seX-Power
Guest
Hand Guide to the Be The Booker
Step 1 - Deciding on a Project
The first thing you have to do is decide what kind of federation do you want to create, whether it be a simple WWE, or a created federation from your own imagination, or a deceased federation of the past like WCW, ECW, NWA or something along those lines, or even you want to create an Indy federation. If you’re not very knowledgeable about these companies or Indy wrestlers, I suggest sticking with WWE or creating your own. Once you have done that, you need to pick an owner of the company and someone with booking powers (a General Manager, a Commissioner) or something like that.
Step 2 - Creating a Roster
A suggestion to a newer writer is to start off with 40 superstars, I believe 40 is a great number because you will be able to write special events like the Royal Rumble and have enough, while at the same time being able to use the majority of the superstars on your roster, so that nobody is left out, while not writing a six hour show each week. If your doing a split federation (Raw & Smackdown shows) , then I’d suggest that both rosters have 25 superstars, again it will be more than enough for special events, but it will be small enough so that no member of your roster is left out. Now, you might say how can I narrow it down to 40 superstars, well here are some helpful hints. First, separate that 40 into Main Eventers, Mid-Carders, cruiser weights, tag teams and jobbers. You should have 6-8 Main Eventers (title contenders that the headline the show), 10 mid-carders (guys that compete for the US or IC title, they fill in the gaps), around 5 tag teams (self explanatory, so 5 teams out 2=10), and around 7-8 Cruiserweights (guys like Gregory Helms, Chavo Guerrero and Rey Mysterio) if you have a Cruiserweight division, guys that you can elevate into the mid-card area if it becomes stale or into the Tag Team Division for a short period of time. Finally throw in a few guys that you don't care about (Eugene, Snitsky, Dykstra, etc.) that can be used to make your bigger guys look stronger.
Step 2.5 - Creating Your Titles
After you have your roster, its time to create your titles, normally I would suggest keeping the amount of titles down, maybe 4 championships, a World Title (most important, for the Main Event) a mid card title (say IC or US to use as a stepping stone) and the Tag Team Titles....And finally exit off with a Cruiserweight Title or something to a similar effect to add some flair into the show. Another title you could add is the Hardcore Title, or something along those lines, again you don't have to call them (Intercontinental Title) feel free to come up with something new like the Atlantic title, or something along those lines, after you've decided on that, it's time to move on. If you have split brands then having the IC and the US on opposite shows is always a good idea. The Cruiserweight and the Women's Championship can act as the small titles on each show as well.
Step 3 - Begin Planning
First off, it's best to plan a few months ahead so you know exactly what you want to accomplish, for example if you decide to do a WWE BTB, and you want to start at the beginning of the wrestling year (April), then first thing you should do once you have your roster and titles, is figure out what you want to do at the next PPV like feuds and such, and then work backwards, that way you will have an exact direction that you want to take your work. Have a few months planned out before you write, keep in mind that you can still make changes as you go. But be sure to have general direction of where you want to go.
Step 4 - Developing characters and story lines
Once you have everything planned, and a basic outline of what you want to see happen, its time to start writing, over the first couple of shows is when you start building your story lines, highlighting your feature talent and establishing your champions, however just as important and most often ignored is character development. While it is difficult to do with a large roster, it is important that everyone on your roster have his or her own distinguished personality to set them apart, and when your roster is shortened (40 or especially 25) it's important to create distinction between each and every person on the roster. For example, you want to establish a monster, you use Kane, in a simple promo or act demonstrates that he is a monster with no conscience. Developing characters and pushing them correctly is the best way to get recognition for your project.
Step 5 - Writing the Show
Now that you have a good idea of your roster, a rough plan of what you want to do, its time to write your show, until you feel comfortable writing, I suggest using this formula.
1 - Opening Promo
2 - First Match
3 - Small Promo/Mid-card Match
4 - Promo to Set-up PPV match
5 - Tag Team Match
6 - Promo to set-up match next week/IC Title Match
7 - Main Event
Once you gain some comfort and confidence, you will be free to break away from this, start with match at the beginning, or end the show with a promo, but for newer writers I suggest it because it covers everything you need, and sets up for the next show. Now for match writing, now I suggest not writing full matches, just providing the ending of the match and aftermath, although I suggest for PPV's writing the full match, cause just the ending of a WrestleMania main event wont cut it. (I write full matches because I like getting into detail with it)
Step 6- Be Creative
One of the greatest BTB's I have ever read was one where the matches themselves weren't necessarily 5 stars, but because the story lines were so unique, it was an instant hit. Be creative, and be original, take these characters that you have created and molded and throw them through situations, like friendship, betrayal, depression, manipulation, loss of faith and much more..... Experiment with characters; find out what works and what doesn’t, what works for one writer doesn’t work for another, find what works for you.
