Diary Writing Tips

[D-Lyrium]

[QUOTE=Candyman;485886]"MAW" begins with a vowel sound, which means "An MAW story" is grammatically correct.[/QUOTE] [i]Only[/i] if you pronounce each individual letter. As in "Em Ay Doubleyou". If you pronounce it as one word - as in the mouth/stomach of an animal rhyming, loosely, with 'war' - it becomes '[b]A[/b] MAW Story'. So, in conclusion, everyone's right. :p

[keefmoon]

[QUOTE=James Casey;485862]The exact same scene played out the exact same way is just copying, but to pick an example from... keef's diary, I think, the WM20 contract signing where Benoit was to sign up to face HHH only for Michaels to interrupt, sing the contract himself and, by WWE logic, make it a three-way dance... Keef inverted that so it was Austin, Michaels and Owen playing the roles in that order.[/QUOTE] Yeah, that was mine, and that was actually my first show. Problem was with mine that my save game wasn't intended to be a diary, and I had got a little ahead of myself. I didn't mind copying for a saved game, but unfrotunately my saved game became a diary with that segment included. It was sort of different, Owen coming to save Austin from a DX beatdown and all but instead turning on him to sign the contract, but yeah, pretty stolen :o Normally I wouldn't think stuff like that was okay, it's too copied for my liking, but what could I do?! Besides, I think it's forgivable when you are putting Owen Hart in the main event of Wrestlemania!

[shamelessposer]

[QUOTE=Candyman;485886]"MAW" begins with a vowel sound, which means "An MAW story" is grammatically correct.[/QUOTE] I've never won an argument without saying anything before. Neat! :)

[Nevermore]

[QUOTE=Candyman;485886]This is all completely irrevelent and the final conclusion is incorrect. The word it qualifies has nothing to do with it beyond determining whether "the" or "a"/"an" is grammatically correct. The usage of "a" or "an" is determined only by the initial sound of the following word. There are no exceptions. "MAW" begins with a vowel sound, which means "An MAW story" is grammatically correct.[/QUOTE] You might think so but that's just completely incorrect; it has everything to do with the qualification. As I have pointed out several times now, it is considered phonetically correct; it is [I]not[/I] gramatically correct. This is particularly true if you are English as we don't change the language every year. Believe it or don't but it is correct. Much like most people pronounce "hotel" or "garage" incorrectly and think nothing of it; just as people now seem to end senteces with prepositions; or, indeed, mixing tenses within a sentence as I just have to make a point :p. There are many things in the English language that are mistakenly believed to be correct or acceptable that, technically, are not. Check the full OED section on "The qualification of articles" ;). Now, this can go to pm if you like but I'm gonna bow out of this as I am actually 100% certain that I am correct, having tought this very topic to Advanced GCE students only a year ago as a tutor. Quote The Raven Nevermore

[Liamo]

Out of interest, how do people like to see matches written up? I know most diaries are summeraries written from the point of view of the booker, but do people prefere that of full, hold for hold matches? I've been planning on writting a diary using TEW to book and WreSpi2 to see how matches would go, only changing the endings to meet my needs, but I dunno if people would want to read 3/4/5 paragraphs of text for Robbie Retro vs. Big Smack Scott.

[D-Lyrium]

Personally, I never bother with diaries that have long, drawn-out match write-ups. I just don't see the point. If I was reading a published novel, then sure. But at the end of the day it's a diary on the forum - one of many I'll read in an evening - and I don't have the time or the inclination to sit through a hold-by-hold account of what happened. Just tell the story and get on with it, man! :p There's a time and a place, and this isn't it in my opinion. That is, of course, purely my opinion, although I think you'll find it shared by the majority. If it's a particularly special match, then sure... give it a longer write-up, but even then there's no need for "and he did this, then the other guy did this, which was countered into a-" bored already. If you want an example of what I consider top-drawer long match writing without going over the top into the no-man's-land of boredom: [url]http://67.19.230.90/~arles/forum/showthread.php?t=21681[/url] Tigerkinney's Burning Hammer diary from last year, especially towards the latter parts of the dynasty, where he started only writing out fully the A* matches and the title matches, etc. That diary was awesome. They might be hold-by-hold in some cases, and they might be rather long, but they're snappy. Very rarely is there a huge block of holds and counter holds and hyperbole. (and even in that diary I skimmed some of the matches that didn't interest me much. But when kinney reads this, he magically won't be able to see these parentheses ;)... ¬_¬).

