Wikipedia:WikiProject A Song of Ice and Fire/Style Guidelines

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All articles within this Project's realm of influence should follow the Wikipedia Manual of Style guideline for fiction and Wikipedia notability guidelines for fiction, among other guidelines and policies, but the following recommendations relate some of these rules specifically to A Song of Ice and Fire-related topics.

Plot summaries

Keep summaries brief.

Plot summaries should be kept as brief as possible considering the intricacy of Martin's work, covering major points rather than a play-by-play of every event in detail. The main purpose of Wikipedia articles is to provide encyclopedic information about a subject, such as its cultural impact, and not to provide a detailed and lengthy description of plotlines. The Wikipedia articles can then provide links to other websites which have more detailed storyline information. In character lists/articles, the blurb for each character should only cover the most notable plot information, and only what relates directly to that character.

Real-world perspective and tense

Articles about fiction, like all Wikipedia articles, should adhere to the real world as their primary frame of reference. The approach is to describe the subject matter from the perspective of the real world, in which the work of fiction and its publication are embedded. The Wikipedia Manual of Style guideline for fiction and WP:TENSE advise writing about fictional subjects in the present tense. Works of fiction are generally considered to "come alive" when read or viewed; they exist in a kind of perpetual present tense, regardless of when the fictional action is supposed to take place relative to "now." The specific novels and their publication dates should be noted as related to the fictional events we describe to establish real-world context and subtly remind the reader that this is fiction:

In A Gaggle of Geese (2017), Sansa schemes to seize control of the Iron Throne, making several enemies along the way; she is murdered in A Battle of Bastards (2020), leaving a string of suspects.

The basic intent of this tense guideline is to stylistically differentiate between real-world and fictional events. Past tense may sometimes be used for plot information which is framed by real-world content and described from that perspective.

The articles obviously need to avoid an in-universe perspective, but of course this is made more difficult by the general lack of external coverage/sources on the specifics of the fictional universe (beyond the novels themselves). Bolstering the lead paragraphs with appropriate citations is a necessary step in the right direction.

Avoid honorifics

For conciseness and clarity, initially note a character's noble ranking where appropriate before their full, linked name, and avoid it afterwards. Write "King Robert Baratheon" and subsequently just "Robert" rather than "King Robert" or "The Usurper," and keep articles free of excess "Sers" and "Lords."