When using Textpattern to write and publish articles, remember the following guidelines:

What to Always Do

— Fill in the “Writer” field (to the left under “Custom Fields”) with your log-in name.

— Proofread before saving as “Pending” or “Live.”

Section Guidelines

Select the “Section” in which to place your article (drop-down menu located under “Sort and Display” on the right in Textpattern) based on the follow descriptions:

Derivative: includes all works derived from preexisting works (e.g. fanfiction, overt parodies, rewrites)

Original: includes all original works (e.g. covert/general parodies, original pieces)

Writing: includes all articles about writing

Sporks: includes all sporks (does not include articles about sporks)

Criticism: includes all non-spork criticisms/analyses, as well as articles about how to criticize/analyze

Reviews: includes reviews of books, movies, etc.

Editorials: includes all personal opinion/discussion pieces

Misc: includes everything that doesn’t fit anywhere else

Category Guidelines

Follow these rules when selecting categories (found under “Sort and Display”):

Category 1: should be used for the article type/medium or subcategory

Category 2: should be used for the article series title (if applicable), or else a secondary type/medium or subcategory

Tagging Guidelines

Consider the following when tagging an article (the tag box is on the left under “meta” in Textpattern):

— Tag with the full name for the author of a book you are reviewing/referencing ALWAYS.

— Tag character names ONLY when the article is an analysis of that character.

— Tag the full book title if the book is not part of a series. If it is part of a series, tag with the series name NOT the name of the individual book.

— Before creating a new tag, check to see if a suitable tag already exists.

— Do not tag article series names, article categories, author names, or anything else that exists as a category or section.

If You Have Abandoned an Article Draft

Many authors begin articles that they later abandon (as in, their draft just sits in Textpattern, never to be completed and published). This is fine. But when this happens, should you decide to write a new, different article, do not simply begin a new draft. Rather, reuse the old article draft and ID number for your new article.

It is fairly simple to see if you have any old drafts that you could reuse. Simply head over to “Articles” under the “Content” tab at the top of Textpattern. Then select “Author” from the drop-down search menu and search for your log-in name. You’ll be able to see the status of all of your articles. If any are still in draft form and you do not intend to finish them, reuse them for new content. Alternatively, you can run a “Status” search and search for “Draft.” This will show you all the articles that are currently drafts. If you see one with your name on it, reuse it. This keeps Textpattern from getting cluttered with abandoned drafts.

More Information: