History Administrivia / TLPGuidelines

* '''The Draft Must Have Five More Hats Than Bombs:''' The ability to launch the draft opens up when a draft gets five hats ''total'', but this is a result of outdated design and not the accepted standard for launching. If you want your draft to launch without being shot down, you need five ''net'' hats -- five more hats than bombs.\\\

* '''An Introduction:''' There's a number of ways to introduce your trope draft -- you can make it funny, informative, insightful, or all of the above -- so we won't inundate you with suggestions. It's worth noting, however, that "ExampleAsThesis" introductions -- in which a hypothetical example (usually starring AliceAndBob) is presented as the introduction and/or the trope description -- is widely frowned upon as it's a very weak and potentially confusing way of introducing an article. You can ''sometimes'' get away with that, but it's better to avoid it.\\\

** Enter the trope title on the launch page exactly as it will appear in the page's header. Do not [=WikiWord=] it. For example, if you're launching a page titled "Title Of The Page", enter it as Title Of The Page rather than [=TitleOfThePage=]; the wiki software will make it a WikiWord for you.

** Due to the way {{Wiki Word}}s work on this site, punctuation of any kind will not work. The most common example of this is the dreaded apostrophe; you must use "cannot", or "cant" and [[Administrivia/HowToMakeACustomTitle add the apostrophe after launch]].

* '''Drafts involving FetishFuel and/or [[Administrivia/TheContentPolicyAndThe5PCircuit 5P Violations]]:''' There was a time when this some of this stuff was allowed on TV Tropes, however begrudgingly. It eventually made sizable portions of the site ''borderline unreadable'' for all the creepiness involved, and it ''nearly tanked the site entirely'' by causing advertisers to pull support. Suffice it to say, any draft containing these will be throttled on sight.\\\

* '''The Draft Must Have Twelve Wicks:''' That is, there must be twelve other pages that you can link to and link back from. Wicks are links that connect TVTropes pages together, and twelve is considered the bare minimum for a healthy launch. Without a decent number of wicks, your newly launched page is not likely to ever thrive. If you have the required ten examples and you know of at least two other pages or indexes to crosswick with, you're golden.\\\

'''This page does not cover how to create or launch TLP drafts; it merely outlines the guidelines and customs of the TLP. For specific advice on how to create, handle, and launch drafts, visit Sandbox/HowToCreateAndLaunchTLPDrafts.'''

!The TLP Code of Conduct:

'''All rules that apply to TV Tropes as a whole apply to the TLP.''' In addition to those, there are some rules specific to working in the TLP, as it involves working with other tropers more closely and directly than on the main wiki. The Iron Rules are the really serious, "you will be suspended or banned if you do this" stuff; the rest are guidelines to make everyone's life on the TLP easier -- including yours.

* '''Don't Spam Drafts''': "Draft Spam" can refer to three things, all of which are rude at best and suspendible at worst:

* '''Don't Launch Any Draft Prematurely:''' If your draft doesn't fit all the criteria for launching ([[Sandbox/HowToCreateAndLaunchTLPDrafts explained here]]), then don't launch it. If a mod has to unlaunch your draft because you got impatient, you're practically guaranteed a suspension.\\\

* '''Be Willing to Cooperate and Listen:''' The TLP is governed by consensus. You can't ignore other people's concerns just because you don't like them. If you aren't willing to listen and work with others, then the TLP is not for you. Your experience will be frustrating at best, and completely hamstringed at worst.\\\

** '''Do not''' dogpile, mass-bomb, spam comments, or troll the discussion. We understand everyone enjoys a bit of ''schadenfreude'' from time to time, but ''instigating it'' is incredibly rude if not outright ''bullying'', reflects poorly on our community, and takes up attention which could more productively be given to other drafts and editors.

[[/folder]]


!What Drafts Are Allowed in TLP?

TLP is the place all new tropes and major indexes namespace are created. If it uses the '''Main/''' namespace, it has to go through the TLP wringer before it can be published. However, you can use the TLP to workshop other page types, though you can't launch them directly from the TLP.

[[folder:Drafts ALLOWED in TLP]]

* '''Trope Pages:''' These pages describe and list examples of ''tropes''.\\\

* '''Major Indexes:''' These are pages consisting primarily of links to tropes or works grouped together by a common characteristic or theme.\\\

* '''Work, UsefulNotes, JustForFun, and Other Pages:''' You don't ''have'' to put these pages through the TLP to launch them, but you certainly ''can'' if you feel like you need help with them.\\\
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Drafts NOT ALLOWED in TLP]]

* '''Redirects:''' A redirect is nothing more than an alternate link to a page, so workshopping it in the TLP would be a waste of everyone's time. If you want to request a redirect to a trope or index, do so in [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=gsjp7dldjh2dwdelcha2hu17&page=1 this thread]]. If you ''really'' feel a need to run a redirect idea past the tropermind before asking the mods to make it, you can use [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=16021926500A71056100 this other thread]]. If you want a redirect to some other kind of page, you can [[Administrivia/CreatingNewRedirects create it yourself]]. It takes less than a minute and is quite easy.\\\

