View source for Creepypasta Wiki:Style Guide for Writing

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Okay, pasta writers everywhere, it's well known that some of you have not been following the rules about posting and getting feedback. A number of people have failed to follow basic grammar, capitalization, and punctuation rules over the years. This is a wiki that contains all manner of scary stories, so people are going to ''read'' these things. To not use proper grammar and spelling is disappointing and something that we take pretty seriously around here. So, I have created a list of rules for writing. Even if you consider yourself the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Poobah Grand Poobah] of storywriting, there is always room for improvement, no matter your skill level. So read on, and hopefully you might glean some helpful pointers to help you with your writing.

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== {{anchor|TITLE|T}}<span style="font-weight:bold;">Capitalize Your Titles</span> ==

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Reading book titles is a good way to learn how to capitalize titles. Some words are iffy and aren't always capitalized, but usually you can get away with capitalizing them regardless. '''NOUNS''' and '''VERBS''' really need to be capitalized in titles, along with the '''FIRST''' and '''LAST''' words (always, no matter what) in titles. Furthermore, DO NOT ADD A PERIOD AT THE END OF A TITLE. It isn't a statement, it's a title. Question marks and exclamation points are fine to use, however.

For a handy website that will assist you with capitalizing titles, click [https://capitalizemytitle.com here].

== {{anchor|CAPS|CYS}}<span style="font-weight:bold;">Capitalize Your Sentences</span> ==

This should be clear to anyone who has ever had an English class in their life, or who has ever had to write an essay. As clear as possible:

# Capitalize the first word of a sentence.
# Capitalize the first word inside a quotation if it is something someone is saying. (Bob said, "When are we going?")
# If your quotation ends in a question mark or exclamation point, do NOT capitalize the word that follows it if it is still part of the same sentence. If your sentence does not end at the quote, do not capitalize after it. ("Wow!" he said with a gasp.)
#* EXCEPTION: When the quotation is split by a speaker action and continued in the same sentence, then do not capitalize the second half. ("Mother, you know," said Bob, pausing to point at the table, "there are no cats allowed on the table.")
# Capitalize the word "I"! There's no reason to ever ''not'' capitalize "I" when referring to yourself. I'd, I've, I'm. You're the most important person, so that's why you capitalize I.
# "I" isn't the only important thing to be capitalized. Proper nouns (specific places, titles, names, etc.) always get capitalized too.

== {{anchor|TITLECASE|TS}}Do Not Capitalize Your Sentences Like This ==

Do not under any circumstances capitalize the first letter of every word of any amount of sentences. That's called using the Title Case, and it is not an acceptable style/method of writing.

== {{anchor|PUNCTUATION|PUNCT|PU}}<span style="font-weight:bold;">Fun with Punctuations!</span> ==

# Put a space after your punctuation! This is a critical writing ability. After every punctuation mark (comma, semicolon, colon, period, exclamation point, and question mark) put a space.
#* EXCEPTION: Obviously, not all punctuation marks fall under this rule. Apostrophes, parentheses, brackets, and quotation marks, for example, are all exempt from this rule.
# Spaces after the end of sentences! The standard is ONE space after a sentence, but it's okay to use two. Just never use ''no'' spaces at all.
# Use a COMMA to end a sentence in a quote if there is more after it. ("I love you," he said with a smile.)
# Use a PERIOD to end a sentence in a quote if it is the end of the sentence. (He looked at her, smiled, and said, "I love you.")
# Periods go inside the quotation marks.
# Commas go ''inside'' the quotation marks.
# Question marks go '''inside''' the quotation marks if it belongs in the quote. (Bill said, "Where are we going?")
# Question marks go '''outside '''the quotation marks if it belongs to the part of the sentence outside of the quotation. (Have you ever wondered about the people called "nerds"?)
# If you're quoting or putting air quotes around something inside of quotation marks, use a single quote mark around the quote. ("And then I used the 'spray gun' on him," he said.)
# When quoted material runs for more than one paragraph, start each new paragraph with opening quotation marks, but do not use closing quotation marks until the speaker is finished.

== {{anchor|PARAGRAPHS|PA}}<span style="font-weight:bold;">Paragraphs!</span> ==

You use paragraphs (breaking up the text onto a new line) in the following instances:

# After someone speaks.
# Changing speakers.
# Transitioning from one subject to the next. (Talking about a murderer and then talking about something else.)
# To break up long parts of text based on idea transitioning. (When writing a long bit about one thing, make new paragraphs to emphasize different parts of that one bit.)

