AK's Match Writing Guide

[Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune]

Hello All,

I've been writing this slowly over quite some time now, and it's finally in a form complete enough to be posted for comment. I often get queries from people about many aspects of writing matches, and so it occured to me that I should perhaps analyse the process and try to create some sort of "how to" guide.

This is a distillation of my thoughts on a whole range of topics. It's not intended to be read all at once; rather, I hope it will be of use to people who can refer to different parts according to the matches they're engaging in. Even if you don't write matches and have no intention of doing so, this may still be of some general interest. Those of you who do write may well wish to debate certain points of view or raise things I've missed, and that's all good too. This is a work in progess which I hope to keep updating every now and then.

Anyway... here's Version 1.


Match writing for e – feds: A guide

If you distil the output of any e-fed down to its most basic level, you will find three essential components:

- the roleplays;
- the show’s events and linking text, and;
- the matches.

The third element is the one which I would like to offer some thoughts on in this guide.

Every single fed needs decent matches to survive; it’s what your hardworking members are there for in the first instance, and their “payback” in return for the time they spend writing roleplays, hanging out on your site and boards, and generally brightening up the place. Having written somewhere in excess of 300 fed matches, I hope that my musings on the creation and refinement of these imagined contests will be of some interest to the visitors to this board.

Why should I think about matches?

No matter what your role is in a fed, knowing a bit about handwritten matches will help you to improve your skills.

If you’re an Owner,, then ultimate responsibility for anything that’s put up under the banner of your fed belongs to you. Even if you hire others to prepare your matches, it’s you who will carry the can if those matches are of poor quality, or abuse someone’s character. Most writers also want to work for someone who appreciates what they’re doing and can offer interesting and constructive criticism; they’ll soon walk away from anyone who makes stupid comments, or just plain fails to support and nurture them.

Members can do a lot to help writers and improve their characters by carefully analysing their movesets. Newer roleplayers often find that their movesets are top – heavy with spectacular moves, or contain techniques which just aren’t appropriate to the character they’re handling, and trying to sort all this out can quickly become wearing on even a seasoned writer. Don’t be afraid to refine or even totally overhaul your moveset from time to time, it can be a way of freshening a character that you’re running out of ideas for. And if this sounds a little daunting, the more experienced members of any half decent fed will give you a hand carrying this out.

Those actually entrusted with jobs as Writers obviously need to learn their craft inside out, and in my opinion the very best writers never stop that learning process. They write as many different types of matches as they can; they absorb information on storylines, characters and relationships between them; they read the work of other writers and compare and contrast it with their own; and they develop an understanding of how their individual matches fit into a complete show. It takes effort and dedication to acquire these skills, and it’s not always plain sailing, but on the days that everything comes together, a successful writer will have the satisfaction of seeing the pleasure that a great match brings to the other fed members and knowing that it was their skill that created that enjoyment.

To start this piece, let’s look at the real fundamentals of writing a simple match, with two competitors, in chronological order.

[Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune]

The basics: Match Form and Function

Every single match has a beginning, a middle and an end. Participants must reach the match ring or starting point, contest the match in a manner which is appropriate to their character, and the match must reach a clearly defined ending, which in most cases means a winner being announced. This sounds patronisingly simplistic, but if these events aren’t properly defined then the reader will quickly get bored, or confused, or both. It doesn’t matter how good your handling of, say, a chain of moves is; if at the end people are struggling to work out who won and how then you need to seriously revise your style. As with roleplaying in general, clarity and careful choice of vocabulary is key.

The basics: Types of character

Before you write a single word of a match, you should get hold of the profile and moveset for all the participants, and read it through. Do this even if you’ve written for that character several times, you’re more likely to make an error through complacency if you assume you already know them inside out.

The way that the match is fought will be heavily dependant on the physical characteristics of the people in it. Here are some very concise points to keep in mind for a variety of character traits:

Weight is your number one stat to check on. At the most basic level, the heavier the person is, the more damage they do when executing power moves, from punches through to slams, piledrivers and body splashes. However, as weight increases, stamina and speed will decrease – a large wrestler might be able to put on a burst of speed in the early stages of a match, or when getting an adrenaline rush, but it’s strictly time limited. If a lighter opponent can ride the storm out, they are then favoured to take advantage as the heavier person tires. And if a large person takes a fall from any sort of height, it’s going to hurt them a lot more than it will a high flying lightweight.

The difference in technique should be more clear cut between two very different opponents than between two similar ones. It’s always possible to bend the rule – a large person might very occasionally do a splash from the turnbuckle or a third rope superplex, but it should cost them dearly in terms of energy use, and only occur when that person’s on a push to win the match. Equally, a lightweight can theoretically suplex a heavy opponent, or slam them from a running start, but again it’s risky and should have visible consequences in the match.

Particularly with lighter wrestlers, you may find that their moveset is split into moves to be used on any foe, and some power – type moves that can only be performed on another lightweight. Keep your eyes open for this.

Height is most often tied to weight; in simple terms, a taller person has an advantage in tests of strength, and when using certain moves such as a backbody drop (it’s further for the opponent to drop, after all). Conversely, a shorter person might have more success in ducking swinging moves such as clotheslines and lariats if there’s a noticeable height difference.

The effect of Gender isn’t always understood fully by writers; it’s true that women will lack sheer brute strength in comparison to most men, but they make up for it in speed, agility and flexibility. Also, most of a woman’s natural strength is built into her lower body, meaning that punches and chops are relatively weak but kicks and holds using the legs are much more powerful, and at least on a par with a male opponent. Whether you’re dealing with a diva (who mostly competes with other divas) or a lightweight female (who competes with anyone), this physiological trait holds true.

