How to write an article for Smogon's Flying Press

Lumari

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So you've found this forum and wish to contribute to our lovely section; congrats and happy to have you! Here's how the process of getting involved works, as well as a few other pointers to keep in mind.

Step 1: Idea
First, you'll obviously need to know what you plan on writing about; in principle, any topic is potentially okay as long as it has to do with competitive Pokemon or Pokemon as a franchise primarily. Relevancy is the first thing we're looking for, which sounds daunting but is probably a box you'll end up checking organically; any topic that's currently Big will do, which can (and usually will) be as simple as a spotlight article on a strong Pokemon in your favourite tier. Keep in mind readership as well, though; e.g. for more niche metagames we'll be less willing to approve more specific articles over general guides. The former are more geared towards people who are already playing these metagames, while you're actually aiming to get people into them at all, for which the latter is far more appropriate.

Step 2: Approval Stage
Once you know what you're writing about, post a thread with an outline of your idea in the Article Approvals subforum. Please please please do NOT post a full writeup of your article here, that can wait until after it's given the go-ahead; what we're looking for here is your idea plus a brief outline of what you want to cover (e.g. for the aforementioned Pokemon spotlight article, this could be place in the metagame, history, sets, teambuilding). Our Quality Control members will look over your idea here to make sure it's a viable article idea and to get a pulse on whether you're familiar with the topic enough, and when those boxes are checked, the pitch gets approved.

Step 3: Approval Acquired
After QC members and staff have signed off on your idea, you'll get added to our secret workshop forum, where you can find more info on the various stages of the actual writing process.
 

Lumari

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is a Site Content Manageris a Top Social Media Contributoris a Member of Senior Staffis a Community Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Top Smogon Media Contributoris an Administrator Alumnus
TFP Leader
Of course, knowing how the process works is one thing, but everyone has been at that point where they are a new contributor that wants to do stuff but doesn't know where to start; especially in a section like ours that doesn't have a preset reservation list. Thankfully, there is a bunch of common articles that should be accessible for people to hop into; this post has a list of those plus several pointers to watch out for if you'd rather write a great article than a meh one.

Pokemon spotlights are breakdowns of a specific Pokemon and its place in a metagame. Of course the similarities with an analysis will be apparent from this description, and just in like an analysis, you will be going into a Pokemon's notable sets here; however, of course it would be a waste if these are just analyses published through a different outlet. The best way to give these a proper own identity is to take advantage of the removal of the restrictions that come with the analysis environment and of the fact that these are released at a specific time and aren't actually permanent resources that should remain up to date for the rest of the generation; if you want to do something different, then go for it! For example, it's recommended that you include sample teams here, maybe with replays, and you're also free to cover niche options that did well in tournaments or older, lesser-used sets that are still good, both of which normally would not make it past OO in analyses. Certain other things you can do here include a closer look at common cores the Pokemon features in and breaking down their synergy in more detail, as well as including a more historical overview of a Pokemon, which would be off topic in a continuously updated "here are this Pokemon's sets and how to use them" resource but certainly would make for an engaging read here. Be creative and have fun!

Also: once again we're articles, not analyses, so we have limited slots and our goal is not to cover everything out there. Only prominent Pokemon or those with very interesting niches are spotlight worthy, and there is no reason for us to go down to the B or C ranks!

Check out a few examples here:
https://www.smogon.com/articles/ou-spotlight-terrakion
https://www.smogon.com/articles/dou-spotlight-chansey
https://www.smogon.com/articles/uu-spotlight-aegislash
https://www.smogon.com/articles/ssou-spotlight-weavile