== {{anchor|PT}}<span style="font-weight:bold;">Pro-Tips</span> ==

# Avoid using ellipses (...) instead of spaces either between words or between sentences. Ellipses, in general, should be used sparingly, as the frequent use of them makes your writing look melodramatic.
# If you start a sentence with a word that begins with an apostrophe to show abbreviation, you do not need to capitalize that word. ("'ello and welcome," he said.)
# If you want to add emphasis to a word, instead of writing it IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, try using italics instead. It's the professional and less eye-gouging way to add emphasis to a word or phrase. The quick and dirty way to do it on any wiki is to just type two apostrophes around the word or words you wish to emphasize.
# Avoid [https://uwaterloo.ca/writing-and-communication-centre/resources-run-ons-and-comma-splices#:~:text=Run%2Don%20sentences%20and%20comma,to%20separate%20two%20independent%20clauses. run-ons and comma splices] at all costs, they are terrible things. (Like what I just did in that sentence.)
# Do not under any circumstance use "of" instead of "have" like in should '''have''', would '''have''', could '''have'''. Should've, could've, would've, et al. all sound like "should of," but they are all abbreviations for should have, etc.

== {{anchor|ERRORS|CE|E}}Common Errors ==

=== {{anchor|MISUSED|MW}}Misused Words ===

# There/Their/They're
#* There - Where; a location.
#* Their - Belongs to them.
#* They're - "They are"
# Your/You're
#* Your - Belongs to you
#* You're - "You are"
# Its/It's
#* Its - Belongs to it
#* It's - "It is"
# Were/We're
#* Were - aka "was" or "to be"
#* We're - We are

=== {{anchor|TE}}Tense ===

# When writing in PAST or PRESENT tense, ALWAYS keep the tense the same throughout the entire story unless it is what the character is saying.
# Point of view: '''always keep the point of view consistent throughout your story.'''
# 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person:
#* '''1st Person:''' Told through the eyes of ONE character. Uses "I" and "me" to narrate.
#* '''2nd Person:''' Talks directly to the reader. Uses "you" when narrating.
#* '''3rd Person:''' Told as if someone were narrating what was happening. Uses "he/she/they" and "his/hers/their".

=== {{anchor|FRAGMENT|FS}}Fragment Sentences ===

# A complete sentence consists of a subject and a verb. ('''The wind blows.''')
# A fragment lacks a verb ('''The wind blowing.'''), lacks a subject ('''And blows.'''), or is a subordinate clause that is not attached to a complete sentence ('''Because the wind blows.''')
#* Be aware that though this is true, commands can seem like fragments. ('''Continue reading.'''). Declarative sentences like this have an understood YOU at the beginning of them. ('''''YOU'' continue reading.''')

=== {{anchor|SPLICE|FUSED|CS}}Comma Splices/Fused Sentences ===

# Combining two main clauses (splicing them together) with a comma looks like this:
#* The ship was huge, its mast stood eighty feet high.
# Fusing main clauses together without using punctuation or coordinating conjunctions between main clauses looks like this:
#* The ship was huge its mast stood eighty feet high.
'''Fixing the spliced/fused sentence:'''
#Use a period to separate the main clauses.
#* The ship was huge. Its mast stood eighty feet high.
# Use a semicolon.
#* The ship was huge; its mast stood eighty feet high.
# Use a comma preceding a coordinating conjunction.
#* The ship was huge'', and'' its mast stood eighty feet high.
# With a colon when the second clause explains the first.
#* The ship was huge: its mast stood eighty feet high.

=== {{anchor|MM}}Misplaced Modifiers ===

# A modifier is misplaced if readers cannot easily relate it to the word it aims to modify.
#* He served ''steak'' to the men <u>on paper plates.</u>
#* Many ''dogs'' are killed by automobiles and trucks roaming unleashed.
# A limiting modifier modifying something improperly. (Limiting modifiers include ''almost, even, exactly, hardly, just, merely, nearly, only, and simply.'')
#* She ''only'' found that fossil on her last dig
#* She found only that fossil on her last dig. (Fixed)

== Off-site Guides ==

* [http://theoatmeal.com/comics/misspelling Ten Words You Need to Stop Misspelling]
* [http://theoatmeal.com/comics/apostrophe How to Use an Apostrophe]
* [http://theoatmeal.com/comics/semicolon How to Use a Semicolon]

== See also ==

* [[/List of Problematic Words/]]
* [[Creepypasta Wiki:How to Write Creepypasta|How to Write Creepypasta]]
* [[Creepypasta Wiki:Quality Standards|Quality Standards]]

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