Guideline: Monster Articles

For more overall recommandations and tools about how to write an article, see Creators Manual.

Please follow these guidelines for writing a monster article. This will help to keep the wiki clean and consistent. Feel free to be as elaborate or as concise as you want.

IMPORTANT: Use the {{Monster}} template. This will make the article look nicer and will automatically categorize it as a monster article.

For complete info on how the {{Monster}} template can be used, read the documentation at Template:Monster.

Structure for writing a monster article

Step 1: Use the Monster Template

Fill out the words in the Monster Template. This gives a reader the important information in a concise manner. It should also reduce your writing time.

You can copy and paste this code into your article and replace the comments (everything after the =) with your content:

{{monster
| image = <!-- An image filename (e.g. Example_picture_name.jpg). If the filename doesn't exist, this gives you a link to upload it. -->
| caption = <!-- A caption to be displayed beneath the image. -->
| latin = <!-- a Latin-style species name, if known/made-up -->
| description = <!-- A short description of the monster. -->
| class = <!-- The class of monster, such as "Humanoid" or "Automata" -->
| habitat = <!-- Where the monster lives or thrives -->
}}

If the monster is also a pet, add |pet=yes to the template arguments.

If it is a boss-monster, add |boss=yes. For a beastie, add |sea=yes.

If the monster has a Monster's Artifact, add |artifact=name of artifact (which will auto-link to the artifact's GodWiki article).

Step 2: Add a Picture

Add a picture of the monster (In Template). If you cannot add a picture, leave it blank. A default image will be used, and the {{picture}} template will automatically be shown at the top of the article to mark it as requiring an image.

Step 3: Write an Introductory Sentence

Write the first sentence using this format: "The name of the monster in bold font (monster's Latin name in italic font) is a [[monster]] that <insert remainder of sentence here>. Here is an example: "The Generic Enemy (Inimicus generica) is a monster that claims to be just as good as other monsters, but 30% to 60% less costly to fight."

Starting with a brief summary sentence provides the reader with a quick piece of information. Wikipedia follows this format for animals and this wiki does the same. For further examples of first sentences, see any wikipedia article.

To determine a Latin name, use Google translate and various Latin-English dictionaries. Additionally, finding a similar creature's genus will help to determine a proper first word of a scientific name. For more information about creating scientific names, see the Wikipedia article on scientific names.

Always include the monster's name in the sentence so the reader knows the article is about a monster within the first few seconds of reading an article. If the monster is also a pet, use the phrase "tamable monster".

Step 4: Write the Substance

Give background information about the monster, such as where the monster lives and what it eats. Also, mention how hard it is to kill the monster and what (if anything) the name refers to.

Step 5: Add the Monster's Strengths and Weaknesses

Give a bullet pointed list of the monster's strengths and weaknesses. Try to have at least three of each.

Copy and paste the following lines into your article:

==Attributes==
===Strengths===
* First strength
* Second strength
* Third strength

===Weaknesses===
* First weakness
* Second weakness
* Third weakness

It will look like this:

Attributes

Strengths

• First strength
• Second strength
• Third strength

Weaknesses

• First weakness
• Second weakness
• Third weakness

Step 6: Add a See Also, if Applicable

Add a "See Also" section if there are other wiki articles that contain similar or relation information.

Note: If you cannot fill all of the necessary points of information, mark the article as a stub so other people can fill it in. Place "{{stub}}" in the first line of an article to flag it accordingly.

Examples of Monster articles

If you are struggling to find inspiration or still don't know how to structure your article, look at one of the following completed articles for inspiration or guidance:

• Devil's advocate (An example of a monster with a special artifact)
• Millennium Falcon
• Satan Claus
• Rocky Raccoon (An example of a pet article)

Good luck and happy writing!

See Also

• Category:Monsters