Steve*

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Ok over the past few days I have had a good look around the story section and there are quite a few that never got going due to lack of interest. I am setting this thread up to try help people out with their stories ad give helpful advice :) First off I will explain the 4 main story types around at the minute.
  • Block text story:
This is basically like a novel. The text contains few pictures, has titled chapters, proper use of grammar, paragraphed texts, use of different fonts. Most of the time the focus is on the managers personality as much as his football manager career. Block text stories are suggested only for those who have a contempt use of grammar and who possess a vivid imagination. This is not advised for those who rarely do any creative writing or who weren't the best at English in school. Examples of block text stories are: http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/foot...955-prodigal-son-manchester-united-story.html and http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/football-manager-2012-stories/87762-rising-abyss.html
  • Picture Story
This story type is in some ways similar to a block text however the paragraphs are less intense and involves some pictures to add a splash of colour to the story. This story also takes account of a managers personal life as well as his career. These stories are recommended for those who like block text but don't like the effort involved in so much typing. These stories often involve humour and some photoshop skills An excellent example of a Picture Story is : http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/football-manager-2012-stories/86571-return-king-ken-dunc-story.html and http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/football-manager-2012-stories/86765-high-flying-dutchmen-ajax-amsterdam-story.html
  • Screenshot Story
These stories usually dont involve too much text. The screenshots usually do the talking. This story is ideal for those of you who may not be the most creative person in the world but you want to document your save. You generally screenshot all your results, league tables and best players. These stories were most popular prior to FM10 but have begun to make a comeback. Examples include: http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/football-manager-2012-stories/87518-fulham-one-managers-journey.html and http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/football-manager-2012-stories/87946-emulando-il-grande-torino-emulating-great-turin.html
  • Video Story
Not much to say about this as its pretty self explanitory. This is a story made with a movie maker or such program. It can be the easiest to make as it involves no writing or pictures and is usually commentated by the author. Examples of video stories are: http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/football-manager-2012-stories/84786-brfc-kelan-everton-youtube-series.html Ok now that I have explained the story types involved I will proceed onto the story itself. I will explain all appendixes in detail. To read each appendix click on the show spoiler to display the text.
  • Appendix 1: Naming your story
This is the hardest part of making your story. It is the first place of contact for readers to see your story and lets be fair, if your title is poor most people wont even click into your story and read it. Personally I have a few views on titles. The first one being dont include your own username or manager name on the title. This makes the title un necessarily long. The shorter the better. An example of this is http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/foot...s/87665-messithegreatest-newcastle-story.html. The name just over complicates the story and it doesnt sound that appealing. Another taboo is simply naming your story after a club. There is nothing as boring as reading Chelsea Story or Man Utd Story. Try to have some imagination with your title. Try to incorporate some part of the team in your title such as http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/football-manager-2012-stories/87927-hammering-lows.html Try to avoid generic titles such as http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/football-manager-2012-stories/87757-treaders-beginning.html. *For now this concludes the Naming section but this may be added to later
  • Appendix 2: Pronunciation and Spelling
There is nothing as bad as reading a story and noticing every second word is misspelt. When typing try to be as accurate as possible. If you are unsure of a spelling, type in what you think it is. If a red line appears under it right click the word and you can get alternative spelling suggestions. It would take far too long to explain all typos here so I will give an example of a text and I shall proceed to correct it.