Suspect coverages go into a specific suspect test as well as into the Pokemon / whatever else that was on the chopping block. The most important thing here is to properly go into the why behind the decision and make sure the Pokemon's place in the metagame and the circumstances that pushed it into possibly being too good are properly understood. These are (almost) never one-sided narratives; even Pokemon that end up banned still have reasons why they lasted in the metagame up to now, and conversely, even if a suspect ends in a Do Not Ban there's still reasons why the Pokemon was put up for a suspect in the first place. Generally they start off by introducing the Pokemon in question, usually through outlining common sets, as well as potentially a replay or sample team properly showcasing its potential. Then, it's important to cover both the pro-ban and anti-ban arguments, and in an ideal world the article is written so that it works regardless of result; after all, you're outlining the Pokemon's place in the metagame and why it's suspect worthy, not simply recapping the final vote result. However, that doesn't mean you need to force yourself to be too neutral; if a Pokemon gets banned in a landslide, it stands to reason the pro-ban arguments are going to be stronger and greater in number than the anti-ban ones, and there's no point in sugarcoating this. As long as every camp's thoughts are covered properly in the article!

Check out a few examples here:
https://www.smogon.com/articles/dou-suspect-jirachi-kangaskhanite
https://www.smogon.com/articles/pu-suspect-kingler-pyroar
https://www.smogon.com/articles/uu-suspect-latias


Type analyses go into the role a certain type plays in a metagame and typically end up covering most relevant Pokemon of the type in question, which is fine... to an extent. Again, these are articles, so we have room to do more than analyses, and if we just end up with 50.000 mini-analyses then that's a bit of a waste of potential! First, it's always important to actually contextualise them in the bigger picture of the metagame and what overall roles they share, which is where the Pokemon / set writeups can come in; other ways of actually focusing on the type proper include outlining the roles they play in the metagame (e.g. whether they're primarily offensive or defensive), how they affect the viability of other types or playstyles, and whether they have other interesting applications (e.g. birdspam in gen 6 OU). And if you feel there's actually nothing interesting to say about the type other than just the Pokemon writeups, then odds are there's a more deserving type out there!

Check out a few examples here:
https://www.smogon.com/articles/fighting-types-nu
https://www.smogon.com/articles/ndou-ice-types


Metagame intro articles are something we tend to reserve for niche or nascent metagames that don't really have any resources and could use the increased accessibility to properly build a playerbase. Official tiers can usually just get more focused articles, but for e.g. OMs and pastgen lower tiers, this could be exactly what they need. The most important thing to establish here is paint a general picture of what the metagame looks like and help people dip their toes into it. For the first point, you should include a quick rundown of the ruleset and can additionally mention things like which playstyles tend to dominate the meta; for the second point, you can provide some breakdowns of the strongest Pokemon in the format, as well as a sample team or two with descriptions so that the readers can start playing on their own. Be mindful of length, though; again, these articles are not bibles, instead they're a tool that hopefully enables people to get out there and get their feet wet without losing their way before step 1.

Check out a few examples here:
https://www.smogon.com/articles/adv-doubles-intro
https://www.smogon.com/articles/lgpeou-modern-intro


Playstyle guides tend to take the form of e.g. "VoltTurn offense in SM OU" and do exactly what it says on the tin. Rather than (primarily) focusing on individual Pokemon here, it's important to properly teach people the ins and outs of the playstyle in question and its place in the overall metagame. For the latter point, things you can focus on include the overall viability of the playstyle plus reasons why it's worth playing around with, as well as its matchup against other prominent playstyles, and it's also good if at some point you cover how to play with or against the playstyle in question. A closer look into actual teams and structures should be the heart of the matter, though, where you focus on Pokemon that are cornerstones of the playstyle (if any) as well as on common course, and of course the most effective way of teaching people the overall structures of the teams is by physically walking them through the building process of a team!

Check out a few examples here:
https://www.smogon.com/articles/sm-uu-stall
https://www.smogon.com/articles/hyper-offense-in-ou


Tournament coverages can be some of the most hyped articles for the communities involved, but there are a few noob traps to avoid here. The main one here is to take "tournament coverage" too literally; don't forget that everyone can find the week threads by themselves and that numbers are dull to most people. It's easy for a tournament coverage to turn into a recitation of weekly scores, but it's actually the stuff behind these that makes an article truly interesting.