Notes:
Learn from your mistakes, as a beginner no one is expecting you to be the greatest booker ever in the first month or so, just learn from your mistakes and from the advice that others give you on your BTB.
Use nice grammar and organization. Nothing can throw a reader off like bad grammar and disorganized work. I suggest using bold, italics and underlines that will save you a lot of trouble. Some color will also make your BTB look good.
If someone didn't like your work don't take it personal, learn from it.
Always use constructive criticism and not flaming.
I hope this little hand book helped you realize what BTB is all about.
credit- The Anigma
--------------------------------------------
Hand Guide to a Popular BTB
1.Paragraphs: Okay if you are fairly new to writing this kind of thing then well after someone speaks then put 2 enter space down, also you should also add paragraphs to your matches so that they can be easier to read. Also in promos, don't just have a monologue in a big bunch, separate it into chunks that have some crowd interaction between them.
2. Read other people BTB's and review. When you review, the person you review is likely to review your BTB back. You can get some good ideas and then you can import some ideas into yours but don't copy the idea straight then you will get hatred and you really don't want that. Reading other BTBs is great to improve your own skills, especially reading ones from the better and more experience bookers. Ask them for advice as well, because they'd be willing to help you with whatever your situation is.
3. Colour and presentation: Okay this is probably one of the main things in having a successful BTB. Most people use one colour for matches and another for promos or something similar. Never overload your show with colour or put a colour that can't be seen well. Medium blue, red and black are always great colours to use. If you're writing Raw, use red, for ECW, use violet and for Smackdown, use blue. Some people use bold and other use italics to vary things. Whatever you do look at the preview before actually posting the show and remember to be aware that there are both light skins and dark skins so use colours that can be seen with both.
4. Length: Another important factor. If you can only write recaps then write recaps but give them some substance. Not like this:
Shannon Moore vs Jimmy Wang Yang
Yang hits a moonsault on Moore and then makes the pin 1...2...3
That is to short. If you have a Sunday Night Heat like show that goes on before your main show then that is fine but don't do that for your main shows. It makes for short shows. Here is what I would have written.
Shannon Moore vs Jimmy Wang Yang.
In a back and forth match, the two electrifying cruiserweight wow the crowd with their high flying maneuvers. The opening stages of the match are filled with counters and quick submissions but then Moore gets the advantage after Yang misses a dropkick. Shannon works him over with more mat based offense, even including some of his signature moves. However, when Moore goes for his top rope hurricanrana, Yang manages to evade the attack and go to the top rope, before quickly nailing his opponent with the Yang Time! The crowd pops as the referee counts; 1..... 2..... 3!
Winner: Jimmy Wang Yang @ 5:32
If you don't have time to write much something like that would be suitable. Recaps are fine, as are full matches and both appeal to different bookers. Do what you want its your BTB. The only few things with that is try and write full matches for the PPV's, because that's where people usually show off their skills.
5. Be creative and original. This doesn't mean doing a creative promotion, because WWE and TNA BTBs are fine, just vary your storylines to what takes place on TV. The only thing with those is if you can't really choose your roster, even though you are free to make any signings and firing of your choice. If you want you can do a booker with a specific theme to it then do it. You can also do what others do and make a created fed. This would be more challenging but certainly more unique.
6. Take criticism into account. If others criticize your work then take that into account. Don't go and flame the person if their criticism was constructive. Reply to them and try and make the improvements they suggested, or if it's not possible (asking for longer matches would come into play here) tell them that without offending them. Also remember not to flame when giving others constructive criticism.
7. Make a long term storyline: If you don't do this then readers might lose interest. A lot of people do this but some people don't. So let's keep those storylines going just not too long that it gets boring. An epic storyline can make a BTB that much more interesting and it gives your shows a centerpiece.
