Post by Luke Roberts on Mar 23, 2014 7:45:28 GMT
Match writing for an e-fed can be a difficult thing to accomplish: it takes planning, skill, diversity, creativity, and a defined standard of quality. In essence, everything you do for your roleplays transfers over to match-writing…except you're usually writing someone else's match. But the benefits are experience and knowing that you're helping your e-fed, since without match writing, there truly would be no point to this "game" we all enjoy. Yet match-writing is usually the most difficult part of e-feds, as it is most likely the most complex: you have a timeframe and probably a pre-designed list of movesets for the people you're writing, but other than that, virtually anything is fair game as long as you get approval. To examine and hopefully give some insight on the various goals of match-writing, let's examine some things that every e-fed match needs: planning, structure, clarity, and effective use of time.
Planning how your match will end up is the biggest part of whether or not you turn in something memorable right when it's due or something forgettable long past deadline. If you don't know how to plan a match, you need to find some way of mentally or physically going through a series of spots or segments. The best way to do this is to either create a rough draft or re-play moments mentally until you're able to write them into your match. If you ever come up with a spur-of-the-moment spot, don't hesitate to write it down, as you can use it when you see fit, for the match you're writing or even for matches down the line. The single greatest aspect of planning an e-fed match is to write down anything and everything you can think of: leave the actual pacing and "flow" of the match for later, as you never know if what you consider a stupid figment of your imagination will turn out to be the most-known moment of a genre-setting match.
Nevertheless, without a clear structure to your match, you're left with a jumbled mesh that's hard to follow, difficult to read, and generally unappealing. As a general rule of thumb, you need the following for a bare-minimum: introductions, commentary, the match itself, a finishing segment, and any post-match happenings. This has been called too formulaic a structure by some, but for those in doubt, this represents the bare essentials of what an e-fed match needs. And without the "bare essentials", you're left with almost nothing to help guide you on what your match should have. Let's examine them all in detail.
The introduction of a match is key to getting your readers interested in what is going to happen. If you don't create an effective intro, chances are people will only skim-read your match, almost ruining the thing you've spent a good amount of time on. Generally speaking, some good opening commentary by your mock commentary team would be a good start, followed by ring entrances and a general feeling of pre-match animosity between however many people are involved in your match. You can accomplish this in however many ways you see fit, but before the match even starts, it's up to you to create a feeling of suspense and animosity, leading your reader to believe that your match is going to be important and engaging.
Commentary by your e-fed's "team" of mock commentators is also pivotal to establishing a match as descriptive and realistic. Not only that, a break between actions gives the reader time to focus: commentary lines slow down the match, but this is key to creating something that strikes a balance between fast and easy-to-read. Not only that, but commentary lines give the match a much more "realistic" feel- by inserting lines about a person's reaction to your match, it's easier for your reader to mentally picture the match actually happening. Still, a balance between over-exaggeration and strict play-by-play also needs to be struck, so depending on how serious you want your match to be, make the commentary that serious as well. At its best, commentary will add a division to your match that gives it focus, allows the reader time to process what is happening, and gives your match enough of a real-world feel to compel people to keep reading.
Writing the match itself is a very daunting task. As said before, pending staff approval and an adherence to movesets, you're given free reign over the match you want to create. You're given a lot of creative freedom, but this has both positives and negatives. If you know how to create a match, writer's block is damning to us all. If you don't know how to properly create a match, you're left with a blank screen, that little blinking line on the word-processing program telling you plainly just how much you suck at this. The key to writing an effective match is not to stall on it, and to go with whatever idea hits you. Though this may sound controversial at first, I've always abided by the general rule that creativity is all around you…when in doubt, steal. Sounds harsh? Think of it this way- if you're stuck on writing your match, which sounds better: constantly feeling burnt-out or remembering something you've read or seen in another match and adapting it to your own? If you remember a spot you loved in a WWE or ROH or any other promotion's match, focus on it, hone it, change it to fit your opponents, and use it. Any idea- even one that has been used before- is better than nothing. Not only that, you need to include a notable finish to the match- to give it meaning and a concrete end- followed by any post-match happenings, which could be as detailed as a brawl or as standard as the loser rolling out of the ring frustrated while the winner poses. But it's best also to remember that eventually you'll run out of famous spots, and you'll have to make a match up on your own.