* '''Administrivia or Policy-Related Drafts:''' As site policy is not a matter of popular vote, the TLP is not the place to discuss it. If you want to do that, go to [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/conversations.php?topic=0000000000000000000000f3 Wiki Talk]].\\\
[[/folder]]

!Contributing to Existing Drafts:

* '''Guidelines for Hats and Bombs:'''
** Technically, you should use hats ''only'' to signify that you think a draft is ready to launch. Likewise, Bombs are intended ''only'' to signify that a draft needs work: either it's unsalvageable and needs to be discarded, or there's an issue that would prevent a valid launch.
** ''In practice'', however, people use hats to mean anything from "launch now" to "I just like the idea," and throw bombs for a similarly wide range of reasons.
** Therefore, if you add a hat or a bomb, explain ''why'' you felt the draft deserved it. It's the only way the sponsor will know why you are reacting that way, and it's the polite thing to do.\\\

[[folder:The Adoption Alternative]]

* '''Before Making Your Own Draft, Consider Adopting One:''' The TLP is home to thousands of drafts in varying states of completion, and almost all of them have been abandoned for one reason or another. Some of them are even quite good, and most of the heavy lifting is already done -- they just need some elbow grease and polish. If you want to get your feet wet in the TLP pool without diving in head-first, try adopting one.\\\

* '''Follow the [[Sandbox/HowToCreateAndLaunchTLPDrafts Proper Procedure]] to Launch Your Adopted Trope:''' Regardless of whether you're its original or adoptive sponsor, your draft must meet the criteria for launch and have the proper post-launch maintenance done. For detailed information on what needs to be done before, during, and after your launch, check out the relevant sections of Sandbox/HowToCreateAndLaunchTLPDrafts.

!Miscellaneous Useful Information:

The TLP and its user base have many quirks and particulars not covered by the above sections. Here's some information that we think is good to know, as virtually all of it could save you some headaches or heartaches down the line.

[[folder:"Dead On Arrival" Drafts]]

* '''[[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/query.php?type=tf Trope Finder]] Queries and Other Non-Drafts:''' TLP is not for asking if we have a trope, nor is it for asking someone else to make a draft. If you want something done on the TLP, ''you'' have to do it. We're willing to help, but it's neither polite nor fair to expect someone else to do your dirty work for you. If you have an idea for a trope but don't feel capable of creating the draft yourself, you can add your idea to the Administrivia/TropeIdeaSalvageYard, but there's no guarantee anyone will adopt it in a timely manner...or at all.\\\

* '''Blanks, One-Line Wonders, and Other Zero-Effort Drafts:''' The TLP community is generally willing to work with those who are willing to listen, cooperate, and ''put in the effort''. Drafts that clearly have very little work or thought put into them -- especially those with one-sentence descriptions -- tend to get cluster-bombed immediately no matter how good the underlying idea is.\\\

* '''Complaint Magnets & FlameBait:''' "Complaint Magnet" is the term for drafts that, intentionally or not, seem custom-made for encouraging Administrivia/ComplainingAboutShowsYouDontLike. FlameBait, similarly, describes drafts that are all but guaranteed to start fights. These drafts tend to be more trouble than they're worth, if they're even actual ''tropes'' at all. Negative YMMV and Audience Reactions tend to dominate this category (which is why they're generally no longer accepted), but so can actual ''trope'' drafts if they're overly negative or clearly have an agenda.\\\

* '''[[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement Drafts that Violate ROCEJ]]:''' Some tropes relate to, or are based on, real-world events. We recognize and respect that. However, drafts that are excessively socially or politically provocative are destined for the dustbin. As with Complaint Magnets, no one wants to keep cleaning up the mess these drafts will eventually create.\\\

* '''Drafts involving FetishFuel and/or [[Administrivia/TheContentPolicyAndThe5PCircuit 5P Violations]]:''' There was a time when this some of this stuff was allowed on TV Tropes, however begrudgingly. It eventually made sizable portions of the site ''borderline unreadable'' for all the creepiness involved, and it ''nearly tanked the site entirely'' by causing advertisers to pull support. Suffice it to say, any draft containing these will be throttled on sight.\\\

* '''StockPhrases:''' The Administrivia/NoNewStockPhrases page lists six reasons why they don't work. They're not usually popular tropes, tend to lack meaning, and frequently mislead people into thinking it's just about saying the phrase. This does not mean tropes that tend to involve dialogue don't work, ObviouslyNotFine is one, but they tend to have more than just saying one line.\\\

* '''"Sliding Scale" or "Sorting Algorithim" Drafts:''' These drafts are no longer accepted because too many were being proposed, and almost none of them were any good. In fact, most of them weren't even ''actual'' sliding scales so much as disjointed collections of trope variations. You can propose one if you ''really'' want to, but unless you have an ''intensely convincing'' reason that we need it, its chances of making it to launch are close to nil.\\\

[[folder:The Most Common Reasons Drafts Fail]]

