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Proposal: essays and articles

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BonsaiForest Since: Jan, 2001
#1: Dec 3rd 2010 at 12:11:12 PM

Since we have a number of Useful Notes articles, and articles that explain concepts (i.e. the Sliding Scale articles) rather than tropes per se, how about a section where we can write "essays", articles about concepts, etc.? These would still be editable by others besides whoever started them, I assume.

For example, I noticed a trend in books in which they tend to all use the same types of covers over and over again - a picture of a MacGuffin, a picture of a location, or a random person unrelated to the story. I don't know the appropriate place to put an article about that, if there is one. I proposed "Standard Book Cover" on YKTTW, but I don't know if that's gonna get anywhere as a "trope".

But if it was possible to write an article on the subject and have a place to put it, that would be great. Tropers would have a place to write articles expressing their own views on many issues, kind of like they do in reviews, but now they could express their views on conventions, cliches, tropes, trends, and so on.

Anyway, I don't know if it would be appropriate for the site, but if it could be done in a way that fit in with the site's design, I think it would be a nice addition. What do you think?

TotemicHero No longer a forum herald from the next level Since: Dec, 2009
No longer a forum herald
#2: Dec 3rd 2010 at 12:13:21 PM

Analysis is probably where such things go, if they go anywhere on this wiki.

Expergiscēre cras, medior quam hodie. (Awaken tomorrow, better than today.)
BonsaiForest Since: Jan, 2001
#3: Dec 3rd 2010 at 12:26:03 PM

Cool, we're partly there. Analysis is a great start. It seems to be only about works, and not about tropes or concepts. How about a place for those as well?

Ghilz Perpetually Confused from Yeeted at Relativistic Velocities Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Barbecuing
Perpetually Confused
#4: Dec 3rd 2010 at 12:31:20 PM

No it's about Tropes Too. The index is just woefully incomplete.

BonsaiForest Since: Jan, 2001
#5: Dec 3rd 2010 at 12:34:56 PM

You're right, I didn't notice at first. Yeah, it could really use a lot more, since there's not much there.

I'm glad this section exists. I'll have to check out the entries there and see if I have anything to add.

SomeSortOfTroper Since: Jan, 2001
#6: Dec 3rd 2010 at 12:37:31 PM

I've made folder sections to make its openess clear.

BonsaiForest Since: Jan, 2001
#7: Dec 3rd 2010 at 12:39:23 PM

Thanks. I wonder if there could be a fourth section, maybe for articles on things that you noticed that may not be tropes per se, but trends, such as for instance, how many movie covers look similar and recycle the same ideas (i.e. the orange and teal color scheme, the guy running toward the camera, the Floating Head Syndrome and how they tend to use the same facial expressions again and again, etc.). Like, something that's not a trope, but could possibly have an article written about it.

SomeSortOfTroper Since: Jan, 2001
#8: Dec 3rd 2010 at 12:48:18 PM

Well if they recycle the same ideas, they are tropes. Colour Wash already exists. , Outrun the Fireball, Unflinching Walk, Walking Tropes etc. exist. The way the article is set up, you could always take a topic that exists as part of a trope or some tropes on an index and examine it in focus. That is part of what it is there for: to look at the smaller areas in greater detail. If you only want to talk about one section of some of the ways of walking on Walking Tropes, fine.

BonsaiForest Since: Jan, 2001
#9: Dec 3rd 2010 at 12:53:03 PM

The thing is, we have 3 sections - article on tropes, articles on works, and articles on creators.

For a fourth section, it could be called "essays" or "troper essays" or "general analysis" or something like that, and have articles with names like "Why are the same 5 movie covers used again and again?" and such.

SomeSortOfTroper Since: Jan, 2001
#10: Dec 3rd 2010 at 1:37:27 PM

We've had the section for about half an hour. The important thing is that these are in depth looks at our topic but we need our topics before hand. Otherwise it gets imbalanced. Our "job" is the first level view.

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