it was late july, i was getting fed up of going to work day in, day out for peanuts. i decided i needed a change, I new football was for me, but with a cv that included only sunday league experience i had to try my hardest, as the months went past and over 20 rejections i new chrismas wasnt going to be great, but i was determined that 2012 would be my year, Late on friday 13th january i had a call whilst i was out at a local nightclub, thinking it was my misses i answered, It was robbie o'brien the chairman of rockmount a.f.c, he wanted to offer me the job, well i was in shock, i informed him id have 2 work my weeks notice but then i'd be available, he was happy and i'd done it, im a football manager! Next Update tommorrow! comment if you like.
Now here is the same text corrected. All spelling mistakes are bolded for convenience.
It was late July, I was getting fed up of going to work day in day out, for peanuts. I decided I needed a change. I knew football was for me, but with a CV that included only sunday league experience I had to try my hardest. As the months went past and over twenty rejections I knew Christmas wasnt going to be great, but I was determined that 2012 would be my year. Late on Friday the 13th of January I had a call whilst I was out at a local nightclub, thinking it was my missus I answered, It was Robbie O'Brien the chairman of Rockmount A.F.C.. He wanted to offer me the job. Well I was in shock, I informed him I would have to work my weeks notice but then i'd be available, he was happy and Id done it. I am a football manager!
This text contained 41 spelling mistakes. And despite it being worded poorly it now looks much better than it did. Some of the most common spelling mistakes are fairly simple and I shall list a few. Start a sentence with a capital letter.When using the prefix "i" make sure you use the upper case and not the lower case if it is on its own.Capital letters must also be used when saying days and months of the year. "July" as opposed to "july"The same can be expected of peoples namesDo not abbreviate words with numbers. eg. "Im going 2 the shop". Instead use "Im going to the shop"When using a comma(,) always leave one space after it before typing again.Always use a full stop at the end of your sentences. *This concludes this topic, more may be added
  • Appendix 3: Page Layout and Formatting
Now that we have basic grammar out of the way with we shall move on. There is no point in having your pronunciation spot on if you dont have the correct layout. Paragraphing will be mostly used for Block and picture style stories. Beware the dreaded wall of text. I could go on and explain what a wall of text is but instead I will provide you with an example:
"You have no ambition, I need a man thats going places!" said my girlfriend. Or to put it more accurately, my now ex- girlfiriend. I stare across the table at her, barely able to fathom what she just said. I feel my head is about to explode with all the thoughts running through my head. Why do this to me, were we not happy and most importantly where did it go wrong... I snap back to reality before Sorcha leaves the cafe and do the only thing a man can do in this situation. "You know I've been having it my way with your best friend"I say. Sorcha looks at me with a look of pity on her face and walks away before I have a chance to say anything else. So this is really the end after 3 years... I sit at the table a little longer and order another coffee to wash down my breakfast. Bacon, eggs, pudding and sausage if you must know. Its the breakfast of champions my father would say.
I think back to when I met Sorcha. I was a handsome 22 year old, fresh out of college. I did what most young men dreamed of, I was a pro footballer. Athlone Town had given me an opportunity to play for them years before and i quickly moved up the ranks to become vice captain. The gaffer called me into his office and told me that my performances hadnt gone unnoticed and that Liverpool and Tottenham have been enquiring about me and decided to send scouts to our next game against Bohemians. On the match day i was acquitting myself well, we were underdogs but thanks to my leadership we were still in with a chance. I was nervous but it didnt stop me upping my game to try impress Rafa and Harrys scouts. Then it all started to go wrong... 80 minutes gone and we were deadlocked on no socre. Then a sweet pass came straight into my feet and i was through on goal, I pulled back and was about to blast the ball into the net when it happened. 'Snap'..was the horrible sound as I crashed to the ground. I was in agony. Just as I pulled back my foot Owen Heary the Bohs captain went studs up straight into my shin. I looked at my leg as I lay there in shock. I could see blood everywhere and to my horror my leg had broken in two and was sticking out through my skin. I was rushed to hospital but I didnt have to hear what the doctor was about to tell me next. "You will never play football again", I already knew this deep down within myself but it was still hard to hear. Anyway enough about that, I still had my degree in financial marketing. I would have no problem getting a top job in a bank.Three years later I still hadnt found a job. The global recession meant that it was impossible to get a job. My only joy was that I could coach a team of u14's every week. There quite a good bunch too and sit top of their group this year.I had always wanted to do some coaching but I intended that would be when I was in my 30s after my playing career. Anyway enough about my past, im more focused on the future now.