[Tigerkinney]

[quote=D-Lyrium;486472] If it's a particularly special match, then sure... give it a longer write-up, but even then there's no need for "and he did this, then the other guy did this, which was countered into a-" bored already. Tigerkinney's Burning Hammer diary from last year, especially towards the latter parts of the dynasty, where he started only writing out fully the A* matches and the title matches, etc. That diary was awesome. They might be hold-by-hold in some cases, and they might be rather long, but they're snappy. Very rarely is there a huge block of holds and counter holds and hyperbole. [/quote] Even though my write-ups are long, I think I do at least have the sense to realise that people wont want to read a synopis of every mundane move each wrestler does [I][COLOR=blue]' Wrestler 1 put wrestler 2 into a hammerlock, but that was countered into another hammerlock by wrestler 2, wrestler 1 then slipped out of that and took down wrestler 1 with an arm-drag, who countered with his own arm-drag and applied another hammerlock.....[/COLOR]' [/I] When a line like [I][COLOR=blue]'they began the match with some low key chain wrestling'[/COLOR][/I] will suffice.

[infinitywpi]

[url]www.tvtropes.org[/url] has an entire section of tropes related to pro wrestling; if you're stuck for soemthing to do (plotwise, character-wise, whatever) a good read through there shoudl generate at least a half-dozen to dozen things to add to your diary.

[benjacko]

Something i've wondered about is how people set out their storylines and plans for their diaries. Do you use a pad and pen or a word document and how do you set things out?.

[shamelessposer]

[QUOTE=infinitywpi;486609][url]www.tvtropes.org[/url] has an entire section of tropes related to pro wrestling; if you're stuck for soemthing to do (plotwise, character-wise, whatever) a good read through there shoudl generate at least a half-dozen to dozen things to add to your diary.[/QUOTE] I'd never thought to use tvtropes.org as a way to mine for story ideas, and I've been reading it for months. A warning to newcomers, though: It's the kind of site where you'll suddenly look up and realize you've been following links to other articles for the last eight hours.

[shamelessposer]

[QUOTE=benjacko;486619]Something i've wondered about is how people set out their storylines and plans for their diaries. Do you use a pad and pen or a word document and how do you set things out?.[/QUOTE] I use Notepad for my writeups or just do them in the browser window, since none of the Word formatting is going to carry over to my diary anyway. I also like Wordpad. It's got most of the features you're likely to want when trying to keep things organized without any of the bloat you'd get from Office. Come to think of it, OpenOffice is good for that too and it's a free download.

[James Casey]

I use Word. I switch between my home and office computer anyway. Typically, I'll sit down at the start of a cycle (which in MAW would constitute either Feb-Oct or Nov-Jan for the build-up to the two big shows on the calendar) and work out what the main storyline for the cycle is going to be. I'll then work out my subsidiary storylines - I like to have about four running, of various prominences - and when and how they'll start. Intertwining storylines is fun, so I'll have a couple of shows where the paths cross. I work to a calendar with all my major shows on, and add the matches and plot points as I go. By the time it comes to writing the show, I'll probably have between ten and fifteen points listed, which will form the outline fo the show - matches, angles and so on. I find it helps to have a goal in mind. I know, for example, what the main event of the my big show in October 2011 will be - and have done so since summer 2010. It may change over time, but it gives me something to work to. This is originally how the WWE used to plan its years, building to the big climax at WM, although in recent years of course there's been more and more shows on the calendar and WM doesn't necessarily get the full year-long build anymore...

[lazorbeak]

[QUOTE=benjacko;486619]Something i've wondered about is how people set out their storylines and plans for their diaries. Do you use a pad and pen or a word document and how do you set things out?.[/QUOTE] I don't subscribe to the whole "know next year's main event" philosophy; there's too many variables for me to take the time to write something like that down. I don't know who's going to be working for me in 12 months, half the time. Stuff like injuries, behavior and chemistry can change plans on the fly. I also don't book outcomes in about 70% of my matches, and I keep most storyline ideas in my head. But, when it comes time to actually writing the diary, I've already booked out at least a few weeks ahead (usually to the next PPV), so that I can properly foreshadow individual storylines, similar to a mystery writer starting with the ending and working backwards.

