A short How-To on making a good guide

[Rhon]

For those that have never written a guide before and would like to write one, this topic is for you.

A good quality guide contains more than just text alone. Text is very boring and won't sink in unless something goes with it. So, here are the important parts that every guide should have.

• Text - Information on how to do something, however, to be effective it has to look attractive. A massive wall of text will not be taken seriously, not to mention it hurts the eyes. Proper grammar/punctuation as well as paragraph structure are key in making text look good. Also, fancy headings/section titles look good too. You have to play around with font styles and colors until you find something that works.
  
• Pictures - All good guides have pictures. Pictures illustrate what the text is describing. They make it seem like the person writing the guide is enthusiastic about it, which is really important.
  
• Video - This is what seperates a good guide from a really good guide. Video really places emphasis on how to do something, especially if there is audio commentary to go along with it. Unfortunately, not everyone has access to video making software.
  
• Frequently Asked Questions - Not necessarily needed, but it makes life easier for those that want to find the answer to a specific question rather than looking through the whole guide to find it.
  
• Credits - A MUST for every guide. If you took anyone else's work even if it's just a sentence or two, you must give them credit for it.
  

That's the basics, I hope this will help you as you write your guides.

Originally posted by Dj-Mobc