Wikiality:Writing Techniques

Many articles are created here, but far too many are deleted or put on notice due to their vanity. Even fewer will receive featured status on the front page for all to see. The following are writing techniques used here at Wikiality to ensure articles live a long and prosperous life.

''First off. Any potential vandals and other malicious individuals reading this - please resume interweb surfing elsewhere on this tube. Wikiality does not desire to become a state of welfare and thus has no vested interest in providing our vandals with the tools (free of change) to be used against us.''

In theory, most (not all) featured articles contain a few basic components. Its nothing set in stone, but much like the ten commandments, we should strive not break the important ones:


 * 1) Status - I used to like status until I found out everyone and everything had it;and yet as a pledge I still had to pass along a lubricated Indian skull between my butt cheeks to get it. Status is a person, group, place, or object's sense of self-worth and power. Many articles are built around status relationships and the status changes or "shifts" that occur.
 * 2) Conflict - Finally something I can side with. Its good for the economy and keeps our kids off the streets. Now we've all heard those peacenicks out there, but we gave peace a chance. It just ends up with another conflict. Get my draft? Many (but not all) articles are about a conflict of some sort - if there's no authentic conflict, the content may still be truthy but somewhat dull.
 * 3) Comic foil ("Straight Man") - These are the "moderates" in the satirical world. They always state the obvious and almost never have anything useful to say. A comic foil in an article can be any dull content that serves by contrast to call attention to another things' differences. We need more straight men in this country to keep things fair and balanced.

Specific Satirical Techniques
Invective: Abusive or venomous language used to express blame or censure or bitter deep-seated ill will. The danger of pure invective is that one can quickly get tired of it, since it offers limited opportunity for inventive wit.

Example: Traitor, Stoned Slacker, Terrorist, Hate America Firsters, etc.

Caricature: A representation of a subject's distinctive features/characteristics. A person/group's caricature is often distorted for comedic effect. We're not concerned with an exact representation but rather a slight distortion to prove a satirical point.(i.e. political cartoon)

Example:

Burlesque: A work that ridicules a topic by treating something exalted as if it were trivial or vice-versa. This does not necessary involve tassels.

Example:

Mock Heroic: To mock common Romantic or modern stereotypes of heroes.

Example:

Irony: A meaning (often contradictory) concealed behind the apparent meaning of a word, phrase or statement.

Example:

Lampoon: A crude, coarse, often bitter satire ridiculing the personal appearance or character of a person.

Example:

Parody: A humorous imitation of another, usually serious, work.

Example:

Reductio ad absurdum: The reducing of a position to a logical absurdity with enthusiastic agreement/support.

Example:

Before you start
Please consider the following:


 * Be interested in the subject - you have opinions about things you're interested in. Given that they're relatively Colbert-centric, those opinions could easily be placed into satirical form.
 * Be informed about the subject - anyone can write an article with vague generalities and common knowledge but that results in mostly mocking the subject rather than satirizing it. A little research goes a long way.
 * No hope for rescue - don't fully rely on someone else to come along and rescue your article from certain death. When you go to create an article, see to it that it has some level of quality put into it from the start.
 * Give us a hint - especially if you're writing a stub, we should have some idea as to what satirical angle or theme the article should stick to. A stub should attempt to be the thesis statement for the entire article from start to finish.

Things to avoid
These are things to either avoid or use in moderation.

Hack jokes, Memes, & Cliches
Hack jokes Memes:
 * [Person/Group] hates freedom, Jesus, Troops, etc.
 * the russian reversal
 * Chuck Norris (banned)
 * The "O RLY?" Owl
 * LoLCats
 * Snakes on a Plane

Cliches:
 * Bears
 * Liberals
 * Nazis
 * Terrorists/Islamo-fascists
 * Communist/Commie/Pinko
 * The Baby [Insert deity] references
 * Hater America Firsters
 * Ninja references