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[Chaos]

This is a style guide designed for a message board format. It is by no means complete, but contains essential guidelines to this format and the Mistborn world.

1. Write in prose, not in screenplay format, as if one was writing a novel.

Quote

Bad -? Kelsier: You want a fight? Well, you've got it! *charges*

Good -? Kelsier burned steel. "You want a fight?" he asked. "Well, you've got it!" He charged the Inquisitor.

2. Use third person limited viewpoint. Third person is when you utilize pronouns like "he" and "she", not "I". Strike a balance between he/she and the character's name. Furthermore, "limited" viewpoint means that when writing from a character's viewpoint, you may only use information that character can know. That is, do not include informations about NPCs or other PCs that your character would not know.

Quote

Bad - Kelsier sighed. Vin was hungry. Poor thing, he thought, she probably hasn't had a decent meal in ages.

Good - Kelsier sighed. Vin's stomach growled. Poor thing, he thought, she probably hasn't had a decent meal in ages.

3. Use an empty line in between paragraphs. In forum software, we cannot use indents to identify the start of a new paragraph. Put a new line between each paragraph instead.

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Bad - "Aerouna here has slain Lord Buvidas for his... indiscretion," the Lord Ruler said. Gethen struggled to not gasp--he had known Lady Aerouna, many years ago. She was beautiful enough that she'd been sought after by many, and now that Aerouna was gone. Still, she was a powerful Allomancer. It made sense she would become an Inquisitor. "How do you feel the hunt is proceeding, Lordslayer?"
Lordslayer. Gethen shivered.
"Flawlessly, Lord Ruler," Aerouna replied.

Good - "Aerouna here has slain Lord Buvidas for his... indiscretion," the Lord Ruler said. Gethen struggled to not gasp--he had known Lady Aerouna, many years ago. She was beautiful enough that she'd been sought after by many, and now that Aerouna was gone. Still, she was a powerful Allomancer. It made sense she would become an Inquisitor. "How do you feel the hunt is proceeding, Lordslayer?"

Lordslayer. Gethen shivered.

"Flawlessly, Lord Ruler," Aerouna replied.

4. Do not make entire posts in a single color, or alter the entire post into a different size, font, style. Use the forum default; it's easier on the eyes. To do this, simply do not add any extraneous tags to your post. It permissable to use a different color to emphasize a character's dialogue.

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Bad - Admittedly, Sige was afraid. What was down there, a Steel Inquisitor? So much for the secrecy of the hideout. This was what the crew got for following Arn's stupid vision. Doing jobs for skaa rebels had been lunacy. In retrospect, Sige should have ran with the few boxings he had the minute he figured out what they were doing.

Good - Admittedly, Sige was afraid. What was down there, a Steel Inquisitor? So much for the secrecy of the hideout. This was what the crew got for following Arn's stupid vision. Doing jobs for skaa rebels had been lunacy. In retrospect, Sige should have ran with the few boxings he had the minute he figured out what they were doing.

5. Italicize complete internal character thoughts.

Quote

Bad - The Lord Ruler sat back in His throne, shaking His head sadly. Yes, my Penitance shall require much indeed, Gethen thought, thinking of the razors sinking into his skin.

Good - The Lord Ruler sat back in His throne, shaking His head sadly. Yes, my Penitance shall require much indeed, Gethen thought, thinking of the razors sinking into his skin.

6. Keep paragraphs to approximately 4-6 sentences long when writing long sections of prose. This ensures that there is not a huge wall of text, which decreases readability. Unless you have reason otherwise, no more than six sentences per paragraph. One sentence paragraphs are acceptable as long as it is not in abundance.

7. Skaa characters typically do not have family names, but nobility will always have a first name and a family name. Steel Ministry characters will originally have a first name and a family name--so Ministry character accounts should include both--but in the RP, they are not referred to by family name.

8. Naming conventions: kandra names are one word that have two capital letters, like MeLaan and TenSoon. For other names, avoid the use of apostrophes or other punctuation in the name itself.

9. Capitalization should not be used for Allomantic metals, but should be used for proper nouns.
Things to be capitalized:
Names and House Names - Venture, Elariel, Tekiel, Kelsier, Vin, etc.
Metallic Arts and Users of the Metallic Arts - Allomancy, Mistborn, Misting, Feruchemy, Feruchemical, Feruchemist, Hemalurgy, Inquisitor, Thug, Smoker, etc.
Specific Terms - the Well of Ascension, the Deepness, the Hero of Ages, the Lord Ruler, the Final Empire, Steel Ministry, etc.
Cantons in the Steel Ministry - Canton of Orthodoxy, Canton of Inquisition, etc.
Locations - Dominance, Luthadel, Fadrex City, Urteau, Ashmounts, Pits of Hathsin, etc.
Individual Cultures and Organizations - Terris, Khlennium, Synod, Keepers, Worldbringers, etc.
Honoriffics - Master Vaht, Lord, Lady, etc.
The first letter of a sentence.

Things to not be capitalized:
Names of Races - humans, koloss, kandra, mistwraiths,
Divisions in the Final Empire - skaa, noble, nobility
Steel Ministry Rankings when not used as an honorific - obligator, prelan, high prelan, lord prelan, etc.
Terms with the Nobility when not referring to a specific case - keep, house, manor,
Metal names and variants - iron, steel, tin, pewter, copper, coppermind, coppercloud, atium, bronze spike, etc.
Verbs and Modifiers related to Metallic Arts - burn, flare, store, tap, charge, spike, atium shadow, pulse, etc.
Mundane terms - boxing, mists, ashfalls, streetslot, etc.

Edited by Chaos, 03 January 2011 - 10:44 AM.