[Purple Cowboy]

[QUOTE=benjacko;486619]Something i've wondered about is how people set out their storylines and plans for their diaries. Do you use a pad and pen or a word document and how do you set things out?.[/QUOTE] Recently I've been using a spreadsheet with tabs for each of my workers so I can chart good/bad chemistry, match dates, times & grades, etc.. After a few months of booking I get a pretty good base of information to consult for future cards (if I haven't bungled things up too much by that point, of course!).

[Bigpapa42]

Just a suggestion from a reader... After reading previous comments (here and elsewhere) that taking over a promotion and signing a bunch of new indy talent is unrealistic and unreasonable, I have to disagree to an extent. I think its a possibility to make it work in a somewhat realistic sense. Depending on how a new booker is being introduced, its reasonable that it could represent a period of changeover for a promotion. Having half the roster replaced is not realistic, and neither is having 15 more wrestlers than you need. And while I can see the appeal of "working with what you have", promotions do make changes, so a major change like the booker could certainly be a catalyst for some roster changes as well. If you are creative with it, I think it can work. To give an example, in my current SWF game (I'm doing an off-site "franchise report" on it), I signed a whole bunch of young guys. The "real world" storyline to justify it is that Eisen is worried about "generational turnover" since a lot of top SWF guys are 30+. So he snaps up a bunch of the future stars, creating what he dubs "Generation Supreme" of guys under 25 at the start - which also provides the name for a new B TV show! Only a couple start out on the main roster - most go down to RIPW. They debut gradually, one or two a month, and usually with good reason and decent story behind each. I think there's a lot you can get away with in a diary - whether its doing the prototypical things like signing a bunch of new talent, reusing old storylines, etc - if you can do it with just a bit of creativity.

[shipshirt]

[QUOTE=Bigpapa42;487340] To give an example, in my current SWF game (I'm doing an off-site "franchise report" on it), I signed a whole bunch of young guys. The "real world" storyline to justify it is that Eisen is worried about "generational turnover" since a lot of top SWF guys are 30+. So he snaps up a bunch of the future stars, creating what he dubs "Generation Supreme" of guys under 25 at the start - which also provides the name for a new B TV show! Only a couple start out on the main roster - most go down to RIPW. [B]They debut gradually, one or two a month, and usually with good reason and decent story behind each[/B]. [/QUOTE] Well, that's the key right there and is the difference between what you're talking about and what the other posters are referring to. From my reading, they are talking about taking over a promotion and completely retooling the roster in less than a month's game time.

[scorpion]

[QUOTE=shipshirt;487350]Well, that's the key right there and is the difference between what you're talking about and what the other posters are referring to. From my reading, they are talking about taking over a promotion and completely retooling the roster in less than a month's game time.[/QUOTE] Exactly. There is nothing wrong with the approach BigPapa outlined. On the other hand, if the first post reads like this: [I]Having been handed the reigns of WWE, I fired Bradshaw, Mark Henry and every other wrestler smarks hate and signed the entire roster of RoH to replace them.[/I] I won't read past the first post. On a similar note, and this may just be me, but I can't get into scenario diaries where the person puts all cards in their favor. For example: [I]Shane and Vince have a falling out and every popular and talented worker is now on my roster.[/I] If your going to create a scenario, make it challenging. It makes it more interesting to read.

[lazorbeak]

