User talk:MichaelMaggs/sandbox

Tasks checklist for this article

Tasks checklist

Please indicated completed tasks with {{Done}} ~~~~

Common for all Aubrey-Maturin articles, so far as possible:

One paragraph of basic information (title, author, date, number in the series, set in Napoleonic Wars etc). Second paragraph, a few sentences on the highlights of the plot. Third paragraph, summary of the reviews/reception.
Mention the major turning points of the stories, but accept that the plots are far too complex to provide anything like a full summary. Write from external viewpoint, including reference to other novels if needed.

Re-write as needed to comply with MOS:PLOT and convert to out-of-universe style; try to follow WP:PLOTSUM
Improve flow
Simplify and shorten where possible (there is generally too much trivial detail, but no need to be too radical)
Ensure all major plot points are covered
Link to previous books as needed for readability
Re-write to ensure plot is comprehensible without detailed knowledge of previous books
No links to real persons or ships in this section (do that in next sections)

Shorten, keeping at least the major characters plus perhaps some brief information, but remove all plot points. This is not the place to incuded plot details not mentioned in the plot summary.
Include links to real persons where they exist. Include comments from external viewpoint as needed.

Include links to real ships where they exist. Include comments from external viewpoint as needed.

New section to cover O'Brian's main historical and literary sources. Remove the old 'Allusion' and similar sections, which are generally non-encyclopedic crufty lists of things appearing in the novels. Lists of animals, medicine, music, literature are largely indiscriminate collections of information, and fail WP:INDISCRIMINATE and WP:OR. This is not the place to explain some archaic word, situation or process (better to use wikilinks to the corresponding historical article).

Need to summarise quotations from others (long direct quotes are copyright infringements).
Add more review opinions, especially of original publications.
Select quotes to help the reader understand the novel as a work, not just "yet another wonderful book by O'Brian".

Delete this section. It only encourages editors to add things they have spotted in the novels based on original research. Move anything useful elsewhere.