This is where "clarity" comes into play. Clarity is, simply, the fact that your match is easy to read and understand, but also descriptive enough to continuously compel your reader to keep reading. Making your math easy to read and understand is extremely basic: you should proof-read your entire match at least once, and subject it to a spell-checking and grammar-checking program often. Though those programs are by no means perfect, they go a long way towards making your match very clear and concise. "Clarity" also refers to the clarity of moves, which is basically this: be descriptive. If you're writing a segment where one person suplexes another, why not make it seem like it has meaning? Is it a short-arm suplex, a snap suplex, a forward-slam suplex, or a stalling suplex? How does the opponent react: does he bounce off the mat, does he roll around in pain, or does he simply wince? If you're ever uncertain about a move, sites like Wikipedia and Obsessed With Wrestling go a long way towards a more-focused understanding of what you're trying to accomplish. As an example, which sounds better: writing a move such as "a Rock Bottom throw thing where the guy's arm is caught" or "a Wrist-Clutch Exploder Suplex"? Don't doubt your reader's intelligence, either: you'd be surprised just how many people know exactly what a Wrist-Clutch Exploder Suplex looks like, and they'll appreciate how nuanced your writing style is.
And now, the biggest aspect of match writing: getting your match sent to the people coding the shows in a timely fashion. Late and uninspired matches have led to the downfall of countless e-feds. The simple fact of the matter is that if you can't write in time, everyone else suffers along with you. While you feel alienated at letting down the people hoping you'd turn out a good match, those who don't know who is writing what will simply look down upon the fed as a whole, no matter who is to blame…even if, at the end of the day, no one is to blame. If you don't know when your match should be turned in…ask. If those in charge can't give you a straight-forward answer, something is wrong. If they do give you an answer, it is your obligation to get it done before then. If you aren't sure who is going to win when you are writing, the general rule of thumb is this: write out your entire match up to a single, match-ending point, then wait for confirmation of who is going to win. As always, I'll use an example to give you a better explanation of what I mean.
Say you're writing the main event of a match, a huge feud-ender that'll cap off months of fantastic build. Do you know how badly it will hurt your e-fed if you can't turn in that match on time? Do you know how worse it would be if it doesn't get done at all? If you think that the RP competition is so close that you can't decide a winner…plainly, you don't have to. A match-writing deadline usually follows the roleplay deadline, because the "judges" have to judge who won a match. So, plainly, you can write an entire match up until you get confirmation on who is going to win, and when you get confirmation, you splice in an ending segment. Let's say you have this one blow-away spot late into the match involving a top-rope move. Stop there, and wait to see who will win. If one person wins, you can have the guy successfully complete the move, effectively turning the tide and getting one last advantage over his opponent, an advantage that leads to him winning the match. If the other wins, you can have him counter that top-rope move, effectively blindsiding his opponent, which would lead to a huge win either immediately or shortly after the counter.
Basically, it's your job to get your matches turned in before deadline, and the main way to do this, in my opinion, is to begin writing your match far before the people involved are done roleplaying. Once you're able to reasonably determine how much effort your roleplayers are putting into the match, it should be relatively simple to write your match up until a point, then leave your match-ending for later, until the judges give you a clear winner. If you have the time, an even better idea would be to compose different match-endings for separate winners. So, if you were writing a basic one-on-one match, an effective way of writing timely results would be to write out your match with two endings: one where one person wins, the other where the other wins, and once you are told who actually wins, all you have to do is delete the other match ending. But I realize that takes more time than simply waiting for a clear-cut match winner- I've rarely written multiple endings myself, so I advise anyone not willing to put forth the extra time into writing multiple endings to still write out their matches before those involved finish roleplaying for them.
