Arcadia:Format

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Arcadia posts follow a past tense, third-person point-of-view, but different writing styles, techniques and viewpoints are allowed and welcomed.  ("Script" format is generally discouraged, however.  It can be distracting to read, and this is not television.)

Here is Arcadia's posting format, established over the years.  If unsure how to format a post, use this as a rule of thumb.

introduction

A brief line establishing character, time, location.  Example:

[Stephen April – UFS Arcadia – following "(post title)"]

This is optional.  A good story establishes the character(s), and when & where the action takes place (and if not, it should – context is crucial).  If posts respond to or continue a previous post (written by the same person or another writer), the setting may already be established and fresh in the reader's mind (if a lengthy span of real time has not passed).  If time, location and viewpoint are established in the story, introductory headers may be unnecessary, but can be included at the writer's discretion.

body

Format the main body of the story in paragraphs or "<div>s" (if you know HTML).  Paragraphs may be separated by line breaks

like

this,

but indents are preferred for each new paragraph, without line breaks; e.g.

Use your 'tab' key to indent.

Double-space sentences: Tap the space-bar on your keyboard twice between sentences.

dialogue

When writing dialogue ("inside quotation marks"), each time a new character speaks, start a new paragraph.  If a new character enters a scene (or is present but has not spoken), use the same rule.  For example, in the following imaginary scene:

New dialog from a character who is already speaking does not necessitate a new paragraph. 

Break up long paragraphs, however, for ease of reading.

he said, she said

When characters talk, they use mouths and vocal chords.  Avoid expressive actions which make no sense; e.g.

"You're cute," he winked.  (His eye winks, not his mouth.)

Or,

"What a riot!" she laughed.  (She can't laugh and speak at the same time.)

Make these into separate sentences.

"You're cute."  He winked.

She laughed.  "What a riot!"

Dialogue doesn't require fancy emphasis.

"You're in trouble," he declared.  > change to: "You're in trouble," he said.  = Accomplishes the same objective.  Better yet: "You're in trouble."

Good dialog reveals a character without additional emphasis or description.  If you must specify that a character has spoken, stick to "he said", "she said".

setting

When switching to a new scene or setting, or following elapsed time, start a new section ('enter' twice on your keyboard).  The introductory header again applies.

end

At the end of a post, after the main body and all of the action is done, you have two options: "Tag" or "TBC".

• "Tags" cue another writer/character (one or more) to respond/continue where you left off: "Tag, (whoever)"  Unless it's explicitly obvious in the story that only certain characters can respond (and it may not be obvious to all), the absence of a "tag" might be interpreted as an opening for any writer to respond.
• "TBC" means "to be continued".  On Arcadia this typically means that the post will be continued in a new post by the same writer of the post in which it's included.  If you don't want others to respond, end your post with "TBC".  A brief note explaining that you will resume/continue later is also a good idea.

OOC

"OOC" (out of character) notes may be included; for example, regarding content or other characters/locations/events.  Enclose such comments in (parentheses) or [brackets].  Italics further emphasize these in relation to the story.

[OOC: I'm uncertain where this is taking place.]

Use OOC sparingly, to avoid disrupting the flow of the story for the reader.  When possible, place OOC notes at the beginning or end of the post.

proofread!

Before you submit/email your post, PROOFREAD for misspellings, typos, punctuation, etc.  Click here for more on this.

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