8. Don't lose your Passion. This is the main reason for people quitting there BTB. They lose interest in this because nobody give reviews. So do this for fun and remember this also for others enjoyment. In other words stick to it and it will gain popularity over time, don't worry about who reviews you. If it's there long enough people will begin to notice it. If you're so worried about reviews make friends with a few of the other bookers and then they'll be happier if you ask for a review.
9. Pauses: I seriously hate when people who are not counting down the page count their pins like this:
1..............................2.................................3!!!!!
It is so irritating and look how much room it took up so please don't do this. If you're writing a PPV and want to make more dramatic pinfalls, something like this would suffice.
...
.....
...
1!
...
.....
...
2!
...
.....
...
Kick out!
10. Don't spam up your thread or others: Okay this is what I hate the most. People who post in other peoples threads or there own with nothing at all to do with the BTB. It's against the rules and it's annoying to see. Don't bump your own thread to get more reviews either, if you're that desperate make a post in the chat room or ad thread.
11. Try to keep up with your own BTB: Try to keep track of storylines in your own BTB, also write your show before you actually try and post it. What I mean is, write your show on word or notepad before putting it on the site, or even have a notebook in real life where you write down your plans, because things can always get deleted on a computer.
12.Try and get Graphics for PPV's: PPV posters always look pretty and there are plenty of dedicated GFX-ers on IWF who would make them for you. Match graphics for PPVs are less essential, but also nice to look at. Match graphics for shows may be going overboard unless you're making them yourself. A roster with PSDs is something I recommend against as it usually takes a long time to load for the reader.
13.You don't have too post your show on the same day as it says: You do not have to follow a pattern with your BTB just go along with the flow. Post your show whenever it is ready. Schedules only create rushed shows and then disappointment from readers. Post your shows whenever you feel like it and don't be held down by a timetable.
14. Don't be afraid to make your own decisions: This is very important. So many people ask questions in the chatroom like 'Who would make a better champ, CM Punk or Samoa Joe'? and 'Do you think that Raven would work with a cheerleader gimmick'? Sometimes you have to be brave and take a chance, and make some decisions yourself. Most of the time they will pay off.
credit- GardsJr and seX-Power
Step 1 - Deciding on a Project
The first thing you have to do is decide what kind of federation do you want to create, whether it be a simple WWE, or a created federation from your own imagination, or a deceased federation of the past like WCW, ECW, NWA or something along those lines, or even you want to create an Indy federation. If you’re not very knowledgeable about these companies or Indy wrestlers, I suggest sticking with WWE or creating your own. Once you have done that, you need to pick an owner of the company and someone with booking powers (a General Manager, a Commissioner) or something like that.
Step 2 - Creating a Roster
A suggestion to a newer writer is to start off with 40 superstars, I believe 40 is a great number because you will be able to write special events like the Royal Rumble and have enough, while at the same time being able to use the majority of the superstars on your roster, so that nobody is left out, while not writing a six hour show each week. If your doing a split federation (Raw & Smackdown shows) , then I’d suggest that both rosters have 25 superstars, again it will be more than enough for special events, but it will be small enough so that no member of your roster is left out. Now, you might say how can I narrow it down to 40 superstars, well here are some helpful hints. First, separate that 40 into Main Eventers, Mid-Carders, cruiser weights, tag teams and jobbers. You should have 6-8 Main Eventers (title contenders that the headline the show), 10 mid-carders (guys that compete for the US or IC title, they fill in the gaps), around 5 tag teams (self explanatory, so 5 teams out 2=10), and around 7-8 Cruiserweights (guys like Gregory Helms, Chavo Guerrero and Rey Mysterio) if you have a Cruiserweight division, guys that you can elevate into the mid-card area if it becomes stale or into the Tag Team Division for a short period of time. Finally throw in a few guys that you don't care about (Eugene, Snitsky, Dykstra, etc.) that can be used to make your bigger guys look stronger.
Step 2.5 - Creating Your Titles
After you have your roster, its time to create your titles, normally I would suggest keeping the amount of titles down, maybe 4 championships, a World Title (most important, for the Main Event) a mid card title (say IC or US to use as a stepping stone) and the Tag Team Titles....And finally exit off with a Cruiserweight Title or something to a similar effect to add some flair into the show. Another title you could add is the Hardcore Title, or something along those lines, again you don't have to call them (Intercontinental Title) feel free to come up with something new like the Atlantic title, or something along those lines, after you've decided on that, it's time to move on. If you have split brands then having the IC and the US on opposite shows is always a good idea. The Cruiserweight and the Women's Championship can act as the small titles on each show as well.
