOTE] I have been doing a XDW diary that gets 2 to 3 responses a week...I try to keep a regular scheduale of 1 show a week just to keep myself from getting burned out. Although I do throw in random behind the scenes/bios/updates/whatever from time to time.

[Phantom Stranger]

[QUOTE=C0NTR4l34ND;1333138]Hi all, great thread here. I'm doing my first diary and it's really enhancing my gameplay and it makes me care about my booking. What I want to know is... how often is too often? I book show after show and want to update the diary, but it's causing a lack of response sometimes. I figured it might be best to keep the predictions to just the PPV events, and churn out the weekly stuff as often as I want, but making sure I leave time for people to predict the PPVs. [/QUOTE] Multiple shows per day is probably out. Other than that, it's whatever schedule works for you. Fact: Most writers don't get much feedback on their first diary. In fact, many don't get much after that. You have to build up a reputation, then people will start following you. The best way to build up that reputation is to pick a diary and stick at it - don't chop and change, hoping to catch attentionn; people will start seeing all these new diaries and thinking 'his stuff never lasts, so why waste my time?' Try not to worry too much about having a readership, in short, and sooner or later you'll get one. Because it takes the plugging away and work, I tend to say that you have to write for you. Because of that, I tend to say, write at the pace you want to, that you can handle. Establish a rhythm and stick to it, let it become natural, and it'll be easier to keep it up, and gradually you'll become a regular. People will start to try your stuff.

[C0NTR4l34ND]

[QUOTE=Phantom Stranger;1333205]Multiple shows per day is probably out. Other than that, it's whatever schedule works for you. Fact: Most writers don't get much feedback on their first diary. In fact, many don't get much after that. You have to build up a reputation, then people will start following you. The best way to build up that reputation is to pick a diary and stick at it - don't chop and change, hoping to catch attentionn; people will start seeing all these new diaries and thinking 'his stuff never lasts, so why waste my time?' Try not to worry too much about having a readership, in short, and sooner or later you'll get one. Because it takes the plugging away and work, I tend to say that you have to write for you. Because of that, I tend to say, write at the pace you want to, that you can handle. Establish a rhythm and stick to it, let it become natural, and it'll be easier to keep it up, and gradually you'll become a regular. People will start to try your stuff.[/QUOTE] If I CAN do multiple shows though, is that cool or too much? Assuming I'm not looking for predictions. I figure if I build up something lengthy (assuming the quality is there) it'll always be there to go and read from the start, anyway. Thanks for the tips!

[crayon]

[QUOTE=C0NTR4l34ND;1333285]If I CAN do multiple shows though, is that cool or too much? Assuming I'm not looking for predictions. I figure if I build up something lengthy (assuming the quality is there) it'll always be there to go and read from the start, anyway.[/QUOTE] Not speaking as a seasoned writer, but from my personal perspective as a reader, it would depend on a) how much I liked what I was reading, b) how quickly it is to digest, and c) how spammy it does or doesn't come across as. C pretty much explains itself. As for A and B, I'll accept lower quality or longer/difficult (vague I know) reads if it's something I perceive as something I can just check out every week or so, but if I perceive it as a time investment--which I potentially would with something that is so frequently updated as what you're suggesting--then it'd either better be greater quality than normal, or easy for me to get through in a sitting. And even if it does hit those marks and is fantastic, remember that sometimes, yes, you can actually get too much of a good thing. The more often you have it, the less of a treat it is, and the suspense/build-up there will be to the next one. Imagine your favorite food, and then imagine eating it several times a day for the next month. Just my personal opinion, but I would think that if you are able to do several shows a day, then do them--but stow them away in notepad, so you've got a good buffer of material, should you run into a creative dry patch or things in your life get really busy. Or heck, use the free time to do some presentation stuff for the current show. Or paint your fence. Learn a new language, etc :P [QUOTE=C0NTR4l34ND;1333138]Also...props to anyone who does image-heavy diaries... I just can't do it, too much like work. lol. I'd like to think mine is fine the way it is though.[/QUOTE] I'm actually working on a tool which should help out anyone who wants to do fancy looking diaries, but lacks the know-how and/or time to do so. It's still in it's early stages but I have managed to get the most difficult part out the way (exciting looking dialogue -- and example of which can be found on my [URL="http://www.greydogsoftware.com/forum/showthread.php?t=162286"][B][COLOR="RoyalBlue"]will-one-day-get-back-to-it-diary[/COLOR][/B][/URL]). Fingers crossed I have it done before I go back to regular studies, coz I'd love to give something awesome back to the community.

