History Administrivia / HowToWriteAnExample

* '''Do Not Add Multiple Tropes With A Slash/Adding Multiple Tropes With A Slash Is Bad:''' See what we did there? Don't do that either. If two or more tropes apply to a contextual description, put each trope separately in its correct place.

* '''State the source:''' The name of the work the example comes from should be clearly stated, ideally near the beginning of the example. The name should be either italicized or put in quotes depending on the medium (if you're not sure which to use, see what someone else did for a work in the same medium). The work's name should also be put under the proper '''Administrivia/{{namespace}}''' (ex. [=VideoGame/TombRaider=] will give you VideoGame/TombRaider, [=Film/{{Titanic}}=] will give Film/{{Titanic}}). Listing a character name, episode name, or actor's name is no substitute for the series name. (No, not even if you PotHole it.) Listing a well known quote and leaving it at that is also clumsy. Being clever is always fun but being ''clear'' is much more important. Author's names are also acceptable when referring collectively to multiple series by them.

* '''Avoid Irrelevant Potholing and References:''' We know Jewel Staite was in ''{{Series/Firefly}}'', so why does nearly every ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' example featuring her character have a PotHole to an unrelated show? A {{pothole}} can be very much like its real world version, an annoying bump in the road. It should be used to help the flow of the information without flooding the reader with [[TVTropesWillRuinYourVocabulary wiki injokes and terminology]] (like so). Around here, we have come to refer to the "bad" sort as Administrivia/{{Sinkhole}}s.

* '''Avoid Irrelevant Potholing and References:''' We know Jewel Staite was in ''{{Firefly}}'', so why does nearly every ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' example featuring her character have a PotHole to an unrelated show? A {{pothole}} can be very much like its real world version, an annoying bump in the road. It should be used to help the flow of the information without flooding the reader with [[TVTropesWillRuinYourVocabulary wiki injokes and terminology]] (like so). Around here, we have come to refer to the "bad" sort as Administrivia/{{Sinkhole}}s.

* '''Do Not Add Multiple Tropes With A Slash/Adding Multiple Tropes With A Slash Is Bad:''' See what we did there? Don't do that. If two or more tropes apply to a contextual description, put each trope separately in its correct place.

* '''Do Not Add Multiple Tropes With A Slash/Adding Multiple Tropes With A Slash Is Bad:''' See what we did there? Don't do that. If two or more tropes apply to a contextual description, put each trope separately in its correct place.

* '''Do ''Not'' Group ''Tropes''''' under a {{supertrope}} header. Among perennial problem children in this regard are tropes like {{Badass}} and FiveManBand. List each individual trope example separately in its proper order. There's a section in Administrivia/ExampleIndentationInTropeLists covering this case.

* '''Do Not Add Multiple Tropes On One Example Line/Adding Multiple Tropes With A Slash Is Bad:''' See what we did there? Don't do that. If two or more tropes apply to a contextual description, put each trope separately in its correct place.

* '''Have Fun!''': Seriously, don't stress the rules and relax. We're mostly pretty chill here. As long as you don't go trashing entries or peeing on other tropers' lawns, we'll forgive just about anything. Seriously. Even the administrators are the type of people who'd [[TheMessiah give their shoes to a man on the street if he asked nicely enough]].

* '''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.

* '''Avoid Irrelevant Potholing and References:''' We know Jewel Staite was in ''{{Firefly}}'', so why does nearly every ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' example featuring her character have a PotHole to an unrelated show? A {{pothole}} can be very much like its real world version, an annoying bump in the road. It should be used to help the flow of the information without flooding the reader with [[TVTropesWillRuinYourVocabulary wiki injokes and terminology]] (like so). Around here, we have come to refer to the "bad" sort as {{Sinkhole}}s.

* '''Keep It An Example:''' Making a blanket statement on the behavior of '70s LiveActionTV may be interesting information, but it technically doesn't add anything new as an example. If you feel the information is important, then add it to the description (or the {{Analysis}} subpage) instead of the examples. Examples are about specific works and instances in them; the description is the general behavior of the trope. See Administrivia/NeedsABetterDescription.

** ''If the page is organized alphabetically'', put it in the correct alphabetical position.

* '''If the examples have been sorted, respect the sorting'''. Most pages for tropes are sorted by medium, while most pages for works are sorted alphabetically. Either way, new examples should go where they belong under the system. This helps the reader find them.
** ''If the page is organized alphabetically'', which is the preferred method, (eg [[CanonicalListOfSubtleTropeDistinctions Canonical List]]) put it in the correct alphabetical position
** ''If the page is organized by medium,'' put a new example in as the last example in that medium.

* '''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 Administrivia/ExampleIndentationInTropeLists.
** However, do not group related tropes under a {{supertrope}} header. Among perennial problem children in this regard are tropes like {{Badass}} and FiveManBand. List each individual trope example separately in its proper order.

* [[#KeepItAnExample]]'''Keep It An Example:''' Making a blanket statement on the behavior of '70s LiveActionTV may be interesting information, but it technically doesn't add anything new as an example. If you feel the information is important, then add it to the description (or the {{Analysis}} subpage) instead of the examples. Examples are about specific works and instances in them; the description is the general behavior of the trope. See Administrivia/NeedsABetterDescription.