I have decided enough is enough and I'm going to relocate. I finally decided to settle in Italy due to me being fluent in Italian and there being a shortfall of top financial experts in the country.Upon arriving in Milan Airport I hobbled to the nearest cafe to get my fix of coffee. My leg barely able to support my weight, I order a grande skinny latte and take a seat, I look at a newspaper on the table and immediately flip it over to look at the back page. Atalanta manager Bortolo Mutti resigns over boardroom squabble, was the headline.I had heard that Antonio Percassi wasnt the most reasonable chairman in the league but I didnt think he could be this bad. The article read that they are welcoming applications and that most well known managers have distanced themselves from the job as they dont need the hassle of dealing with Percassi. I think to myself for a minute before I pay for my coffee and rush home to type up my CV. This could be my chance to follow my dreams and I wasnt willing to let it slip by.
Now this looks quite un-attractive and some people will leave the page straight away because if they continue reading it may hurt their eyes. Paragraphing is essential in this case. When paragraphing it is essential to not only to start on the next line but also to skip a line to give a user a break from reading the text. Here is what the above text looks like with proper use of paragraphing:
"You have no ambition, I need a man thats going places!" said my girlfriend. Or to put it more accurately, my now ex- girlfiriend. I stare across the table at her, barely able to fathom what she just said. I feel my head is about to explode with all the thoughts running through my head. Why do this to me, were we not happy and most importantly where did it go wrong... I snap back to reality before Sorcha leaves the cafe and do the only thing a man can do in this situation. "You know I've been having it my way with your best friend"I say. Sorcha looks at me with a look of pity on her face and walks away before I have a chance to say anything else. So this is really the end after 3 years... I sit at the table a little longer and order another coffee to wash down my breakfast. Bacon, eggs, pudding and sausage if you must know. Its the breakfast of champions my father would say.
I think back to when I met Sorcha. I was a handsome 22 year old, fresh out of college. I did what most young men dreamed of, I was a pro footballer. Athlone Town had given me an opportunity to play for them years before and i quickly moved up the ranks to become vice captain. The gaffer called me into his office and told me that my performances hadnt gone unnoticed and that Liverpool and Tottenham have been enquiring about me and decided to send scouts to our next game against Bohemians. On the match day i was acquitting myself well, we were underdogs but thanks to my leadership we were still in with a chance. I was nervous but it didnt stop me upping my game to try impress Rafa and Harrys scouts. Then it all started to go wrong... 80 minutes gone and we were deadlocked on no socre. Then a sweet pass came straight into my feet and i was through on goal, I pulled back and was about to blast the ball into the net when it happened. 'Snap'..was the horrible sound as I crashed to the ground. I was in agony. Just as I pulled back my foot Owen Heary the Bohs captain went studs up straight into my shin. I looked at my leg as I lay there in shock. I could see blood everywhere and to my horror my leg had broken in two and was sticking out through my skin. I was rushed to hospital but I didnt have to hear what the doctor was about to tell me next. "You will never play football again", I already knew this deep down within myself but it was still hard to hear. Anyway enough about that, I still had my degree in financial marketing. I would have no problem getting a top job in a bank.
Three years later I still hadnt found a job. The global recession meant that it was impossible to get a job. My only joy was that I could coach a team of u14's every week. There quite a good bunch too and sit top of their group this year.I had always wanted to do some coaching but I intended that would be when I was in my 30s after my playing career. Anyway enough about my past, im more focused on the future now.
I have decided enough is enough and I'm going to relocate. I finally decided to settle in Italy due to me being fluent in Italian and there being a shortfall of top financial experts in the country.Upon arriving in Milan Airport I hobbled to the nearest cafe to get my fix of coffee. My leg barely able to support my weight, I order a grande skinny latte and take a seat, I look at a newspaper on the table and immediately flip it over to look at the back page. Atalanta manager Bortolo Mutti resigns over boardroom squabble, was the headline.I had heard that Antonio Percassi wasnt the most reasonable chairman in the league but I didnt think he could be this bad. The article read that they are welcoming applications and that most well known managers have distanced themselves from the job as they dont need the hassle of dealing with Percassi. I think to myself for a minute before I pay for my coffee and rush home to type up my CV. This could be my chance to follow my dreams and I wasnt willing to let it slip by.