[C0NTR4l34ND]

Learn a new language? Tell that to Taka Michinoku. he bombs in angles. :) And wow, that looks amazing. Thanks also for the tips. I'll Buffer those shows like my name is Michael... ...or Bruce... Erm.. nevermind. :D

[Yuu Onuki]

New question, maybe? I write with one of the lesser know promotions. I always feel there is a disconnect, at least early on, because most people don't know the characters that well. We all have our favorites. I am no different, I know nothing about the American characters. So my question is, what basic profile information would you like to know about these unknown characters appearing on your screen. Name? Age? Accomplishments? Hometown? Shoe size? Etc? Thanks for any input, Yuu

[BHK1978]

[QUOTE=Yuu Onuki;1403995]New question, maybe? I write with one of the lesser know promotions. I always feel there is a disconnect, at least early on, because most people don't know the characters that well. We all have our favorites. I am no different, I know nothing about the American characters. So my question is, what basic profile information would you like to know about these unknown characters appearing on your screen. Name? Age? Accomplishments? Hometown? Shoe size? Etc? Thanks for any input, Yuu[/QUOTE] I don't think it could hurt. Like you said, many of the characters you write for might be unknown to the other readers on the board. This could hurt you but it can also help you because you are able to make those characters yours because others have not written for them yet. I for one never play in the Japanese C-Verse so you can count me among the people that have no clue about those characters. So I think that something a long the lines of what you listed above would be cool for someone who does not know about your characters. I am not sure if my answer is the answer you are looking for or not.

[Phantom Stranger]

[QUOTE=Yuu Onuki;1403995]New question, maybe? I write with one of the lesser know promotions. I always feel there is a disconnect, at least early on, because most people don't know the characters that well. We all have our favorites. I am no different, I know nothing about the American characters. So my question is, what basic profile information would you like to know about these unknown characters appearing on your screen. Name? Age? Accomplishments? Hometown? Shoe size? Etc? Thanks for any input, Yuu[/QUOTE] I don't think it'd hurt to do the occasional roster review, but this can be a fairly simple thing - face/heel status, basic gimmick, a couple notes regarding skill level and anything you want to flag up for readers. Tigerkinney does awesome roster reviews, if you want something to compare to.

[Yuu Onuki]

[QUOTE=Phantom Stranger;1404024]I don't think it'd hurt to do the occasional roster review, but this can be a fairly simple thing - face/heel status, basic gimmick, a couple notes regarding skill level and anything you want to flag up for readers. Tigerkinney does awesome roster reviews, if you want something to compare to.[/QUOTE] Yes, I did not want to do a full blown roster again for the third time. But talking about it has given me a couple of ideas to work with I think. Of course, very basic information only, as the details come from time and interaction. :)

[James Casey]

A roster review needn't be hard work. Names and face/heel alignment, of course, but why not spice it up with some fun facts? To whit, a couple of examples from PS' diary as it was the first one to come to mind: Edd Stone, Heel Facts: Making this up as he goes along ... Can defy gravity long enough to make you look up - then he kicks you in the face FROM ABOVE!!! ... Prefers to date natural brunettes, non-Canadians, old enough to buy their own drinks ... Shameful secret: Once lost a dance-off to Sam Keith Tommy Cornell, Face (Really!) Facts: Responsible for giving Wolf Hawkins big ideas, so blame him ... Can't outdrink Ricky Dale Johnson ... Needs to be headbutted once more by Mayhem Midden to set the all-company record Joey Minnesota, Face Facts: Would like to point out that he isn't as dumb as people seem to think ... Would also like a title belt of his own, as having to borrow Aaron Andrews' for mirror posing sessions is getting old You get the idea - a couple of personality points can help people root for a character or two, and that can be the path to their getting hooked on your diary.

[Yuu Onuki]

[QUOTE=James Casey;1406783]A roster review needn't be hard work. Names and face/heel alignment, of course, but why not spice it up with some fun facts? To whit, a couple of examples from PS' diary as it was the first one to come to mind: Edd Stone, Heel Facts: Making this up as he goes along ... Can defy gravity long enough to make you look up - then he kicks you in the face FROM ABOVE!!! ... Prefers to date natural brunettes, non-Canadians, old enough to buy their own drinks ... Shameful secret: Once lost a dance-off to Sam Keith Tommy Cornell, Face (Really!) Facts: Responsible for giving Wolf Hawkins big ideas, so blame him ... Can't outdrink Ricky Dale Johnson ... Needs to be headbutted once more by Mayhem Midden to set the all-company record Joey Minnesota, Face Facts: Would like to point out that he isn't as dumb as people seem to think ... Would also like a title belt of his own, as having to borrow Aaron Andrews' for mirror posing sessions is getting old You get the idea - a couple of personality points can help people root for a character or two, and that can be the path to their getting hooked on your diary.[/QUOTE] Those are great! Great find, and all in a couple of sentences. Good idea too.