Once you’ve got a hold on the physical characteristics of your participants, you should read any roleplays or other contributions that the handlers of those characters have submitted recently, researching until you’re confident that you understand the reasons for the match taking place and the attitude that each participant is likely to adopt. If you’re new to a fed, you should have carried out a thorough “orientation” process on arrival to get a feel for all the ongoing feuds and storylines; a writer who fails to appreciate the wider scope of a fed’s activities is going to have a hard time indeed making their match participants “come alive” for the reader. Only when you’re completely happy that you have immersed yourself in the fed’s background and culture should you consider writing one word of a match.

The basics: Entrances and pre – match events

All but the greenest of rookies will provide a description of their entrance in their profile when signing up, and in most cases writers can just use this to guide them when introducing the character to the arena. The amount of fanfare, pyro etc. should match the scale of the promotion.

What writers can add to an entrance is a description of the wrestler’s posture, reaction to the crowd and facial expression; if done well, this can build lots of anticipation for the match that’s about to start. It should also reflect the character’s opinion of their opponent; respect (or lack of it) helps the reader to visualise how the contest is going to play out.

Introduction duties can be handled either by your announce team or a dedicated ring announcer, and can be as florid or basic as you wish. Either way, introductions shouldn’t take up more than a fraction of your writing time – it’s the match that most people are really interested in. Be concise, get your characters to the ring and have the bell sound, and you’re there.

The basics: The opening period

Unless your participants have a real grudge between them and start fighting the second they’re in range of one another, most matches start with a little bit of circling, staring or taunting as the participants scout one another out. Use the opening to establish who the crowd likes and doesn’t like, and generally set the tone. Once the pair have moved in toward one another, start with some simple moves – exchanges of forearm blows or chops, or locking up – with which to lead into the first proper exchanges. Most of these initial confrontations are brief, and there are frequent breaks in the action – no one likes to commit everything in the first 30 seconds. As with all generalities, there are occasional exceptions, but it’s good to save these for when you have a point to make – someone launching into a vicious assault right off the bat can be a powerful technique for showing that they’re unusually fired up about a contest.

The basics: The match core

The “core” of a match is all the action that takes place between the opening exchanges and the appearance of the first proper attempt at victory. This doesn’t mean the first pin – in fact, in most matches there will be at least four or five pin attempts before someone lands a powerful trademark or potential finishing blow. The core of the match is where the participants demonstrate their repertoires, and particular styles; a technically minded wrestler could choose a body part on their opponent and consistently attack it, a high flyer could use speed and deception to set up a turnbuckle or rope spot, and a brawler might try to corner a foe and beat them into a state where they can power through to a 3 count. Whatever the case, the fight will move around the ring, from edge to centre, running attacks to grounded holds; diversity makes for a more interesting read. What some newer writers can forget is that in a real match there are periods where not a lot happens; there are standoffs, rope breaks, and missed attacks that all allow a real wrestler to catch breath and prepare for the next big moment. You don’t have to have people constantly charging around and doing big moves for the match to be gripping.

The basics: Building to a finish

Once you’ve written the body of the match and the participants have had a chance to wear one another down, it’s time to wind things up. You can do this both by having close pin attempts (“2.5” counts), using finishing moves (see “respecting signature moves” below) and by describing the movements and expressions of your participants in terms reflecting their fatigue. Sometimes you can have a finisher land out of nowhere, but more often your eventual winner will need two or three attempts before they get that elusive 3 count or submission. It’s important not to make your loser look excessively weak, and this is a good way to help ensure that this is avoided.

Don’t be afraid to use devices such as countouts or disqualifications, but be sure that with DQs in particular that it fits the character. A face almost never DQs themselves, but might be framed by a heel; if you’re in any doubt at all about whether those involved would approve of such an ending, check it with them first. It’s their characters you’re using, after all. The “screwjob” ending can also be an important plot device, and is especially useful with a heel manager or other person; if the decision on the winner of a match was particularly tight you may want to consider such an outcome, as it leaves the reputation of the “screwed” loser intact. Finally, in a few cases you may choose to have things break down entirely, leading to a no contest verdict, but this is almost always a pre – arranged ending between participants.

The basics: Endings, and post match events

Once the 3 count has been given, a clear announcement of the winner by an appropriate party ensures that the reader is not in any doubt what has occurred. Just like entrances, standard exits should be brief, in character and to the point, unless you have been instructed that a post match announcement, beatdown or other event is to occur. The show organiser will most likely give you full instructions on what is to happen if you’re required to write it, so it needs no further discussion here. The crowd reacts, the winner celebrates, the loser either gets irate or makes a quiet exit, end of story.

Now that we’ve looked at the straightforward parts, let’s consider some more detailed issues still with regard to a standard two – person match.

[Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune]

Man to man: Chains and counters

It’s certainly possible to write a match move by move, as in “Person A hits person B. Person B suplexes person A. Person B pins.” But in all honesty, this is not a very interesting way to write, and 99% of fed writers will move on to a better and more complex style. “Chaining” is the prime means by which a writer can show who’s currently controlling an ongoing contest; a very simple example might be that person A lands two or three knife edge chops to person B, who tries to chop back, whereupon A grabs their arm, throws them into the turnbuckle and hits a turnbuckle splash for a pop. Person A is clearly dictating the pace, and B needs to do something about it quickly.

