User talk:Giano/A fool's guide to writing a featured article

A question
"You can always look for a page which is almost an FA, change the spelling from American to English and nominate it as your own work" ... does this work in the other direction as well? I've a page in mind for this endeavour... ++Lar: t/c 17:00, 12 January 2008 (UTC)
 * No, because until that happy day when the Americans learn to spell I won't be voting for it. Giano (talk) 17:07, 12 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Drat, another plan foiled. Curses. I'll get you, and your little hummingbird too! ++Lar: t/c 17:43, 12 January 2008 (UTC)

One problem with this page
There is no Featured Essay Candidates to nominate it for.- gadfium 08:03, 13 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Yet.--Docg 14:19, 13 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Oh, go on. You know you want to, Doc! Great essay, Giano. I really enjoyed reading it. The one problem I find, and the reason why I've never seen anything through to featured article status (yet) is time-management and motivation. The longer something takes, the more likely it is that I will lose interest, so the advice about chosing a subject you are interested in is good advice. There is the option of working for several months (rather than weeks) on an article - but that has to be a very obscure article otherwise other people do as much, or more, work on the article as, or than, you do! One other thing is working an article up but needing to find one of two more references in obscure books or journals - maybe you could link to places to go for advice when you get stuck (eg. a suitable wikiproject, or that place where people will kindly look things up in journals for you if you don't have a university subscription or something). But the style is what makes this essay so great! Some really funny bits there, though naming the non-electrician Tony might not be the best thing. Do you not think you two could ever work together on an article one day? Carcharoth (talk) 16:54, 14 January 2008 (UTC)
 * The non-electrician really is called Tony!!!!! and he is a friend of mine and he can't help what he is called. There is more to come yet about working for months in user space so you can take your time and not get bored and sick of it.....Tony is quite a common name you know, even my BF is real lfe is called Antonio. Giano (talk) 17:14, 14 January 2008 (UTC)
 * I meant Tony Sidaway. It was the only false note in the whole essay for me, but then it is your essay after all. Maybe you need an essay on how to patiently suffer fools who try and help improve essays? :-) I look forward to reading about the joys of userspace writing. Don't forget to mention Spumoni! Carcharoth (talk) 17:43, 14 January 2008 (UTC)

One little suggestion
It's good that it's not ".... for Dummies", but I think it -- I mean, as it is, or in the direction in which it's going -- would be more effective with a studiedly neutral title, like "How to write a featured article". Hoary (talk) 14:41, 13 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Can I be allowed to finish the bloody thing? Giano (talk) 14:47, 13 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Oh, hell no - you should know better. Talk pages are designed to prevent one doing that.--Docg 15:23, 13 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Let the move wars begin. Lawrence Cohen  15:33, 13 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Don't make me stop this car and turn around. ++Lar: t/c 06:07, 14 January 2008 (UTC)

Four words that should never be put together
I got to "...prawn cocktail flavoured crisp..." and then I just had to stop reading for fear of upchucking. I must say, however, that the holiday/roast turkey flavor is probably my least favorite; very traumatizing for an American exchange student. Anyway, I'm looking forward to reading the finished essay. If you need further examples of difficult people at FAC, take a look at the craziness that was Featured article candidates/Knut (polar bear). María ( habla con migo ) 20:17, 14 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Ugh. I've assumed until now that I only perceived some people in FAC discussions were "difficult", & avoided the process because I would become inappropriately rude; I can now say that some people in FAC discussion are "difficult", & will continue to avoid the process until I learn not to become inappropriately rude. -- llywrch (talk) 18:55, 12 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Don't worry about it, one of two of the authors have been known to have their moments of rudeness too. Giano (talk) 19:28, 12 March 2008 (UTC)

A fun read
I agree with most everything here - and what an entertaining style! I would add "don't write on your favorite book, movie, person, etc." Fans tend to fall into all of the worst traps of research and writing. Wait to write about your favorite childhood book until your 20th FA. :) Awadewit | talk  11:25, 16 January 2008 (UTC)

Bitter
I thought I could write something similar, but now I'm all bitter and twisted because you did it first and better. --Moni3 (talk) 16:46, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

Great work
This is easily the best piece of writing on FAs on Wikipedia, in user space or elsewhere. Thanks for doing this, Giano. Mike Christie (talk) 14:05, 29 February 2008 (UTC)
 * It is easily the best piece of writing on writing, on Wikipedia. Vintage Giano. — Encephalon 14:37, 13 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Look who's here !! Sandy Georgia  (Talk) 14:38, 13 March 2008 (UTC)
 * :-) — Encephalon 15:33, 13 March 2008 (UTC)

Fantastic work
An excellent essay. Pity I didn't find it earlier. - 52 Pickup  (deal)  09:02, 12 March 2008 (UTC)
 * I echo that. An exceptionally good read, especially to somebody like me—to whom featured content has proved elusive. AGK   23:46, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

No one should interfere
This is a true newbie question ... in the section that said "no one should interfere", I interfered, making a capitalization at the beginning of a sentence and changing "the important" to "the important thing". I have a chronic case of Wikignomery. Until there is a cure, should I just avoid essays that I really, really like in other people's userspace? - Dan Dank55 (talk) 15:19, 13 March 2008 (UTC)
 * No. it's OK, I won't bite you for that. In fact, I'll say thank you for spotting it. Giano (talk) 16:16, 13 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Okay, but that's only going to make me bolder. Thanks. - Dan Dank55 (talk) 16:22, 13 March 2008 (UTC)

A possibly useful picture?
Image:UltimateEndorsement.jpg I don't know, I saw this picture in an article and it reminded me of this essay! Risker (talk) 02:55, 15 March 2008 (UTC)

Following at least some of your advice
Well, I was invited to, erm, collaborate on an article that will soon go to FAC. So I failed to follow that advice. And I won't say I'm entirely passionate about the subject, although I am disturbingly knowledgeable about it. However, I did get one part right - the ending. It's not quite the photo of the neighbour at the graveside, but I think it's pretty close. Risker (talk) 00:13, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Des aide-mémoire
Great essay! And refraining from meddling in your private space, I offer a small correction here: aide-mémoire, invariable (the same in the singular and plural). Yourrrrr frrrriendly Frrrrrrrench prrrrrrof Awien (talk) 22:26, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

Back to the future?
 Please note This is a wikipedia essay. It should not be treated as definitive information. It will never be placed in Wikipedia main space. It is a personal view of one editor as of 7 February 2008, Giano (talk) 10:06, 14 January 2008 (UTC)

Looks like someone's timestamp needs updating. :) &mdash;La Pianista  (T•C•S) 01:02, 21 December 2008 (UTC)

Rip-off
I ripped off this essay here. Tez kag 72 01:22, 14 January 2009 (UTC)

Missing section
What is missing from this essay is a section on what you can hope to experience after your page has reached feature status. A few years later you can look forward to having your featured page nominated for delisting. After a few years the MOS will have been totally revised, citation standards will have been "improved" and there will be new guidelines for things you never would have imagined needed a guideline. Some of these new guidelines will be diametrically opposed to the fixes you made to bring the article to feature status. Featured article writing is the gift that keeps on giving. -- &#x2611; SamuelWantman 19:36, 9 July 2009 (UTC)
 * I think that is pretty well covered in the final section . Giano (talk) 07:45, 10 July 2009 (UTC)
 * You don't get laid by wiki-babes? Why am I working so hard.  :(  TCO (talk) 23:53, 27 December 2010 (UTC)