EPT![[image loading]](http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/706/titlei.png)
A guide to writing guides
So you can't wait to get your grubby little hands on a SC2 Beta Key, but you've never cooked anything in your life and hotkeys are beyond your comprehension. Your only recourse, of course, is to write a guide. I am here to help you with some guidelines to give you an edge and hopefully lead you to a world of MBS, bypassing your hotkey woes.
![[image loading]](http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/6392/content.png)
The content of your guide is largely irrelevant. Choose a topic that interests you and that you are passionate about. Don't worry about trying to please everyone. With a website as large as TL, it's a near certainty that someone will find it interesting, even if you write a guide on the proper techniques of removing and storing scabs. That being said, avoiding "scab picking" and focusing on more interesting and universal ideas will likely have a significant impact on your chances of winning.
Once you have a topic, start thinking about the best way you can present it. Come up with an outline before you start to ensure your guide is focused and useful. Also, when considering presentation, avoid using expletives or insults while writing. This has derailed otherwise excellent guides in the past. Offended people won't get any use out of your guide and TL is full of people who are easily offended. Always remember that your readers are a little dumb. They are reading a guide, after all...
One more thing to keep in mind is that you want to compose your guide in an external editor. If you have problems with spelling, use something like Word or OpenOffice. Otherwise, Notepad.exe is sufficient. Save often.
![[image loading]](http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/8501/formatting.png)
Once you have your content and an outline, start considering the formatting for your guide. TL does not allow you to use HTML to format your guide. (Be thankful for this. If they did, it would open the door to Javascript and there would be monkeys everywhere.) The coders were kind enough to port over a few of the more useful tags into a non-abusable format. You can view most of them by clicking here This link can also be found above to post box in the link titled Smilies & UBB code overview.
There are also some additional tags that you can use that are not listed on that page. Note: Spaces were added to the tags below so that they would not be rendered. Remember to remove the spaces to make use of these tags.
You can center things using the [ center ][ /center ] tags. Here is an example:
[ center ]Keep me away from the sides![ /center ] will appear as
Keep me away from the sides!
Another useful formatting tag not in the list is the [ hr ] tag. It is used to create dividers which can help clarify the different sections of your guide. All of the horizontal bars used in this guide were created with the [ hr ] tag.
![[image loading]](http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/2714/pictures.png)
Pictures are a great way to convey information. Half of the people reading your guide are simply going to skip all the boring text and just go straight to your pictures, so you have to make them count. You can use them to inject comedy or to illustrate difficult concepts.
![[image loading]](http://i278.photobucket.com/albums/kk93/ltt1936/Albino.gif)
Make sure your images are relevant
TL automatically resizes large images for you to preserve the layout, but it is far better to resize them beforehand in order to minimize the file size. Resize them so that they are 590 pixels wide or smaller. If you need the image to be larger than that, link your image to an external full-sized image. This prevents every reader from needlessly loading a ginormous file that is just going to be resized when it is done loading. It's a little more work on your part, but the alternative leads to unhappy readers.
![[image loading]](http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/7885/spoilers.png)
+ Show Spoiler +
Spoilers, originally added as way to allow us to safely browse TL after a big match, are a handy way to reduce the size of your post. Try to limit the number of spoilers you use as it is annoying for your readers to need to click to read information that shouldn't have been hidden in the first place. Limit spoilers to optional information such as examples and facts that are tangential to the guide's subject, otherwise you risk readers missing important points of your guide.
![[image loading]](http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/3798/finalchecklist.png)
- Proofread your guide one final time before submitting it. Typops are an easy way to lose readers.
- Make use of the Preview function of TL to ensure proper formatting. Mismatched tags also lower the quality of your guide. [/b ]
- If you have a friend who is decent at baking or Starcraft, let them review your guide and give you some feedback. A fresh set of eyes can often spot things you have missed or have new suggestions. If they don't have either skill, be careful.
Once you have your guide submitted, don't forget to PM a mod with your entry. If you are having trouble coming up with a second name with whom to share your additional key, you should go with LTT.