To turn things around, you need a realistic counter. For the situation above, if Person A decides that the first splash did the business and commits to a second, B could either turn around and extend their foot to boot the person in the gut, or jump on to the second rope and backflip over the charging A. Either way, A’s plan has been disrupted, and B can now get in some offense of their own.

A good match will have lots of these switches; it’s very rare for there to be a complete squash. Other good ways to keep readers on their toes are reversed submission holds, pins that are turned over or come out of nowhere (e.g. sunset flips, backslides) or countering one person’s trademark into one of their opponents’ trademarks.

A word of caution about submissions; unless the submission ends the match, work out how the person suffering the hold is going to get out of it before you write! Research is particularly valuable in this regard, and sites such as Yucube and WrestlingEncyclopedia.com have plenty of clips showing how submissions are set up and performed. If someone has a customised submission on their list and you’re not completely certain of how to visualise what they’re describing, don’t be afraid to ask the handler for a more detailed explanation, including methods of countering the hold. No one is going to think less of you just because you haven’t got an exhaustive knowledge of every wrestling move in existence, in fact the handler will probably think more highly of a writer who takes the time to check that their interpretation of the character’s moveset accords with that in the mind of the handler themselves.

Man to man: Spots and highlights

“Spots” are moves which cause an audience to react over and above their normal cheering, chanting etc. Most spots will need to be set up carefully to bring the wrestlers into position; for example, moves such as frogsplashes shouldn’t succeed unless the opponent is sufficiently worn down to stay on the mat long enough for the other person to get to the corner, climb up, cue the fans with a gesture and then actually do the move. The same is true for any submission involving both arms and legs, or an otherwise complicated preparation, and any move at all involving one or both wrestlers falling off of something (turnbuckle, apron, announce desk etc.)

Even a spot which doesn’t require such planning on the part of the writer needs to be hyped up; a classic example is any character who enters a state of enhanced aggression or attitude, in the style of Hulk Hogan “hulking up”. Even a well known taunt or gesture can count as a spot, and usually serves as the prelude to a big pin attempt or other “mark out moment”.

The more adventurous writer can even use the threat of a big move as a tactic for a character; for example, if person A has a recognisable signal for their primary finisher, and person B sees it, Person B might well have a counter ready in their head. But as the pair meet, person A springs the surprise and “counters the counter” that they fooled their opponent into using, getting at least a near fall and possibly winning the match outright. This takes some practice and experience to use well, but once mastered it’s a real member-pleaser.

Man to man: Attitudes and emotions

If you want people to be drawn into your writing, nothing does this better than emphasising the ways in which your characters talk, move, and express their feelings. Taking an impact isn’t going to have your wrestlers just ignore it; they might be annoyed, distracted, or even amused, but they will react in one way or another. If a match is going badly, they might become frustrated and more rash in their actions; if it’s going well, they might play to the crowd, flash a smile at the camera…. always remember to treat them as intelligent individuals. And as with all things, the reaction must fit the character; if a wrestler has a reputation as a cool customer it will take a lot before they let that veneer slip. Someone who always fights with all guns blazing could fly off the handle at a much lesser provocation. Your readers have only your words to use to create a mental picture of the match, and the emotions that the wrestlers are displaying are every bit as important as what they are doing.

Man to man: Respecting signature and finisher moves

Finishing moves are given that special status for a reason; they’re intended as a surefire way for their owners to secure a victory. This means that you should always think carefully before having someone kick out of a finishing move; some handlers “rank” their finishers from commonly used moves to very rare ones, and the “rarer” the move, the more infallible you should consider it to be. The finisher you choose for a winner of a match should fit with what they’ve been doing during the rest of the contest; submissions are most credible where lots of holds and chokes have been used, or where the affected body part has been targeted a lot in the match, whereas impact finishers work better at the end of a consistent effort to exhaust the foe.

If you’re writing a big PPV match and want to have a previously foolproof finisher countered or resisted, it is essential that you check this with the handler in advance, and it is also good politics to have the other person reciprocate in some manner, perhaps by taking a major bump or spot elsewhere in the match.

Trademark moves are a little less sensitive, but some handlers like to have certain moves used only in particular situations. If this is the case, it should be clearly marked on the person’s movelist.

We’ve covered common issues with the match competitors, but there are many other people whom you should consider when writing an e-fed match, and we will deal with them all in turn next.

[Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune]

Human elements of the match: The referee

Almost every match will need a referee; the ref is the person in charge of enforcing the rules and stipulations to the best of his or her ability. This is an important point, as quite frequently your referee will miss certain actions carried out by one or both parties in the ring, thus allowing someone to get an unfair advantage.

You need to keep in your head at all times a clear idea of where your referee is, and what they can and can’t see; this is especially true if there are managers or other people at ringside who could distract the ref. If you need to have a referee actually knocked out for a period of time, the blow in most cases needs to be carefully controlled so that your ref can recover believably in the nick of time to make the count that finishes a match. Gratuitous headshots etc. to a ref would not be tolerated by other officials in the back, and the match would be stopped, so a smart heel usually makes a ref attack look like an accident.

Where matches contain a lot of people, or could split up (e.g. falls count anywhere contests) you might want to write in multiple referees; other characters can also referee matches and their actions should be appropriate to their face or heel status, and their relationships with the actual competitors. As always, if you’re using someone’s character as a referee, agree it with them first.