But in the end, match writing for an e-fed is only what you make of it. Personally speaking, I take a lot of pride and fun out of match writing, as it's another way of proving that you're a capable, balanced writer that is dedicated to your fed. As said at the beginning- without match writing, e-feds really have no point. As a match-writer, it's your job to make all of this make sense, and to compel everyone to keep putting forth the effort needed to keep an e-fed running. If you're up to the task, the rewards are both personal and social, as you learn to depend on yourself while others learn to trust and depend on you. To sum it all up: writing matches for your e-fed is all about making a difference, and making your fed a better place than it once was.
Planning how your match will end up is the biggest part of whether or not you turn in something memorable right when it's due or something forgettable long past deadline. If you don't know how to plan a match, you need to find some way of mentally or physically going through a series of spots or segments. The best way to do this is to either create a rough draft or re-play moments mentally until you're able to write them into your match. If you ever come up with a spur-of-the-moment spot, don't hesitate to write it down, as you can use it when you see fit, for the match you're writing or even for matches down the line. The single greatest aspect of planning an e-fed match is to write down anything and everything you can think of: leave the actual pacing and "flow" of the match for later, as you never know if what you consider a stupid figment of your imagination will turn out to be the most-known moment of a genre-setting match.
Nevertheless, without a clear structure to your match, you're left with a jumbled mesh that's hard to follow, difficult to read, and generally unappealing. As a general rule of thumb, you need the following for a bare-minimum: introductions, commentary, the match itself, a finishing segment, and any post-match happenings. This has been called too formulaic a structure by some, but for those in doubt, this represents the bare essentials of what an e-fed match needs. And without the "bare essentials", you're left with almost nothing to help guide you on what your match should have. Let's examine them all in detail.
The introduction of a match is key to getting your readers interested in what is going to happen. If you don't create an effective intro, chances are people will only skim-read your match, almost ruining the thing you've spent a good amount of time on. Generally speaking, some good opening commentary by your mock commentary team would be a good start, followed by ring entrances and a general feeling of pre-match animosity between however many people are involved in your match. You can accomplish this in however many ways you see fit, but before the match even starts, it's up to you to create a feeling of suspense and animosity, leading your reader to believe that your match is going to be important and engaging.
Commentary by your e-fed's "team" of mock commentators is also pivotal to establishing a match as descriptive and realistic. Not only that, a break between actions gives the reader time to focus: commentary lines slow down the match, but this is key to creating something that strikes a balance between fast and easy-to-read. Not only that, but commentary lines give the match a much more "realistic" feel- by inserting lines about a person's reaction to your match, it's easier for your reader to mentally picture the match actually happening. Still, a balance between over-exaggeration and strict play-by-play also needs to be struck, so depending on how serious you want your match to be, make the commentary that serious as well. At its best, commentary will add a division to your match that gives it focus, allows the reader time to process what is happening, and gives your match enough of a real-world feel to compel people to keep reading.
Writing the match itself is a very daunting task. As said before, pending staff approval and an adherence to movesets, you're given free reign over the match you want to create. You're given a lot of creative freedom, but this has both positives and negatives. If you know how to create a match, writer's block is damning to us all. If you don't know how to properly create a match, you're left with a blank screen, that little blinking line on the word-processing program telling you plainly just how much you suck at this. The key to writing an effective match is not to stall on it, and to go with whatever idea hits you. Though this may sound controversial at first, I've always abided by the general rule that creativity is all around you…when in doubt, steal. Sounds harsh? Think of it this way- if you're stuck on writing your match, which sounds better: constantly feeling burnt-out or remembering something you've read or seen in another match and adapting it to your own? If you remember a spot you loved in a WWE or ROH or any other promotion's match, focus on it, hone it, change it to fit your opponents, and use it. Any idea- even one that has been used before- is better than nothing. Not only that, you need to include a notable finish to the match- to give it meaning and a concrete end- followed by any post-match happenings, which could be as detailed as a brawl or as standard as the loser rolling out of the ring frustrated while the winner poses. But it's best also to remember that eventually you'll run out of famous spots, and you'll have to make a match up on your own.