In essence these are the rules of paragraphing:
  • A paragraph should be at least 5 lines of text.
  • You can skip to a new line to break up the text if you wish
  • A paragraph should not be more than 15-20 lines long. Any more is excessive.
  • If changing the subject you should start a new paragraph as it is separate from the previous text.
Now we shall move onto formatting. On FM-Base there are three different types of page alignment. Left, centre and right. In practice right alignment should not be used or at least sparingly. Left or central are the main alignments and whichever you choose is entirely upto you. For Block stories central alignment is preferred as it improves the look of the text. If you cannot find the alignment buttons they can be found by clicking go advanced and are located beside bold, italic and underlined. *This concludes this appendix, more may be added later
  • Appendix 4: Quoting and fonts usage
In this section we will look at how to quote and look at suggested fonts to use. Quoting is fairly simple but you would be surprised how many people get it wrong. Basically start and finish your quote with the quotations on the keypad ( " ). Then for effect hi light the quote and click italics. This will give a slight slant to quotes and separates it from the main text. Alternatively if you are doing a picture story or screenshot story it may be of use to hi light the text and click the quote button on base. The quote button is the button that has a speech bubble. It is located beside the upload video button when you click go advanced. Font usage is a different matter altogether though. This lays entirely with the users preference. Bold should be used when writing the name of a chapter, when asking questions in a press conference and for news headlines ONLY. Italics should only be used for quoting or similar preferences. Underline is generally taboo and should only be used in conjunction with bold for news headlines. The default colour of fonts is black. I suggest not to alter this unless in extreme circumstances. Some dark colours can be hard to read and lighter colours are difficult to see and cause strain in the eyes. If ytou feel the need to use different colours I suggest using a deep red or blue colour but do not use these as your main font colour. Styles of font: By and large Times new Roman is the main font. This is because it is the most plain style available. If you select another font type please be sure that it is easy to read. I shall separate all fonts available into 3 groups in order of there ease of reading. Easy(main font): Arial is very basic and quite easy to read. Arial Narrow is just a narrower style to Arial. Book Antiqua is another easy to read font. Courier New is a slightly better spaced font. Fixedsys is a plain easy to read font. Garamond is similar to Fixedsys but font isnt as dark and is spaced out. Georgia is a retro font and is the biggest font you should use in your main text. Microsoft Sans Serif is a very basic font. It is high and narrow. Palatino is a fairly easy to understand font. System is a basic font also. Times New Roman as mentioned above is the basic font that is most widely used. Moderate(sometimes used as main font but usually as a secondary choice) Century Gothic is quite large and thin. Franklin Gothic is quite a bold font and can be difficult to stare at if reading quite a lot Lucida Console is quite a large font and takes up a lot of page space Lucida Sans Unicode is very similar and is not advised as a main font. Tahoma is similar to those mentioned above. As is Trebuchet MS. Quite big and clumsy looking Verdana is even bigger again Rare usage( should only be used for headlines etc) Arial Black is a bolded font and is a bad choice for main text. Comic Sans MS is a nice font but only when used in moderation. Impact is a severe bolded font that should only be used for headlines
Appendix 5: Imagery
Imagery can be one of the most powerful incentives of your story. If you have a few smartly positioned images in your Story it can gather attention. Theres not much I can say here as the kind of images all depend on the kind of story your doing. Here are a few tips for images.
  • Images should always be centre aligned.
  • Less is more, dont overload your story with images. 3-4 max per post is plenty to have.
  • Dont upload anything full size. Use either thumbnail, small or medium sizes.
  • To change sizes, double click images and the settings should appear.
  • Dont upload your clubs badge in every image