Human elements of the match: Commentators

Commentators play a major role in many writers’ work; some write almost the entire match in the form of commentary, while others add in short bursts of speech at key points in a match to emphasise what’s going on. How you choose to write will often be defined by the traditions of the fed you’re writing for.

Most of the time you’ll be using commentators who are established with the fed, and whose characters are well defined. You should read plenty of previous matches to get a feel for your commentators before making use of them yourself, and the same sort of guidelines apply as for any other character – use catchphrases and such sparingly, and have the commentators bounce off of one another for a more realistic feel. More often than not, your commentators will spend much of the match disagreeing with one another…..

If you get the chance to create a new commentator of your own, decide upon their age, background, level of knowledge and tendency to support faces or heels, and then try writing some commentary from them for a match that someone else has already written. See if what they say adds to the action, or distracts from it, and refine until you get a character that you can work with.

On the rare occasions that your match “collides” with your announcers, their expressions and reactions are just as important as those of the wrestlers themselves. Most commentators can see a table slam coming a mile off and will get out of the way; injuries to commentators are extremely rare, and if included should serve a clearly defined purpose.

Human elements of the match: Managers and other ringside attendees

If you bring people other than the match competitors to ringside, don’t forget about them! Although most of the time you’ll be focusing on the match proper, intervention by a third party is often a major event in a match. The usual “Heels act, faces react” tenet holds; while a heel manager or stable member might try to disrupt things, a face equivalent normally only acts to try and prevent such disruption occurring. Sometimes this is successful; other times the face just distracts the ref even more and puts their ally in an even worse predicament.

Of course it cuts both ways; a heel who makes a mistake can end up gifting the match to the face participant, which usually leads to some entertaining shouting between the heels after the bell as the faces and the audience laugh at them. Whatever the case, ringside attendees can give you options that are not viable in a standard match, so when you have them, make use of them.

Human elements of the match: The crowd and their role

Never, ever, underestimate the importance of including the crowd in your writing. In your fed world they’re the federation’s raison d’etre, and your match participants need to frequently engage with the crowd and draw reactions from them.

Just like the match, a crowd should start off quietly, and then build to a shouting, hollering mass come the end of the match. The psychological effects of a crowd are important; a crowd can fire up a fading face, or sufficiently anger a heel for them to make an error or let their opponent recover while the heel taunts the crowd. If your match leaves the ring at any point, describing the expressions etc. of the fans closest to the ongoing battle gives your piece a sense of scope and vitality, and helps to put the reader in the shoes of one of those fans.

Try and keep the bigger picture in mind when writing; if your crowd goes nuts at a moonsault, how are they going to react to someone falling off of a cell at a big PPV? You should always consider that at least some of your fans are discerning in this regard. Equally, if a heel is a big star in your company, they might get some cheers along with the boos when they appear; don’t paint all your fans the same colour.

Human elements of the match: Intruders

Occasionally, other characters may appear during the match to try and influence its result. Other than keeping their actions in tune with their general profile, your main concern is making sure that their arrival and departure can be concealed from the ref, as it will need to be most of the time. In addition to distracting or KOing the unfortunate official, have a well described path in and out, whether this is via the normal entrance, through the crowd, or by any other method.

Other people whom you may occasionally need are medical staff for injured wrestlers, and security if a fight gets out of hand or the crowd gets particularly out of control. If you’ve mastered writing all the other people described here then their actions and attitudes should be self – explanatory.

Having handled the personnel, it’s time we considered the environment that your matches will be taking place in.

[Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune]

Geography issues: The federation type, and arena area in general

When a “casual” fan of wrestling pictures a ring, most of the time they will have in mind the standard WWE – type arrangement: a large arena seating several thousand with custom – built announce desks, entrance ramp and stage area. Several feds will use a similar setup, but others have more modest premises and smaller audiences. Make sure that you can visualise your fed’s surroundings, and describe them appropriately; also remember that in a small local fed, the destruction of items such as tables or damage to the ring would be relatively costly to the promotion, and so you need to make sure that these things aren’t occurring too frequently. Remember too that some feds travel around, and so the arena and crowd size might change from week to week; if this is the case, you can always ask the show organiser / head writer to clarify for you.

Geography issues: Within the ring

It is important that you develop an understanding of how certain moves relate to specific parts of the ring; moves from height can take place either from the turnbuckles or as a springboard from the ropes, but only lightweight wrestlers can really use the ropes effectively in such a manner. A larger wrestler is more likely to use the ropes for a ricochet effect, either on themselves or their opponents.

Corners are tactically useful to a wrestler who wants to slow the pace of a match, but they offer a trapped lightweight the chance to use the turnbuckles and ropes to effect an escape. Corners have plenty of “spot potential” in this regard.

Even if you’re writing a burst of action taking place purely on the canvas, be sure to picture in your mind where your wrestlers are in the ring. A high flyer who gets out of a grounded hold will be in a better position if they’re close to one side of the ring than if they’re in the very centre, as they will almost certainly want to use the ropes to build speed for a counter attack rather than going toe to toe with their opponent.

Geography issues: Ringside

Taking a match to the outside is always a crowd – pleasing technique for your imaginary audience, and it opens up some new options for your competitors. Firstly, matting on the outside will either be much thinner than the padding of the ring, or non – existent, so impacts are more damaging; secondly, there are plenty of unprotected surfaces for wrestlers to throw opponents against, and this is particularly valuable to lighter participants who are restricted in their use of standard power moves. Thirdly, unless the match has a no countout stipulation, the pressure of the referee’s 10 count deadline means that the wrestlers have to remain alert for the passage of time as well as concentrating on their opponent.

