History Administrivia / HowToWriteAnExample

* '''Do Not Use Comment Tags to Pre-hide Examples:''' While existing examples that violate a rule, such as Administrivia/{{ZeroContextExample}}s or uncited examples for works that haven't released, may be hidden with comment tags to encourage users to fix them, '''''never''''' add a new example that is already commented out. It's considered lazy, sneaky, and underhanded, and repeated offenses lead to quick suspensions.

* '''Do Not Use Comment Tags:''' While existing examples that violate a rule, such as Administrivia/{{Zero Context Example}}s, may be hidden with comment tags to encourage users to fix them, '''never''' add a new example that is commented out. Don't do it. Ever. At all. We mean it.

** '''Be Specific:''' There are some things that are nearly universal with a medium, ExecutiveMeddling being one of them. But saying "An interview with person X reveals that there was a lot of ExecutiveMeddling going on" and [[Administrivia/ZeroContextExample not explaining it is ultimately an empty example.]] We want to know ''what'' was screwed around with and even the ''why'', even if it doesn't make sense.

** '''Use Weblinks Sparingly:''' Direct links to the source can be nice, but many are unreliable as [=YouTube=] videos get taken down or entire websites go under. Too many links run into the same problem as AllBlueEntry, but also takes people ''away from TV Tropes''. See also ''Administrivia/WeblinksAreNotExamples''.

* '''Don't Write Reviews:''' Outside of the [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/review_activity.php Reviews Section]], that is. Explaining why your favorite show is the best thing ever is fine; FanMyopia thrives off of this. But a trope is just a trope. Using one trope will not [[TropesAreTools improve or destroy]] the quality of your favorite show. Reviewing the episode where a trope was used is usually off topic and unnecessary to give the example. Sometimes these reviews come across as "this trope was used here, but they made it ''awesome.''" with no description of how it was used. As well, that's why we have the Review feature now.

* '''Being an example of a trope is neither a badge of honor nor a mark of shame:''' TropesAreTools. If your favorite show has a perfectly fitting example in a trope [[PetPeeveTrope you think is bad]], it isn't going to magically make the show worse. Conversely, don't rush to try to include examples of your favorite in tropes you think are good, especially if, as previously noted, they don't really fit. In fact, if you recognize a "bad" trope being used by a work you love, be the one to list it first. That way you have the chance to explain it properly instead of letting someone else use it to rant. It's not going to make the show better if it's part of all the good tropes. A show is good or bad on its own terms.

** '''The Trope is Most Important:''' Listing every episode a CatchPhrase is said becomes a list of episodes, not describing trope examples. Likewise giving exact details of where, when and how a WordOfGod statement came about is WordCruft.

* '''Make Sure it's Relevant:''' {{Entry Pimp}}ing is extremely common among editors new and old, and is the main reason most of us know anything about ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', but it is not without its downside. Sometimes we think we understand a trope better than we do and wind up [[SquarePegRoundTrope 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 BadassLongcoat is about ''the garment'', not the person wearing it. Your example should be more about the coat than the person. Also, think twice before citing an entire work as an example of a trope normally applied to individual characters.

* '''Keep it Brief:''' Administrivia/BrevityIsWit. No one wants to read WallsOfText. Overlong 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.

* '''Don't Use WordCruft:''' Phrases like "Possibly subverted in..." or "<Show X> might qualify" make the example look wishy-washy and add no informational content. If you want to add an example and you're not 100% sure about the details, then either:

** '''Right:''' In episode 24, Alice slaps Bob for something he did in episode 22.
** '''Wrong:''' In episode 24, Alice slapped Bob for something he did in episode 22.

* '''Administrivia/ExamplesAreNotArguable:''' Do not coat examples in words like "arguably" or "to some". A trope is either used or not used. If you can't make a case beyond a work "debatably" using a certain trope, don't list it. Even on [[YMMV.HomePage YMMV]] pages there is no need to do this because everything is already subjective anyway, making the inclusion of words like "arguably" [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment redundant]]. Don't write "arguable examples".

* '''Avoid Irrelevant Potholing and References:''' We know Creator/JewelStaite 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 [[JustForFun/TVTropesWillRuinYourVocabulary wiki injokes and terminology]] (like so). Around here, we have come to refer to the "bad" sort as Administrivia/{{Sinkhole}}s.