Want to report a broken news story but dont want to type the title. Then why not add a header. This is basically just a newspaper or sports website image to put above your headline Check out Raikans thread for great use of imagery here: http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/foot...igh-flying-dutchmen-ajax-amsterdam-story.html I dont see much point in saying much more on this subject right now but if I think of anything to add I will.
Appendix 6: Your OP(opening post)
Your OP is an paramount part of your story. Without a good op a story is nothing. When you are starting you should give your own managers background and also say in detail why the old manager had been sacked. Dont simply say "AVB has been sacked. Joe Bloggs is new Chelsea manager" Possible reasons for the manager leaving are:
  • A bad medical condition
  • Family issues
  • Not up to standards
  • Boardroom disagreements
  • Taking another job
  • Losing control of the dressing room
  • Criminal activity( jailed for fraud, match fixing etc.)
Try not say your a unemployed wannabe who took a gamble and replied and didnt expect to get the job. It has been done so many times and its a poor opening. Give the reader an insight into the managers life and what he is like as a person before a manager. It is always good to say you have some experience. You could say something like:
  • Your a former pro
  • You managed clubs beforehand...sometimes underage teams
  • You may be a coach at the club before being offered the managers job.
  • You were recommended by a former top class manager
  • My personal favourite: You were Jose Mourinhos assistant manager but wanted to over into management.
Heres an example of a top class introduction:
The Prodigal Son: A Manchester United Story Prelude:31st January, 2005: Training. The regime of runs, stretches and general exercise was strenuous to say the least, but Manchester United's youth coach René Meulensteen was known for his hard-faced approach and, with the most promising group of youngsters coming through since Fergie's Fledglings themselves, he had every reason to ensure his team worked hard. Meulensteen's team had won the Youth Cup twice already, even with the average age only being 17 years old. Their star striker, one Giuseppe Rossi, netted over 40 goals in the last campaign, and looked likely to outshine that feat this season. Being nearly 20, I was the so-called veteran of the squad, ironically also the goalkeeper, and with the 4th round of the cup approaching, it looked likely I would get my chance in the United 1st team. Tim Howard had been rested for the important game against Chelsea the weekend after, and Ben Foster had picked up an injury during training the previous week. Into practice games, which I usually thrived in. Joining me on my side was Rossi and Darron Gibson, a young lad touted as the next Roy Keane, so, being the competitive sod I am, I was confident we'd win easily. Against us, was Sylvain Ebanks-Blake, who at 19, was also on the brink of breaking through, and the centre-back Gerard Pique, Barcelona-born, and a handful in the air. The game started well, with Rossi netting within a couple of minutes to give us an early lead. Gibson was pulling the strings in midfield, and the rest of the lads could hardly touch the ball. At the 10th minute, however, a misplaced pass led to Ebanks-Blake running through, clean on goal, and he fired a curling shot toward the far post. With it being on my favoured right, however, I diverted it around the post for a corner. I set my defense out to cover the danger-men, except for Pique, who came over to mark me near the front post. I was confident I would beat him in the air, even with his extra 2 inches of height; I knew I could out jump him. The ball came in at just above head height, I came forward, ready to jump and catch the ball. At that moment, I felt a weight hit me in the side, propelling me into the goalposts. I heard a sickening crack, and felt a searing pain run up my leg. Collapsing to the floor, I looked down and saw my left leg hanging at a horrific angle from where it should be, and instinctively knew my hopeful career was over before it had begun. One hour later, in the Salford Royal Hospital, the doctors and Mike Phelan pondered over me and my newly plastered leg. The damning conclusion came as the Head Surgeon came over to me and said: With a double fracture like that, you'll be lucky to even walk as well as you used to, never mind return to Manchester United as a player, you will never play football again. You will never play football again. Led in my hospital bed that night with the surgeon's words echoing in my head, I decided that I, Danny Newton, would not be kept out of the game that I loved. If I couldn't play, I would gain my coaching badges and become a successful Football Manager, hopefully one day returning to my beloved Old Trafford, possibly even to take charge of the club that I loved.
*thats all for now, will be expanded upon
To edit a webpage for a visual story use this web page: http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/general-chat/63860-editing-internet.html