Don’t forget about the other people who will be sharing the ringside space; at a bare minimum you’ll have a timekeeper and perhaps a couple of crowd control personnel, and depending on the size of the promotion you could also have commentators, camera and sound crew, and managers or valets. In certain situations, any or all of these might get drawn into the actual match, so keep those possibilities in your mind.

Occasionally, your match might spill over into the seating for your audience. Remember to “move” your crowd out of the way if this happens unless you specifically intend to have fans caught up in the crossfire. While these little intrusions can be exciting they should also be brief; no fed would realistically put its fans at risk of a real injury, and all the chairs and other debris around makes proper wrestling practically impossible. The one, very specific, exception to this rule is if you’re writing a hardcore or deathmatch – style tournament; in this case, your crowd is probably filled with people who would be thrilled at the thought of seeing destruction up close and personal, and your fans know what they’re getting into by buying their tickets. Even so, it’s not a strategy that benefits from excessive use. If you want to take your fight to the fans, keep most of it in the aisles that allow the crowd to move around, and have your wrestlers and crowd act with intelligence.

Geography issues: Backstage

Only a handful of matches will take place wholly or partly outside your main arena. When you do have cause for fighting to occur backstage, decide where your wrestling is going to happen, and why it’s going to happen there; then get a clear picture in your mind of the environment and its potential hazards. There’s little point in having a match roam if you’re not doing something above and beyond what is possible in the usual ring and arena space, but equally any big spots need to be built up just as they would be in any other match. Be selective about the spots that you use, and make sure that you have a referee on hand at all times rather than just having him “pop up” unannounced when you suddenly want to have a pin attempt.

If your wrestlers are intended to encounter other characters from your federation, or enter space which is similarly the territory of a specific person, be 100% certain that everyone involved is aware of what will happen, and what you can and can’t write. Most people have no problems with their characters appearing in the background of a backstage match, or passing some sort of verbal comment, but that doesn’t mean that you should neglect to get their permission first. Damage to the property of any character is also an area which you should tread carefully in.

Finally, remember that your attending audience can’t follow a match out of the arena except by means of a tv camera. Try to remain aware of what the camera can and can’t see; tension can be very effectively built by having someone take a hit off – camera, leaving the fans to wonder who exactly was responsible until you decide to reveal the answer.

Geography issues: Fighting outside the normal venue

Writing a match that takes place in an entirely foreign setting to your fed’s normal shows can be both very challenging and very enjoyable. Before you start to plan such a match, you need to carefully consider the kayfabe implications; for example, if you’re planning to have a match in a big store or shop, could your federation pay for all the damage or realistically set up that kind of situation? Would local law enforcement turn a blind eye? If the match has to fit into your fed’s ongoing storylines then you might need to scale back your ambitions; alternatively, you could consciously put reality aside and simply write the match as an entertaining “stand – alone” piece.

Storyline – compliant matches of this type tend to focus on locations which have special significance to one or more participants – e.g old training facilities, or abandoned houses. Outside locations are also particularly suited to “comic relief” contests, which are played mostly for sheer entertainment value and contain plenty of funny and bizarre events, and if you come up with a good premise these can be an absolute blast to both write and read.

To this point we’ve focused solely on traditional two – person contests; next, we’ll look at what happens when you add more wrestlers, and tweak the standard rules.

[Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune]

Match variations: Tag Team writing

All that has already been said about interactions between wrestlers, and about other ringside attendees, applies to tag matches. What a writer needs to think about in addition to these guidelines boils down to two elements: the actual tag, and double – teaming moves.

The tag might seem simple, but its execution can play a big role in how a match plays out. Tags can be lightning–fast, or slow and drawn out, getting the crowd hyped before a switch is finally made; they can be accidental, or they can be missed entirely by the referee, causing chaos as the ref tries to get the man he considers “legal” back into the ring. If two wrestlers are being forced to team, one might call for the tag only to be ignored, and this could cost the reluctant team dearly as the other side capitalises; at the other end of the spectrum a well–oiled team can control opponents who in singles competition might be considered superior, and use mutual teamwork to overcome their individual weaknesses.

Double – teaming an opponent is theoretically banned under standard tag rules; the exception is in the five second “grace period” immediately after a tag is made. Good tag teams can use this time to either hit joint moves, special combinations, or simply batter down their foe; appropriate use of these techniques are what makes a tag match interesting to read and write. Of course, if the ref isn’t watching for whatever reason, double teaming can take place at any time; and the “save” or stopping of a pin by a legal man’s partner is also common.

Match variations: Multiple participants

Once you add more than two people simultaneously to a wrestling match, the need to carry a mental record of where people are and what they are doing multiplies by a large factor. Now, every wrestler in the match faces a series of dilemmas; who to attack first, how to protect themselves from blindside attacks, and whether or not to ally themselves with any other participant for a temporary advantage. The more people there are in the ring, the more difficult these decisions become, and so in turn becomes the task of writing a believable match; this is where the writer’s knowledge of character histories really comes into play. A simple rule is that faces and heels tend to stick together – but wrestlers who were once part of a team or stable and have since split might override that rule if faced with a third party whom they both seriously dislike. Often, the character handlers can give you guidance on how their characters would act in such a situation, so consult them if you’re in two minds over how to play something.

