Writers Guide

Preamble

Welcome to the RPC's database. If you're on this page, chances are you've been inspired by the scary, disturbing, funny or unusual articles you've seen on the site and want to create your own. You probably have some cool concepts in mind, and this writing guide is here to ensure that your idea becomes a reality.

If you're coming to this guide having read only a few articles on the Site, we urge you to go back and keep reading- just make sure you have a good idea of the kinds of things we write about here before you start, to save yourself trouble later.

Brainstorming

When pondering an article concept, there are a few key things to consider:

  • Is the concept interesting and original?
  • Is the concept logically consistent? Does it make sense?
  • Is this something that would fit well within the scope and scale of the RPC universe?
  • Is this the kind of story or concept that translates well to writing?

It's strongly recommended that you consider these four pillars when drafting an article or even a rough concept- remember, the best kinds of articles are those that a reader can grasp without you having to explain everything to them- it's the aha! moment that really pulls a reader in. You're free to make your concept as out there and obtuse as you like, just remember you're not the only person who's going to read it.

If you want some feedback on the concept you've got, ask for feedback on the idea from the community in either the Forums section or in the Discord server and everyone will be happy to help. Remember that any feedback is useful, even if it isn't very detailed. Being told "It's boring" isn't a lot to work with, but at the very least it tells you you need to fix something.

If your concept gets panned, don't sweat it. Ask any senior writer- hell, any writer on the site period and they will tell you that not every idea, concept, or pitch works out. Don't get discouraged! Try approaching the concept from a different angle, or seeing what other people suggest you alter about it- it might lead to refining the concept until it works, or even inspire a new concept that works better.

As always, if you feel that a piece of critique you've received becomes less "constructive criticism" and more "personal attacks", feel free to contact a site or Discord moderator for help.

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License