* '''[[Administrivia/NotATrope They're Not Tropes]]:''' A lot of people confuse "something that happens in a show" with "a trope." Tropes are storytelling devices that have a deliberate effect on the narrative or how it's perceived. They have meaning and form patterns. See Administrivia/NotATrope and Administrivia/PeopleSitOnChairs for more information.\\\

* '''[[Administrivia/YesWeDoHaveThisOne We Already Have Them]]:''' There's not much more to say here. If we already have a trope, there's no reason to workshop an exact or near-exact copy.\\\

* '''They're Too Similar to Existing Tropes:''' Tropes should be clearly defined, [[Administrivia/TropesAreFlexible but they have some degree of flexibility]]. Minor variations of a trope aren't considered worth their own page unless you can show that the differences are sufficiently meaningful, or that there's enough examples of that one variation to justify splitting the page. Instances of PlayingWithATrope, Administrivia/TheSameButMore, and Administrivia/TheSameButMoreSpecific are generally considered non-pageworthy.\\\

* '''They're Poorly Written:''' No one expects utter perfection on a first draft, but we do expect drafts to be competently written. If your description is unclear or confusing, your syntax is riddled with spelling and grammar mistakes, or your draft is improperly formatted, that all-important first impression will not be a good one. While it is sometimes ''possible'' for a draft to come back from a poor start, a bad first impression will make getting to launch that much harder. A ''really'' bad start may force you to start over from scratch.\\\

* '''They Lack Fictional Examples:''' While many tropes allow RealLife examples for fun, a draft with mostly non-fictional examples isn't going to pass muster. Tropes are ''devices or techniques used in storytelling''; therefore, something that doesn't occur in creative media frequently enough to be meaningful is not actually a trope. On a related note, attempting to trope the private lives of artists or creators is expressly forbidden -- stick to their work, please.\\\

* '''They're Too Broad:''' It's true that some tropes have very broad definitions -- especially {{Supertrope}}s -- and Administrivia/NoTropeIsTooCommon. But some trope proposals are so broad that they're not well-defined or meaningful. Some common examples include tropes of the [[Administrivia/PeopleSitOnChairs "this exists" variety]], and meaningless PersonalAppearanceTropes.\\\

* '''[[Administrivia/TooRareToTrope They're Overly Specific]]:''' If your trope idea is so ridiculously specific that only a handful of examples could ever possibly fit, then you're reaching Administrivia/NotATrope territory. Tropes are ''patterns''. It's not a trope if it's only ever been used once. It's not a trope if only one creator uses it.\\\

[[folder:Other Uses of the TLP]]

* '''Trope Repair Shop Activities:''' From time to time, the Trope Repair Shop will elect to bring an existing trope page for various reasons. The procedure is generally not much different from normal.
** ''Repairing A Page'': If a page has extensive problems, it may be brought to TLP to see if the issues can be resolved via workshopping.
** ''Replacing A Page'': In some cases, TRS may elect to completely replace an old trope page with one more in line with current standards, and use TLP for that purpose.
** ''Splitting A Page'': If TRS decides that a page needs to be divided into multiple tropes, TLP may be used to create those new pages.
** ''Gathering Examples'': If a trope isn't thriving -- having few examples and/or wicks -- it may be sent to TLP to see if more examples can be obtained.\\\

* '''Workshopping Non-Trope Pages:'''
** Non-trope pages, such as Work, UsefulNotes, and JustForFun pages are all allowed on TLP for workshopping. However, it's important to note that these pages ''cannot be launched the same way a trope can''. To launch a non-trope page from TLP, you must manually copy and paste the page source into the proper namespace, then discard the draft.

** The TLP can't handle certain special characters, so it converts them to strings of garbage text. To make it even weirder, these strings of garbage get ''longer'' each time the draft is saved. While several special characters cause this, the most common by far are curved quotation marks; straight quotation marks should be used as they do not cause this issue. \\\

** The TLP didn't always exist, and it wasn't always as strict as it is now. We're working on some of those old, bad trope pages...but we only have so much manpower willing to do that particular job, so it may be a while before we get to any specific page. If you want to help, go to Trope Repair Shop and get cracking. They're always ready for more hands.\\\

[[/folder]]

* '''Contribute by Replying to the Thread:''': To contribute to a draft, the accepted procedure is to include your examples, suggestions, and brainstorming to replies in the thread, and wait for the draft sponsor to add them. A handful of tropers will invite contributors to edit the draft directly, but they're the exception rather than the rule.\\\

* '''[[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/query.php?type=tf Trope Finder]] Queries and Other Non-Drafts:''' TLP is not for asking if we have a trope, nor is it for asking someone else to make a draft. If you want something done on the TLP, ''you'' have to do it. We're willing to help, but it's neither polite nor fair to expect someone else to do your dirty work for you. If you have an idea for a trope but don't feel capable of creating the draft yourself, you can add your idea to the Sandbox/TropeIdeaSalvageYard, but there's no guarantee anyone will adopt it in a timely manner...or at all.\\\