If you get into the groove of writing a cracking battle between two participants, it’s sometimes tricky to remember to involve other participants. If you have four or more people in the match then you can “jump” between individual fights until you’re ready to mix things up; with three, you need to either give the third person a heavy bump that will incapacitate them while your one – on – one fight is occurring, or create some other distraction that will serve to explain what the third guy is doing. “Losing” a wrestler annoys both the readers in general and the handler of the character that you’ve neglected, so check your work carefully once it’s finished to make sure that this hasn’t happened at any stage.

Match variations: Elimination formats

Where a match contains a large number of contestants, elimination formats can work quite successfully. Here, instead of having the first pin or submission seal the victory, participants must be knocked out one by one until only a single person remains and is declared the winner. There are two basic types of elimination – “Over the top” and Pin/Submission/countout.

Pin/Sub/count works exactly as in any other match; there are just more pins and submissions. Otherwise, the match progresses in the same way as a standard contest; the only point to note is keeping track of whom you’ve knocked out and who is left in the ring. The simplest way to do this is to make a list at the bottom of your document, and delete names in turn as you write.

“Over the Top” will be familiar to anyone who’s seen a battle royale or rumble match; elimination only occurs when a participant is sent over the top rope and places both feet on the floor on the outside. This requires a more specialised writing style, as once a wrestler’s produced a few strikes to tire an opponent, all their efforts will be directed into getting the foe over the top and out. Collaboration is very common, and so are mistakes; in big matches, at least one person usually goes for a spectacular top rope move and either bodges it or gets knocked backward on to the floor. Particularly in the early stages when a ring is crowded, unintentional effects will happen quite frequently, meaning that a favourite could be eliminated early, or an underdog could make it all the way to the end of the match; make full use of these possibilities to keep readers on their toes.

Match variations: Other common stipulations

Most stipulations that turn up frequently or semi – frequently are self – explanatory; the only point to note is making sure that you adhere to the stipulation throughout the match. A couple of points to bear in mind, however:

- don’t get “No DQ” mixed up with “hardcore”. In a no DQ match, participants can make use of whatever’s lying around the ring, but that will not routinely include planks, light tubes or other specialised items. Stick to chairs and the odd table, and perhaps a person’s trademark prop if they bring one to the ring.

- If you’re writing an Eveningwear, Tuxedo or Bra and Panties contest, get a clear image in your head of what your participants are wearing. Again, assume that the characters you’re using have brains in their heads; tight clothing is less vulnerable than loose, flowing garments, and denim or PVC will outlast cotton and polyester.

- be wary of requests for multiple stipulations. If there isn’t a clearly defined reason for a stipulation being included in a match, then ask the booker if it’s really necessary. Too many gimmicks suggest to readers that the characters don’t stand up on their own merits.
- writing an “Ironman” contest to full length should only seriously be considered for a PPV. If it’s essential to do such a contest for a standard show, it’s perfectly acceptable to write highlights for all but the last couple of falls, and then put in a really exciting finish. Don’t accept an assignment for a full Ironman unless the competitors are prepared to work on a detailed list of spots around which you can build the match; if they won’t put in the time to assist you then they have no business demanding such a complex contest.

Match variations: REALLY big matches

Many feds hold an annual “super rumble”, frequently modelled on the WWE’s Royal Rumble; writing one of these marathons requires either a single, very dedicated writer with a lot of time on their hands, or a well organised writing team with a competent leader. Before a huge match like this goes on a card, the lead writer should gauge how much help and time can be pooled between the other writers, and assess to what scale the match writeup can be delivered. A majority of rumbles state the entrances and exits of most competitors, with a few lines of action described between each until the last 6 or 8 wrestlers are left, whereupon the match develops into a complete descriptive writeup; if you have sufficient resources then the detail can start earlier, and if you have a truly outstanding team then it is physically possible to write the whole thing, with 30 competitors, start to finish. But boy, is that ever a killer to do…..

For any match that involves more than 10 individual participants, a good plan is essential. I describe plans in more detail below, but you need to track entrants, required spots, and exits as a bare minimum. On the plus side, with so many movesets and feuds, thinking of good combinations and bursts of action shouldn’t be too tricky.

Match variations: Tournaments

Probably the only major obstacle to holding a successful tournament, if you’ve absorbed all that’s been said so far, is planning your rounds and brackets in a manner so that the necessary RPs and match writeups can be delivered in a timely fashion. Your bookers should set things up so that theoretically the strongest competitors win through to the semis and final; and don’t forget that people eliminated earlier in the proceedings occasionally resurface to take revenge in the later rounds…..

We’ve covered a huge variety of match considerations, but sometimes fists and feet will only get you so far. Bring on the heavy ordinance….

[Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune]

Foreign Objects: Basics (Chairs and Tables)

Chairs. Pretty much every e – fed arena going is filled with them, and unless you’re writing for a “pure” wrestling fed, chances are that someone’s going to get handy with the steel sooner or later. Like every other weapon that might conceivably be used in an e-fed match, the cardinal rule about chairs is that they hurt if you get hit with them. Your characters might be extremely fit and well trained, but make no mistake; even a lightweight “prop” chair has the potential to do real damage if a vulnerable part of the body is struck.
In addition, your wrestlers should be selling any such impact, so you should always write a chair attack as a major event in a match. Most strikes will occur to the back, chest, or upper legs, as these parts of the body are better suited to taking a hit; head shots are ALWAYS very serious, and probably match – stopping if the opposing wrestler doesn’t manage to block the worst of it with an arm. Head shots, blocked or otherwise, frequently lead to bleeding from the forehead or scalp; the severity of this will vary depending on the effect you want to achieve. Even if you’re tacitly assuming a blade job has been used, it’s better not to go overboard with the gore; as with many aspects of e-fed writing, you don’t want to wear out the shock value of a really nasty wound, or use one in a situation that doesn’t absolutely merit it. A trickle of blood is all a good writer needs to get their point across most of the time.