Of course that is not to say you can't go into the scores at all; but generally finals ( / playoffs) is the only series where it's worth going game by game, and for the regular season you shouldn't want to do much more than an overview of the standings + pivotal moments that led to them. The actual Pokemon side on the other hand should absolutely not be forgotten; covering highlight games is the go-to way to handle this, but if you're also able to cover metagame trends during the tour or spotlight an interesting set or two, then all the better. Again, make sure you're giving readers something they can't just get from looking up the week threads!

Check out a few examples here:
https://www.smogon.com/articles/roapl-8
https://www.smogon.com/articles/osdt2-recap

Game analyses deserve a few words too; similarly, remember that everyone can watch the replay, so essentially narrating it turn by turn doesn't add much and is also just a bit dull in general. First and foremost, your narration should focus on pivotal turns primarily, but once again the best way to make these stand out is by mentioning situations that readers can't get from watching the replay. Think (brief) Team Preview analyses, as well as general game state analyses or mentions of other options players would have on tricky turns, or highlighting unusual sets; I'm sure you'll have plenty to say if you understand the tier in question well. Last of all, though, make sure not to go overboard; for enthusiastic and knowledgeable writers it's easy to write game recaps of a length that they could stand as articles on their own, but when all is said and done these still are illustrations to larger articles.


Entertainment articles focus on a wide variety of ideas and genres. They range from in-depth Pokemon lore relating to both Pokemon and regions, famous in-game playthroughs and events, judging character designs, and spinoff games. Panelist articles often open up in Media HQ as well, allowing multiple guests and authors to contribute and share their opinions on the main topic at hand. Whether or not you want to make it humorous or informative, the only limit is your imagination!

Entertainment articles tend to be more free in terms of personal viewpoints and incorporate more first-person writing. Keep in mind your genre and audience when writing one of these articles. For example, if you're going for something humorous, try to avoid generic, analysis-like writing. One of the positives of entertainment articles is they can be enjoyed by competitive and non-competitive readers alike, so don't forget that!

Check out a few examples here:
https://www.smogon.com/articles/spinoff-spotlight-colosseum
https://www.smogon.com/articles/pokemon-biology-deserts
https://www.smogon.com/articles/best-worst-red-shiny
https://www.smogon.com/articles/life-of-trainer-lines-2


Of course this list isn't anywhere near exhaustive, and there's nothing wrong either with browsing through the article index and see if you find any inspiration there. Good luck!
 

Lumari

empty spaces
is a Site Content Manageris a Top Social Media Contributoris a Member of Senior Staffis a Community Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Top Smogon Media Contributoris an Administrator Alumnus
TFP Leader
As a workshop forum, we don't really have forum-specific rules like e.g. the tier subs do and are mostly focused on simply getting stuff done in a way that works best for everyone. However, there are still a few pointers worth bringing up before you join our team.

- First off, in the spirit of not having rules, I actually want to emphasise that you should not worry too much if you don't have much prior writing experience or English isn't your first language. QC members and grammar checkers can help you get everything in proper shape; it is of course important that you know the stuff you're writing about so that we can work with you properly, but you are not gonna have to go at it alone.
- However, as obvious as it may be, that does warrant driving home that it's important to be friendly with everyone in the workshop, including taking suggestions and being respectful of everyone else and their work. Contribution is so much more pleasant if we all work well together!
- You should also be timely on getting your work done; you don't need to rush of course, but you also should not reserve an article if you can't work on it at least somewhat consistently. This is of course especially relevant with metagame articles; if you wait too long then things get outdated again, which would be a waste, and if other people have already checked it, then you're wasting their work too.
- You're only actually done when your article has actually been released. We do try to make sure to anticipate potential metagame shifts from e.g. tier shifts during scheduling, but we're not omniscient and stuff does happen sometimes, so if your article ends up sitting a while before publication, it may need the occasional edit to stay up to date.
- If stuff does happen, then please communicate with us, whether this is about you being unable to meet a deadline, stuff coming up on the site that warrants expediting your article's release, or anything at all, since this makes things so much easier for everyone; we all try our best to be approachable, and all we want is to publish good articles that were enjoyable for everyone to create.
- Lastly, please join us in our secret Discord server! This helps with quicker and easier communication, but of course the more people can chill with fellow contributors, the nicer work in this section becomes.
 

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