[angeldelayette]

I just figured I'd bump this in case anyone needed some tips and to make it easier to read it myself.

[sebsy]

Not really after any tips just wanted to vent some frustrations here.

 

Struggling atm. Want to get a new diary started and have tried several times from what seems like a good place to start. So I plan my first Raw then watch the real life next ep of Raw, and whilst all my ideas seem good and make sense, when I saww what has happened on real Raw, I think 'ah yeah that makes so much more sense' and then I scrap the Raw and say I'm going to start from the next Raw now I have more of an idea where things are going.

 

But that just keeps happening. Maybe I should just pick my start week and then not watch wwe for a few weeks so I can get enough in to my diary planning to not look at what is happening in real and say 'yeah actually that is much better'

 

After all I want my show to be different and better than real life, but I don't want it to differ too much at the start as it makes me think what I'm coming up with doesn't make sense.

 

Anyway, I'm going to have one last stab at it and my new diary will begin with the first show being Raw June 6th, so I have an idea of what WWE are going with heading in to Capitol Punishment but I can mix it up a little then go with my ideas more coming out of CP.

 

Like I said, just wanted to vent all that as I'm frustrated atm. Some of what happened last night on Raw was so obvious and made so much more sense than what I had planned, even though what I had planned seemed to make so much sense as I planned it.

 

So yeah, struggling, and if it happens again I just completely give up. Trouble is when I planned on getting a lot planned over the weekend just gone I ended up completing Max Payne 2 and playing Poker tournaments

 

This weekend is going to be completely set aside for diary planning!

[20LEgend]

^^^^ This is the reason my RW diaries fail

[sebsy]

 

There is just always something that makes me wait or start again. Always something that makes me want to see how it pans out and then I'll start after that, but then something else happens and I'm like how's that going to end up etc.

 

Going to make a decision over the next couple of days but I will be back with my new diary... one day!

[James Casey]

I suggest starting with a PPV as your base, either book the results of the PPV you want and edit the DB accordingly, or start the night after and go from there. It seems like the only way to start 'fresh'.

[sebsy]

I actually looked back over my previous 2 diaries, one started the night after the Great American Bash, and my last one started the night after the Royal Rumble. But you can guarantee something will happen at Capitol Punishment that will make me want to hold back AGAIN.

 

I am thinking of starting my diary from next weeks Raw, what with the stories already being partly built up for me for Capitol Punishment but on the negative side I guess it makes it harder to put my own spin on things. But I do find it easier to start right after a PPV. I was originally going to start it the night after WM27, but the whole Edge retiring thing happened so I put it on hold. Another couple of plans have gone out of the window since then and I'm getting anxious to set a start in stone.

 

I might just sweat it out and start it the night after CP, then I have 4 weeks to build up to MITB and will have an idea of where things are going post CP. But the second I see the episode of Raw after CP I'll want to follow some of their obvious ideas

[jhd1]

I actually looked back over my previous 2 diaries, one started the night after the Great American Bash, and my last one started the night after the Royal Rumble. But you can guarantee something will happen at Capitol Punishment that will make me want to hold back AGAIN.

 

I am thinking of starting my diary from next weeks Raw, what with the stories already being partly built up for me for Capitol Punishment but on the negative side I guess it makes it harder to put my own spin on things. But I do find it easier to start right after a PPV. I was originally going to start it the night after WM27, but the whole Edge retiring thing happened so I put it on hold. Another couple of plans have gone out of the window since then and I'm getting anxious to set a start in stone.

 

I might just sweat it out and start it the night after CP, then I have 4 weeks to build up to MITB and will have an idea of where things are going post CP. But the second I see the episode of Raw after CP I'll want to follow some of their obvious ideas

 

Why not just start an historic RW diary? That way you have enough leeway that you won't see your ideas repeated (or bettered) a week later. If you were wanting a 'current' roster, rather than one from years ago, why not try running a game that starts in January 2010, or even January 2011? A new year, a fresh start and all that.

 

Just a thought