Tables are a perennial favourite, and like chairs they should be used sparingly and realistically. It takes at least 30 seconds to retrieve a table from under the ring (where they’ll usually be unless they’ve been specifically placed in a more accessible area), set it up, and return to a downed opponent – so in many cases, that opponent will be up and ready to spoil the party before the other wrestler is done with their preparations. Secondly, if the instigator of a table break falls with their opponent, both parties are going to take a lot of damage; so consider this when writing the reactions and emotional response of match participants, and don’t have anyone bouncing back up too quickly – this will ruin the entire effect of what should be a huge spot in your match. Think about using delay between a table being set, and its eventual use; this gives you the chance to tease one table spot and then later pull off a completely different one out of the blue.

Finally, if you’ve got several items of this kind in the vicinity of the ring, make sure you know where they all are in relation to all your human participants; make notes if you need to. It’s very easy to lose track of things that you might need later, and readers are very good at spotting errors of this type.

Foreign Objects: Ladders

Every year, many thousands of people are seriously injured or killed in falls from ordinary household ladders. Wrestling matches involving them can be some of the most exciting contests of all, but you must always keep in mind that any ascent of a ladder carries real and significant risk. For this reason, you won’t actually find all that much of a ladder match being conducted upon a ladder; a great deal of the action happens in the ring, with the ladder serving as a bludgeoning weapon, a protective barrier, a launch ramp for ring-to-outside spots, or even just as an annoying obstacle that gets in the way of men going toe to toe with each other. There are hundreds of ways to utilise ladders in this fashion; whatever you decide to do, bear in mind that the weight and dimensions of the ladder makes it slow to manipulate, and can seriously hamper the person holding it.

When you do take the fight upward, remember that unless the match is about to end with someone retrieving an object or fulfilling some sort of other condition, your wrestlers have to get down safely and be able to continue the match. Most of the time they won’t get all the way to the top, and this allows for moves to be conducted from the ladder itself, or for wrestlers to jump down a reasonable distance when the ladder is toppled (which will happen quite frequently, especially if the match has multiple participants). The use of leaps or falls from the top of the ladder should be kept to a minimum, again to preserve the “wow!” factor of these events; work out how and where your wrestler is going to land, and have them sell the effect of that drop in a meaningful way. Be even more careful if you’re dropping someone on to another wrestler, or an object such as a table.

Foreign Objects: Cages, Cells and other structures

Adding a solid cage or cell to a match effectively adds a third dimension to the space in which your wrestlers can move, and while this provides opportunities for new and interesting move combinations, it also brings new complications that you need to master.

You need to understand what your structure is made of. A simple cage can still wreak havoc on a foe who is thrown against it repeatedly; A cell adds extra hazards to moves that go from the ring to the area outside. Skin breakage and mild bleeding is very common. The stronger and more sadistic structures such as Elimination Chambers or UFC cages are even more damaging to wrestlers, and your writing should sell these aspects to make the match believable.

Know how high your structure is, and if it has a roof. This will dictate if people can take leaps from the top (a common spot request) and whether the match can move up on to the roof or edge of the structure. Any action that takes place here is going to be a central part of your match, getting the crowd highly worked up, and if someone should fall… it’s going to either end the match outright, or set up the conclusion to be played out quickly and decisively.

Doors and such are usually locked, but may be opened during the match. If someone’s trying to escape a structure for the win, they’re not going to climb if they have a decent chance to get the door open; again, it boils down to endowing your characters with intelligence. Doors are often a focal point for interference by third parties.

Extreme variations on structures can include the provision of weaponry, barbed wire, electricity, glass and other highly risky elements. Always treat these with the restraint and respect they deserve, and refer to the points in the section below with regard to hardcore matches in general.

Foreign Objects: “Hardcore” matches

Many feds sell themselves to members on the basis of being a place where “hardcore” or “extreme” stipulations are acceptable and encouraged; and even a “normal” fed will often include these types of contests from time to time. From a creative point of view these sorts of matches are deceptively difficult to write well, as it’s tempting to go overboard with the violence and forget to put any actual wrestling in there. Also, younger or more inexperienced members sometimes ask for spots which are simply too damaging to employ if a sense of realism is to be maintained; if this happens, it’s usually best to politely suggest a modified spot, rather than simply say “you can’t do that” without explanation.

Pretty much anything can be a hardcore weapon, but there are certain “staples” that are used in real promotions and as such can be written in without too much difficulty. Baseball bats, metal pipes, kendo sticks and wooden planks make excellent blunt weapons, with their blows reasonably easy to sell; trash cans and their lids show up a lot since they can be made specially from very thin metal and give a good effect without unnecessary risk. Thumbtacks look painful without being really dangerous (but keep them away from eyes), and salt always has that “Ow!” factor. I would place these objects into a “first tier” of hardcore matches, and they are the most common weapons that should be used in combination with tables, ladders and chairs.