This is where "clarity" comes into play. Clarity is, simply, the fact that your match is easy to read and understand, but also descriptive enough to continuously compel your reader to keep reading. Making your math easy to read and understand is extremely basic: you should proof-read your entire match at least once, and subject it to a spell-checking and grammar-checking program often. Though those programs are by no means perfect, they go a long way towards making your match very clear and concise. "Clarity" also refers to the clarity of moves, which is basically this: be descriptive. If you're writing a segment where one person suplexes another, why not make it seem like it has meaning? Is it a short-arm suplex, a snap suplex, a forward-slam suplex, or a stalling suplex? How does the opponent react: does he bounce off the mat, does he roll around in pain, or does he simply wince? If you're ever uncertain about a move, sites like Wikipedia and Obsessed With Wrestling go a long way towards a more-focused understanding of what you're trying to accomplish. As an example, which sounds better: writing a move such as "a Rock Bottom throw thing where the guy's arm is caught" or "a Wrist-Clutch Exploder Suplex"? Don't doubt your reader's intelligence, either: you'd be surprised just how many people know exactly what a Wrist-Clutch Exploder Suplex looks like, and they'll appreciate how nuanced your writing style is.
And now, the biggest aspect of match writing: getting your match sent to the people coding the shows in a timely fashion. Late and uninspired matches have led to the downfall of countless e-feds. The simple fact of the matter is that if you can't write in time, everyone else suffers along with you. While you feel alienated at letting down the people hoping you'd turn out a good match, those who don't know who is writing what will simply look down upon the fed as a whole, no matter who is to blame…even if, at the end of the day, no one is to blame. If you don't know when your match should be turned in…ask. If those in charge can't give you a straight-forward answer, something is wrong. If they do give you an answer, it is your obligation to get it done before then. If you aren't sure who is going to win when you are writing, the general rule of thumb is this: write out your entire match up to a single, match-ending point, then wait for confirmation of who is going to win. As always, I'll use an example to give you a better explanation of what I mean.
Say you're writing the main event of a match, a huge feud-ender that'll cap off months of fantastic build. Do you know how badly it will hurt your e-fed if you can't turn in that match on time? Do you know how worse it would be if it doesn't get done at all? If you think that the RP competition is so close that you can't decide a winner…plainly, you don't have to. A match-writing deadline usually follows the roleplay deadline, because the "judges" have to judge who won a match. So, plainly, you can write an entire match up until you get confirmation on who is going to win, and when you get confirmation, you splice in an ending segment. Let's say you have this one blow-away spot late into the match involving a top-rope move. Stop there, and wait to see who will win. If one person wins, you can have the guy successfully complete the move, effectively turning the tide and getting one last advantage over his opponent, an advantage that leads to him winning the match. If the other wins, you can have him counter that top-rope move, effectively blindsiding his opponent, which would lead to a huge win either immediately or shortly after the counter.
Basically, it's your job to get your matches turned in before deadline, and the main way to do this, in my opinion, is to begin writing your match far before the people involved are done roleplaying. Once you're able to reasonably determine how much effort your roleplayers are putting into the match, it should be relatively simple to write your match up until a point, then leave your match-ending for later, until the judges give you a clear winner. If you have the time, an even better idea would be to compose different match-endings for separate winners. So, if you were writing a basic one-on-one match, an effective way of writing timely results would be to write out your match with two endings: one where one person wins, the other where the other wins, and once you are told who actually wins, all you have to do is delete the other match ending. But I realize that takes more time than simply waiting for a clear-cut match winner- I've rarely written multiple endings myself, so I advise anyone not willing to put forth the extra time into writing multiple endings to still write out their matches before those involved finish roleplaying for them.
But in the end, match writing for an e-fed is only what you make of it. Personally speaking, I take a lot of pride and fun out of match writing, as it's another way of proving that you're a capable, balanced writer that is dedicated to your fed. As said at the beginning- without match writing, e-feds really have no point. As a match-writer, it's your job to make all of this make sense, and to compel everyone to keep putting forth the effort needed to keep an e-fed running. If you're up to the task, the rewards are both personal and social, as you learn to depend on yourself while others learn to trust and depend on you. To sum it all up: writing matches for your e-fed is all about making a difference, and making your fed a better place than it once was.