Other useful web pages:
http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/fm-stories/43605-lgfires-story-guide-ideas.html
http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/fm-stories/29300-lgfires-story-templates.html
http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/fm-stories/22083-fm10-story-advice.html
 
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There are a few mistakes in your 'Pronunciation' section, hypocrite! XD Nice though, Steve. I've been thinking about doing a story lately so I'll keep in check with this.
 
LOL. I know its not perfect, I type fairly fast so sometimes I even make mistakes but its nothing compared to some of the stuff written on this forum :)

Cheers, will be back to expand on points later :)
 
Mine is not a picture story.... it is a script for my new movie :p lol

kidding! the pictures are only there to make the reader feel apart of the story as if they were actually in it :)

nice thread though Steve, I agree with punctuation and spelling mistakes, a wall of text is very very hard to read and gives me headaches...

Spacing when typing "block text stories" as you named them is essential, paragraphs are essential, even when typing normally I use paragraphs for different comments and views etc and to break up the wall of text :)

I see a lot of new stories starting recently.. look forward to reading them :)
 
Mine is not a picture story.... it is a script for my new movie :p lol

kidding! the pictures are only there to make the reader feel apart of the story as if they were actually in it :)

nice thread though Steve, I agree with punctuation and spelling mistakes, a wall of text is very very hard to read and gives me headaches...

Spacing when typing "block text stories" as you named them is essential, paragraphs are essential, even when typing normally I use paragraphs for different comments and views etc and to break up the wall of text :)

I see a lot of new stories starting recently.. look forward to reading them :)

I could rename it a Raikan Type Story :p
Nice way of describing that, may add that to the description in the op.
Yeah, walls of text is my next priority, just gotta find a suitable example and correct it.

I look forward to reading a few too mate and hoping this thread can help a few people out :)
 
Should be stickied... Even if it is only a shameless free bump for my story :p

Seriously though, great help for the forum :D
 
Should be stickied... Even if it is only a shameless free bump for my story :p

Seriously though, great help for the forum :D

Dont turn this into another Steve should be a mod thread :p Writing the next appendix as we speak :)
 
Trebuchet of size 2 is pretty okay I guess.
Size 3 and beyond are a pain really.
 
Thanks for that Fran. Forgot to mention to use font size 2 as default and no more than size 4 for headlines :p
 
Bumping this in the hope of it being stickied
 
Steve, shouldn't you rename the 'Pronunciation' section to something like 'Spelling'?
 
Try not say your a unemployed wannabe who took a gamble and replied and didnt expect to get the job. It has been done so many times and its a poor opening.

I feel so exploited now :(
 
Never knew that mate, thanks for that Raikan.
Will be sure to put it in when I edit the post again later :)
 
nicely done Stevie Wonder ;). might plan to do my ever first story. glad i saw the precaution :p

[h=3]Better safe than Sorry ;)[/h]
 
After reading a few stories and this, I'm actually very tempted to start doing a story. Remains to be seen how much I remember from my creative writing at school in which I achieved top grade. At my age, probably not much........
 
After reading a few stories and this, I'm actually very tempted to start doing a story. Remains to be seen how much I remember from my creative writing at school in which I achieved top grade. At my age, probably not much........

Saying that... I hadn't written a thing creatively for nearly 3 years. Now I have people telling me to write a book :L
 
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