Step 3 - Begin Planning
First off, it's best to plan a few months ahead so you know exactly what you want to accomplish, for example if you decide to do a WWE BTB, and you want to start at the beginning of the wrestling year (April), then first thing you should do once you have your roster and titles, is figure out what you want to do at the next PPV like feuds and such, and then work backwards, that way you will have an exact direction that you want to take your work. Have a few months planned out before you write, keep in mind that you can still make changes as you go. But be sure to have general direction of where you want to go.
Step 4 - Developing characters and story lines
Once you have everything planned, and a basic outline of what you want to see happen, its time to start writing, over the first couple of shows is when you start building your story lines, highlighting your feature talent and establishing your champions, however just as important and most often ignored is character development. While it is difficult to do with a large roster, it is important that everyone on your roster have his or her own distinguished personality to set them apart, and when your roster is shortened (40 or especially 25) it's important to create distinction between each and every person on the roster. For example, you want to establish a monster, you use Kane, in a simple promo or act demonstrates that he is a monster with no conscience. Developing characters and pushing them correctly is the best way to get recognition for your project.
Step 5 - Writing the Show
Now that you have a good idea of your roster, a rough plan of what you want to do, its time to write your show, until you feel comfortable writing, I suggest using this formula.
1 - Opening Promo
2 - First Match
3 - Small Promo/Mid-card Match
4 - Promo to Set-up PPV match
5 - Tag Team Match
6 - Promo to set-up match next week/IC Title Match
7 - Main Event
Once you gain some comfort and confidence, you will be free to break away from this, start with match at the beginning, or end the show with a promo, but for newer writers I suggest it because it covers everything you need, and sets up for the next show. Now for match writing, now I suggest not writing full matches, just providing the ending of the match and aftermath, although I suggest for PPV's writing the full match, cause just the ending of a WrestleMania main event wont cut it. (I write full matches because I like getting into detail with it)
Step 6- Be Creative
One of the greatest BTB's I have ever read was one where the matches themselves weren't necessarily 5 stars, but because the story lines were so unique, it was an instant hit. Be creative, and be original, take these characters that you have created and molded and throw them through situations, like friendship, betrayal, depression, manipulation, loss of faith and much more..... Experiment with characters; find out what works and what doesn’t, what works for one writer doesn’t work for another, find what works for you.
Notes:
Learn from your mistakes, as a beginner no one is expecting you to be the greatest booker ever in the first month or so, just learn from your mistakes and from the advice that others give you on your BTB.
Use nice grammar and organization. Nothing can throw a reader off like bad grammar and disorganized work. I suggest using bold, italics and underlines that will save you a lot of trouble. Some color will also make your BTB look good.
If someone didn't like your work don't take it personal, learn from it.
Always use constructive criticism and not flaming.
I hope this little hand book helped you realize what BTB is all about.
credit- The Anigma
--------------------------------------------
Hand Guide to a Popular BTB
1.Paragraphs: Okay if you are fairly new to writing this kind of thing then well after someone speaks then put 2 enter space down, also you should also add paragraphs to your matches so that they can be easier to read. Also in promos, don't just have a monologue in a big bunch, separate it into chunks that have some crowd interaction between them.
2. Read other people BTB's and review. When you review, the person you review is likely to review your BTB back. You can get some good ideas and then you can import some ideas into yours but don't copy the idea straight then you will get hatred and you really don't want that. Reading other BTBs is great to improve your own skills, especially reading ones from the better and more experience bookers. Ask them for advice as well, because they'd be willing to help you with whatever your situation is.
3. Colour and presentation: Okay this is probably one of the main things in having a successful BTB. Most people use one colour for matches and another for promos or something similar. Never overload your show with colour or put a colour that can't be seen well. Medium blue, red and black are always great colours to use. If you're writing Raw, use red, for ECW, use violet and for Smackdown, use blue. Some people use bold and other use italics to vary things. Whatever you do look at the preview before actually posting the show and remember to be aware that there are both light skins and dark skins so use colours that can be seen with both.