[QUOTE=scorpion;487374]Exactly. There is nothing wrong with the approach BigPapa outlined. On the other hand, if the first post reads like this: [I]Having been handed the reigns of WWE, I fired Bradshaw, Mark Henry and every other wrestler smarks hate and signed the entire roster of RoH to replace them.[/I] I won't read past the first post. On a similar note, and this may just be me, but I can't get into scenario diaries where the person puts all cards in their favor. For example: [I]Shane and Vince have a falling out and every popular and talented worker is now on my roster.[/I] If your going to create a scenario, make it challenging. It makes it more interesting to read.[/QUOTE] Man, you make it sound like so much fun, I almost want to start up a WWE diary. On top of firing those lugs, I'll give Sean O'Haire the push he always deserved, push Jamie Noble into the title picture, feud Bryan Danielson and Christopher Daniels in the main event, have the Undertaker job to Kane, and have my user character start a relationship with Mickie James or Kelly Kelly (but fire the rest of the division, because smarks hate girls). Plus, it'll have backstage segments where respected WWE staff members are revealed to be semi-literate morons, barely capable of speech (and Michael Hayes). Even though my shows will probably suck, Vince will defend me in every meeting, giving me the love my (I mean, my character's) father never gave me. Also, when my user character's not banging a women's champion or high fiving Vince McMahon, he's a raging alcoholic and drug addict, because that's also cool. Plus, I'm going to hire Paul Heyman and let him book ECW. Oops, I'm canceling ECW and merging it with Smackdown. He can have that. Oh, and I got the job from a surprise phone call during a high-stakes game of poker. On the subject of new talent: [quote=Bigpapa42]After reading previous comments (here and elsewhere) that taking over a promotion and signing a bunch of new indy talent is unrealistic and unreasonable, [B]I have to disagree[/B] to an extent.[/quote] Actually, I think you agree with me. [quote=lazorbeak]try not to [U]immediately [/U]fire ten guys while bringing in every 'indy darling' you can get your hands on [U]without a reason[/U].[/quote] You set up a system where you introduced some new guys, staggered over the course of several months, as storylines dictate? That's hardly an immediate, purposeless addition.

[scorpion]

lazorbeak, just to clarify, you do know I was in agreement you, right?

[ColtCabana]

[QUOTE=shamelessposer;486672]I'd never thought to use tvtropes.org as a way to mine for story ideas, and I've been reading it for months. [B] A warning to newcomers, though: It's the kind of site where you'll suddenly look up and realize you've been following links to other articles for the last eight hours.[/B][/QUOTE] That's what happened to me last night :o

[G-Prime]

[QUOTE=ColtCabana;487424]That's what happened to me last night :o[/QUOTE] It happened to me one week. Every night, it's all I did.

[James Casey]

*Raises hand* Same here... I was up 'til nearly two am on Tuesday night and, given that monday night I didn't sleep 'til one and was up at half-six, I'm still feeling a bit slleep deprived. All that, and Mafia too... Damn you, infinity!!! :p And if I was booking WWE (never again, the only game I ever got fired on was a SmackDown diary game :() The only major change I'd make would be building genuine tag divisions on at least two of the three brands. Oh, and having Jamie Noble win the odd match again. Ditto Scotty Goldman, if he hasn't started winning yet. SWF, on the other hand... :p

[NoNeck]

I think that realizing that you're putting something out for public consumption is just as valid a tip as doing it for your own enjoyment. Not that they are mutally exclusive positions, but the folks that read and leave comments in my diary are constantly making me think like a viewer/reader rather than as the writer behind it. In some ways, I get so married to my ideas that I can paint myself into corners without realizing it. But the readers are always there to point out when I'm bunking someone a lot, or have forgotten about someone that seemed to be getting a push or having a story, etc, so I try to give them the courtesy of listening to their ideas and incorporating the best ones as often as I can. How badass would it be if you could tell the WWE each week what you liked and didn't like and every once in a while you saw them do something that was done entirely to make you in particular mark out? They can't, but I can. :cool: I guess my point is that saying you do it for yourself is great, but for me, the interaction has been the coolest part by far. Otherwise, I would echo a lot of what the folks on here have already said, especially concerning characterization. Awesome characters in bland situations will hold my interest a lot longer bland characters in awesome situations. This is a great thread, by the way. Good idea.

[juggaloninjalee]

I really am enjoying this thread. I find myself doing diaries occasionally only to find myself disappointed because I dont like the characters I have developed or I feel it just isnt good enough for me to display.

[shipshirt]

[QUOTE=NoNeck;487731] I guess my point is that saying you do it for yourself is great, but for me, the interaction has been the coolest part by far. [/QUOTE] I agree 100% on this. I do the diary for myself to entertain me as a way to relax...but by the same token, I also want the people taking time out of their day to read it to enjoy it and get into the storylines and characters. Hearing what people like (and even what they didn't) is a lot of fun. Also, another way to get ideas for storylines is to WATCH and READ ABOUT old school wrestling. There are a ton of good storylines from 20-30 years ago that you can adapt or just outright do as is in current settings. You'll also get ideas for ways to branch off or adapt them as well.