User:RTao/Drafting new articles

You should probably read Wikipedia:Article creation and Help:Your first article (even if it isn't) and such. These notes also apply to extensive rewrites.

RTao's easy guide to writing your very own Wikipedia article (yay!)

1. Get an article idea. Check WP:REQUEST, but more likely get an idea yourself.
2. Check WP:N. Very important: potentially cancels everything else below. Make a note (e.g. in a comment) of reasons for notability.
3. Create page. Choose a namespace:
   Draft: tracks edit counts separately. Better for collaboration [?].
   User: for more "privacy". Drafts not deleted after not editing for a while.
4. Gather and read sources. See the essay WP:BACKWARD.
5. Layout. See MOS:LAYOUT. Create outline in section headings. This can of course be changed later.
6. Write and cite. Add infoboxes at this stage.
   One option is to write only to a minimum acceptable state, and publish. It's more important to have an article out than to wait for a comprehensive one. This also establishes notability clearly.
   Helpful tip: use {{reflist-talk}} to see refs section-by-section. (Unfortunately, this doesn't work within Visual Editor.)
   For parent articles, write in WP:Summary style, possibly using {{excerpt|Child article}}s.
7. Add images.
8. Add categories. (remember to disable so they're not "live")
9. Proofread. Focus on the text most of all. Other things are less important.
10. Prep: undisable categories. Remove any draft templates. Remove section {{reflist}}s if used.
11. Move to mainspace.