4. Length: Another important factor. If you can only write recaps then write recaps but give them some substance. Not like this:
Shannon Moore vs Jimmy Wang Yang
Yang hits a moonsault on Moore and then makes the pin 1...2...3
That is to short. If you have a Sunday Night Heat like show that goes on before your main show then that is fine but don't do that for your main shows. It makes for short shows. Here is what I would have written.
Shannon Moore vs Jimmy Wang Yang.
In a back and forth match, the two electrifying cruiserweight wow the crowd with their high flying maneuvers. The opening stages of the match are filled with counters and quick submissions but then Moore gets the advantage after Yang misses a dropkick. Shannon works him over with more mat based offense, even including some of his signature moves. However, when Moore goes for his top rope hurricanrana, Yang manages to evade the attack and go to the top rope, before quickly nailing his opponent with the Yang Time! The crowd pops as the referee counts; 1..... 2..... 3!
Winner: Jimmy Wang Yang @ 5:32
If you don't have time to write much something like that would be suitable. Recaps are fine, as are full matches and both appeal to different bookers. Do what you want its your BTB. The only few things with that is try and write full matches for the PPV's, because that's where people usually show off their skills.
5. Be creative and original. This doesn't mean doing a creative promotion, because WWE and TNA BTBs are fine, just vary your storylines to what takes place on TV. The only thing with those is if you can't really choose your roster, even though you are free to make any signings and firing of your choice. If you want you can do a booker with a specific theme to it then do it. You can also do what others do and make a created fed. This would be more challenging but certainly more unique.
6. Take criticism into account. If others criticize your work then take that into account. Don't go and flame the person if their criticism was constructive. Reply to them and try and make the improvements they suggested, or if it's not possible (asking for longer matches would come into play here) tell them that without offending them. Also remember not to flame when giving others constructive criticism.
7. Make a long term storyline: If you don't do this then readers might lose interest. A lot of people do this but some people don't. So let's keep those storylines going just not too long that it gets boring. An epic storyline can make a BTB that much more interesting and it gives your shows a centerpiece.
8. Don't lose your Passion. This is the main reason for people quitting there BTB. They lose interest in this because nobody give reviews. So do this for fun and remember this also for others enjoyment. In other words stick to it and it will gain popularity over time, don't worry about who reviews you. If it's there long enough people will begin to notice it. If you're so worried about reviews make friends with a few of the other bookers and then they'll be happier if you ask for a review.
9. Pauses: I seriously hate when people who are not counting down the page count their pins like this:
1..............................2.................................3!!!!!
It is so irritating and look how much room it took up so please don't do this. If you're writing a PPV and want to make more dramatic pinfalls, something like this would suffice.
...
.....
...
1!
...
.....
...
2!
...
.....
...
Kick out!
10. Don't spam up your thread or others: Okay this is what I hate the most. People who post in other peoples threads or there own with nothing at all to do with the BTB. It's against the rules and it's annoying to see. Don't bump your own thread to get more reviews either, if you're that desperate make a post in the chat room or ad thread.
11. Try to keep up with your own BTB: Try to keep track of storylines in your own BTB, also write your show before you actually try and post it. What I mean is, write your show on word or notepad before putting it on the site, or even have a notebook in real life where you write down your plans, because things can always get deleted on a computer.
12.Try and get Graphics for PPV's: PPV posters always look pretty and there are plenty of dedicated GFX-ers on IWF who would make them for you. Match graphics for PPVs are less essential, but also nice to look at. Match graphics for shows may be going overboard unless you're making them yourself. A roster with PSDs is something I recommend against as it usually takes a long time to load for the reader.
13.You don't have too post your show on the same day as it says: You do not have to follow a pattern with your BTB just go along with the flow. Post your show whenever it is ready. Schedules only create rushed shows and then disappointment from readers. Post your shows whenever you feel like it and don't be held down by a timetable.
14. Don't be afraid to make your own decisions: This is very important. So many people ask questions in the chatroom like 'Who would make a better champ, CM Punk or Samoa Joe'? and 'Do you think that Raven would work with a cheerleader gimmick'? Sometimes you have to be brave and take a chance, and make some decisions yourself. Most of the time they will pay off.
credit- GardsJr and seX-Power
.