* '''Don't Use Bad Markup:''' In particular, never, ''ever'' put [=[[redirect:]]=] markup within an example, as it will obliterate the trope entry. With practice, the markup language will become familiar. Check your entry after you edited it to make sure it worked out properly. You might be going for '''''BOLD and Italics''''' and end up just getting '''''Italics''. Double check trope links to make sure it isn't RedLinked. Try to avoid spending three editing sessions fixing your mistakes; use the Preview function to double-check your work before committing it.

* [[#KeepItAnExample]]'''Keep It An Example:''' Making a blanket statement on the behavior of '70s LiveActionTV may be interesting information, but it technically doesn't add anything new as an example. If you feel the information is important, then add it to the description instead of the examples. Examples are about specific works and instances in them; the description is the general behavior of the trope. See Administrivia/NeedsABetterDescription.

* '''Remember That This Is A Wiki:''' Therefore, you cannot rely on certain elements remaining on the page. Page quotes and images may be swapped out as tastes change and new works come out, so don't have an example specifically refer to information therein. Also, be very careful about starting an example with "Similarly," or "Like in the CareBears example above," if it isn't part of the same group. That example may get deleted, even if it seems like it wouldn't. This goes double on pages that aren't categorized by media yet; if the trope grows popular enough, media categories will be added, and suddenly the "above" example you were comparing it to is now three-quarters of the way down the page. Along a similar line, don't be surprised if someone slices and dices your example because half of it was {{Natter}}.

* '''...But Not [[Administrivia/ZeroContextExample Too Brief]]:''' Remember, examples sections are more than just long lists of shows -- they are here to ''serve as examples''. If you don't explain how a show used a given trope, what have you really said? Remember, nothing is SelfExplanatory unless it is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin (even then, err on the side of [[ViewersAreMorons readers are morons]] and explain it anyway). Unless it provides context, an example is just a series name floating in space, probably not worth much to anyone who doesn't already remember it (and what's the point of telling people something they already know?). Oh, and most of us are pretty sick of TwoWordsObviousTrope, so please don't do that either. It's easy to assume that everyone else is familiar with the same things you're familiar with, but this is usually not the case, so think before you break out the internal jargon and {{Fan Nickname}}s without explanation. There are still some people who don't know ItWasHisSled.

* '''Don't Project Yourself Into the Entry:''' It's not about you, it's about the trope. There's no need to mention yourself. Try to refrain from inserting examples that boil down to "something that happened to me/my mom/a friend of a friend of a friend" or "something that I/my mom/a friend of a friend of a friend thought/did/said." Avoid making personal comments if at all possible, such as "This troper is shocked that we haven't yet mentioned..." or "[[FanonDiscontinuity What are you talking about? There was no X]]." This might all seem very compelling to you, but most people don't care to read it. Most of all, the wiki isn't a place for you to soapbox about things that annoy you -- again, we have the forums for that. It's about the trope. Stay focused on the trope. That's why we're all here.

* '''Make A Point, Don't Complain:''' ComplainingAboutShowsYouDontLike is one of the most often used tropes thrown around on this wiki. A TakeThat remark in fiction often comes across as petty, but even more so when it is {{Pot Hole}}d into a comment by a random person on the internet. As an inversion, try to avoid gushing too.

* [[#KeepItAnExample]]'''Keep It An Example:''' Making a blanket statement on the behavior of '70s LiveActionTV may be interesting information, but it technically doesn't add anything new as an example. If you feel the information is important, then add it to the description instead of the examples. Examples are about specific works and instances in them; the description is the general behavior of the trope. See NeedsABetterDescription.

* '''Don't Rock the Boat:''' Remember the RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement. {{Edit War}}s are no fun for anyone (except {{Wiki Vandal}}s, obviously), so keep that rant about geopolitics to yourself, or TakeItToTheForums. Putting it where it doesn't belong accomplishes nothing besides raising tempers. If you decide to delete something that somebody else wrote, politely drop it into the discussion page with a justification -- nothing but the most blatant [[WikiVandal vandalism]] deserves a [[DriveByUpdater Drive By edit]].

Here at TV Tropes, we like to encourage editors to dive right in and add examples without forcing them to spend months lurking around and arduously studying proper editing [[Administrivia/TextFormattingRules form]] and [[GoodStyle style]]. 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.

* '''Keep it Brief:''' BrevityIsWit. No one wants to read WallsOfText. Over-long examples can encourage other tropers to carry on too long and can quickly turn a trope from a fun read to a long slog. Examples should have enough substance so that readers can get a relatively clear picture of how a given work used the trope in question, ''and no more.'' Don't bog the example down with unnecessary detail or canned analysis. Sometimes saying ItMakesSenseInContext is enough information. As a general rule, if you ever find yourself feeling the need to indent and start a new paragraph, chances are you've gone on too long. A quick way to shorten your example is to scan it and excise any WordCruft.