* '''Don't Speculate, Don't Prognosticate:''' You may have a good reason for assuming the trope will be used in a show eventually, but if you haven't '''seen''' the trope in the work, [[ShapedLikeItself you haven't seen the trope used in the work]], whether it's because the creators haven't put it in yet, because [[AvertedTrope they're not going to put it in]], or because you haven't actually seen the work in question (particularly because [[Administrivia/CreatingAWorkPageForAnUpcomingWork it hasn't actually been released yet]]). If and when you actually see the trope used, add it -- but not before. By the same token, don't say "used in pretty much every [genre] work," particularly if you haven't seen literally all of them and can confirm that it's in them.

* '''Don't Speculate, Don't Prognosticate:''' You may have a good reason for assuming the trope will be used in a show eventually, but if you haven't '''seen''' the trope in the work, [[ShapedLikeItself you haven't seen the trope used in the work]], whether it's because the creators haven't put it in yet, because [[AvertedTrope they're not going to put it in]], or because you haven't actually seen the work in question. If and when you actually see the trope used, add it -- but not before. By the same token, don't say "used in pretty much every [genre] work," particularly if you haven't seen literally all of them and can confirm that it's in them.

* '''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, [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Administrivia/TakeItToTheForums we have the forums for that]]. It's about the trope. Stay focused on the trope. That's why we're all here.

* [[#StateTheSource]]'''State the source:''' The name of the work the example comes from should be clearly stated, ideally near the beginning of the example. Work names require emphasis, and should also be put under the proper '''Administrivia/{{namespace}}''' (ex. [=''VideoGame/TombRaider''=] will give you ''VideoGame/TombRaider'', [=''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}''=] will give ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}''). 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. Authors’ names are also acceptable when referring collectively to multiple series by them.

* [[#StateTheSource]]'''State the source:''' The name of the work the example comes from should be clearly stated, ideally near the beginning of the example. Work names require emphasis, and should also be put under the proper '''Administrivia/{{namespace}}''' (ex. [=''VideoGame/TombRaider''=] will give you ''VideoGame/TombRaider'', [=''Film/{{Brave}}''=] will give ''Film/{{Brave}}''). 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. Authors’ names are also acceptable when referring collectively to multiple series by them.

* [[#StateTheSource]]'''State the source:''' The name of the work the example comes from should be clearly stated, ideally near the beginning of the example. Work names require emphasis, and should also be put under the proper '''Administrivia/{{namespace}}''' (ex. [=''VideoGame/TombRaider''=] will give you ''VideoGame/TombRaider'', [=''Film/{{Titanic 1997}}''=] will give ''Film/{{Titanic 1997}}''). 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. Authors’ names are also acceptable when referring collectively to multiple series by them.

* '''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 Franchise/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.

* '''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 Franchise/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 Administrivia/{{Natter}}.

* '''...[[Administrivia/ZeroContextExample But Not Too Brief]]:''' Remember, examples sections are more than just long lists of shows or tropes -- 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 Administrivia/SelfExplanatory unless it is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin (even then, err on the side of 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 TwoWordsAddedEmphasis Administrivia/{{SinkHole}}s, so please don't do that either. It's easy to [[FanMyopia 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 Write Reviews:''' Outside of the [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/review_activity.php Reviews Section]], that is. Explaining why your favorite show is the best thing ever is fine; FanMyopia thrives off of this. But a trope is just a trope. Using one trope will not [[TropesAreNotGood improve]] or [[TropesAreNotBad destroy]] the quality of your favorite show. Reviewing the episode where a trope was used is usually off topic and unnecessary to give the example. Sometimes these reviews come across as "this trope was used here, but they made it ''awesome.''" with no description of how it was used. As well, that's why we have the Review feature now.

* '''Being an example of a trope is neither a badge of honor nor a mark of shame:''' TropesAreNotBad, and TropesAreNotGood. If your favorite show has a perfectly fitting example in a trope [[PetPeeveTrope you think is bad]], it isn't going to magically make the show worse. Conversely, don't rush to try to include examples of your favorite in tropes you think are good, especially if, as previously noted, they don't really fit. In fact, if you recognize a "bad" trope being used by a work you love, be the one to list it first. That way you have the chance to explain it properly instead of letting someone else use it to rant. It's not going to make the show better if it's part of all the good tropes. A show is good or bad on its own terms.

