Post Writing Guide

Created by Captain Isabel Kersare on Thursday August 1, 2024 @ 9:39pm

The minimum required sections your post should have are:
  • Post Header
  • Post Content
  • Signatures
You may also have:
  • OFF Section or OOC Section
  • ON Section (Required if you have an OFF Section)

OFF Section:
Any notes for a post should be contained in an OFF: section, either before the post begins, at the end, or both. The CO may convey important information to the crew, or a crewmember can note that a post is a Backpost, tag a fellow crewmember, or note that the post was JP and include the names of the other authors.

ON Section:
If you use an OFF: section before beginning your post, please then include ON: to signify the actual post is starting.

Post Header
Every post should begin with a post header. It should contain the following: Location, Mission Day, Time. If there is any action taking place off the Malinche, please also include the overall location (USS Malinche if you're still on the ship, or the Ship/Planet/Base name if you're elsewhere). You can use brackets or Less than/Greater than symbols. For example:

[[Engineering, Day 2, 1412 hours]]
OR
[[USS Malinche, Engineering, Day 2, 1412]]
OR
<Direidi IV, Government Offices, Day 2, 1412 hours>

Post Content
All posts should be at least 250 words (in a JP, there should be at least 200 words per author). In your post you should be either developing your (or an NPC) character or accomplishing a task to move the plot along. If you're having trouble getting to 250 words, there are two possibilities:
1. Add more descriptive information. Describe the place you're in, the actions you're doing, or what the character is thinking/feeling.
2. You may need to JP rather than write a solo post. Sometimes to accomplish what you need to do it's best to work with another player in order to get a quality post and really help move things along.

In addition, please remember that when a character other than the current speaker or observer speaks, you should begin a new paragraph. Also, if the subject your character is observing/describing changes, a new paragraph should be started.

Signatures
Each player should have a signature set up in the forum and should use that to "sign" their posts. If a JP is done, at the end of the post use an OFF:, note that it was a JP and list the signatures of the other JP authors - no need to include your own, as it will automatically be attached to the post via the forum. A basic signature should include:

Rank Character Name
Position
Ship Ship Registry

example:
Captain Isabel Kersare
Commanding Officer
USS Malinche NCC-38997-A


Categories: USS Malinche Guidelines