* '''Don't Rock the Boat:''' Remember the RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement. Administrivia/{{Edit War}}s are no fun for anyone (except {{Wiki Vandal}}s, obviously), so keep that rant about geopolitics to yourself, or Administrivia/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]].

* '''Do Not Pothole the Trope Name:''' When adding a trope to a work page, always use the trope's correct, unaltered title (e.g. RedRightHand as "Red Right Paw" when troping a FunnyAnimal is [[Literature/NineteenEightyFour doubleplusungood]]). Potholing the trope name to be clever is way overdone, and causes problems with keeping the list alphabetical and with wick migration, among other things. There is ''slightly'' more leeway when incorporating a trope into a description. See Administrivia/{{Sinkhole}} for more details.

* '''Make Sure it's Accurate:''' At times there can be dozens of different tropes that describe very similar events. Be aware of those other tropes before you start shoving in wave after wave of examples into the wrong trope. We have the CanonicalListOfSubtleTropeDistinctions just for that purpose. It is also very easy to go ranting about whatever problem a specific production may have without realizing that your comment is in fact the antithesis of what the trope is about. So in a trope about, say... VisualEffectsOfAwesome, there is no need to go about and list every SpecialEffectsFailure in the movies listed as having generally great special effects. There is a reason there are multiple pages on the subject; list where it is appropriate.

* '''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. It's lazy, causes duplicate examples to pop up when other tropers notice that a given trope is missing from its proper alphabetical position, not realizing it's slashed with another trope, creates confusion when there are multiple examples (which examples apply to which trope?), and overall just looks bad. If two or more tropes apply to a contextual description, put each trope separately in its correct place. If you see this happening a lot with the same few tropes, it may be a sign of MissingSupertropeSyndrome.

* '''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. It's lazy, causes duplicate examples to pop up when other tropers notice that a given trope is missing from its proper alphabetical position, not realizing it's slashed with another trope, creates confusion when there are multiple examples (which examples apply to which trope?), and overall just looks bad. If two or more tropes apply to a contextual description, put each trope separately in its correct place.

* '''Do Not Pothole the Trope Name:''' When adding a trope to a work page, always use the trope's correct, unaltered title (e.g. RedRightHand as "Red Right Paw" when troping a FunnyAnimal is [[Literature/NineteenEightyFour doubleplusungood]]). Potholing the trope name to be clever is way overdone, and causes problems with keeping the list alphabetical and with wick migration, among other things. There is ''slightly'' more leeway when incorporating a trope into a description. See Administrivia/SinkHole for more details.

* '''Make A Point, Don't Complain:''' Administrivia/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.

* '''Avoid Irrelevant Potholing and References:''' We know Creator/JewelStaite 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.

* '''...[[Administrivia/ZeroContextExample But Not Too Brief]]:''' Remember, examples sections are more than just long lists of shows or tropes -- 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 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 TwoWordsAddedEmphasis Administrivia/{{SinkHole}}s, so please don't do that either. It's easy to [[FanMyopia 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.

* '''...[[Administrivia/ZeroContextExample But Not Too Brief]]:''' Remember, examples sections are more than just long lists of shows or tropes -- 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 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 TwoWordsAddedEmphasis {{SinkHole}}s, so please don't do that either. It's easy to [[FanMyopia 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.

* '''Write From A Generic Time Frame:''' Don't be surprised that an example has not been listed -- just list it yourself. Saying "This Troper is surprised that (show/movie/anime/webcomic) has not been listed yet..." then going on to talk about it is nonsensical because, hey, now we have. Your "Surprised it is not listed yet" example may become closer to the top of the page instead of the bottom within a few weeks time.

* '''Administrivia/ExamplesAreNotArguable:''' Do not coat examples in words like "arguably" or "to some". A trope is either used or not used. If you can't make a case beyond there being a work "debatably" using a certain trope, don't list it. Even on [[YMMV.HomePage YMMV]] pages there is no need to do this because everything is already subjective anyway, making the inclusion of words like "arguably" [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment redundant]]. Don't write "arguable examples".