I would recommend that a writer become completely comfortable with writing first tier matches before they consider taking on a match that involves the “second tier” of implements. Now we’re into true deathmatch territory, and this includes barbed wire weapons and boards, glass panes or other items, any kind of fire or flame, tazers, light tubes, and nails or beds of nails. These are going to cause REAL injury, even if used in a planned manner – so your participants must understand the implications of requesting any match of this type. Their characters will not only get hurt, but they’ll have to carry and deal with the inflicted injuries for at least a week or two, and possibly longer. Space out injury-inducing spots, make bleeding and bruising appropriate to the weapon used, and don’t let your match last longer than would be reasonable given its importance and the abilities of the wrestlers involved.

Finally, actual use of any kind of bladed or explosive weapon, combination of weapons and structures, or use of bonds or torture devices should only be attempted at the biggest of big events, and in a clearly defined method relevant to storyline and character. Remember, you’re writing a wrestling contest, not Quentin Tarantino’s next blockbuster…

Foreign Objects: Getting inventive with weapons

On some occasions, you may want to spice up your hardcore matches by adding items that are not often noted for their offensive capabilities. The most important rule to follow is to work out how dangerous your item is; beware of anything that is completely solid or particularly heavy, or anything with sharp edges. This is not to say that you can’t employ such things; it is more a case of ensuring that an appropriate sense of proportion is maintained.

It’s possible to take a “theme” for a match and base your weapons around it; for instance, a thanksgiving match could feature turkeys and other foodstuffs, a Halloween match might employ pumpkins, costumes (devil pitchforks etc). And then there’s the ever – popular “fans bring the weapons” stipulation, where literally anything goes; if it will fit in a fan’s car, it can be present in the ring when your match begins. Simply keep in mind the properties of your weapons – their weight, durability and ease of manipulation – and you should be fine.

To finish off this discussion, I shall touch upon some more complicated issues. These are the things that are not perhaps critical to creating a decent basic match, but they can make the difference between good and excellent work.

[Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune]

Advanced considerations: Progressing from Selling to “Realising” your matches

We’ve already mentioned “selling” several times, and by now you should be comfortable with the basic concept. However, now we’re going to dissect this topic a little more, and define the difference between selling a move or a match to your imaginary audience, and selling it to your real life readers - a process which I have termed “Realisation”.

In almost all feds, your audience will be endowed with some intelligence, but also with a “mark” mentality. What I mean by this is, if someone’s character is a face, they should get a positive reaction with cheering etc; heels get a negative reaction, and get booed. You can vary this a little according to the situation; a really big heel might get some cheering mixed in with the disapproval, and a newcomer face should get a much lesser reaction than the fed’s top face superstars, but in general the audience should act in accordance with Kayfabe. This kind of selling, while extremely important, is fairly straightforward to write, and the relative power and impact of moves has already been discussed with regard to audience and wrestler reaction.

However, an experienced writer can refine this even further and create a sense of connection between the reader and the wrestlers in the ring; this is done by describing the thoughts and feelings of the characters that would not be all that obvious to an imaginary audience member watching from the outside. A “watcher” might see a look of agony on a defeated wrestler’s face, but they would not know whether that was due to physical pain or emotional loss; as a writer, you can show your real life readers exactly what that wrestler is going through by referencing past events and elucidating on what’s actually in their head at that time. By doing this, you make your characters and their situation “real” to the reader, hence the term “realisation”.

A good writer is able not only to empathise with the character they are describing, but actually to be that character for a few moments at a time and try to see, hear, even feel what they are experiencing… it’s not necessarily an easy thing to do, but with practice, it will allow your writing to connect with your members on a whole new level. I personally think that the moment that a writer achieves this connection is the moment that a fed comes alive; it’s what makes e-fedding special and different from wrestling games and other semi-passive forms of enjoying the sport.

Advanced considerations: Injuries and how to deal with them

Wrestling is a sport/entertainment which carries significant risk of injury to its participants, and there are almost certainly going to be times when you will be required to either actually describe an injury occurring, or to modify your writing of a match to take account of a character’s injured state from a previous event. How certain types of injury occur has already been discussed elsewhere, but there are a couple of points that are worth adding at this stage.

You need to be able to distinguish between genuine injury and the effects of fatigue. My take on this is that fatigue slows a wrestler down, and where they’re attempting a move that requires lifting or throwing a large opponent or object, the chances of failure of that move increase; but stalling for time or otherwise creating a bit of breathing space can allow the fatigued wrestler to recover to a certain degree. With a “real” injury, certain movements become not only difficult, but impossible; strains or tears to key muscles, for example, remain very painful, do not improve at all with recovery time during the match and may rapidly get worse if the person is forced to try and continue with them. Severe blood loss, as we’ve said before, should be a rare event indeed, but if someone really is bleeding badly they will probably show increasing signs of disorientation, lack of balance and trouble in focusing on anyone or anything for more than a few seconds at a time. Genuine injuries will either stop a match quickly, or slow it down dramatically; there should be a clear change of pace to demonstrate to the readers that what has occurred is of considerable gravity.

Where a wrestler is carrying an injury that is healing, make sure that you think about the moves that are being used, and if they would be affected in any way by the weakness in that part of a person’s body. An opponent might well target their offense to that area, too, especially if they’re of the heel persuasion. In short, don’t just allow genuine injuries to “disappear” overnight, and do your best to be sure that any inexperienced handlers are aware of this need if they request that an injury occur to their character.

Advanced considerations: Maintaining a sense of proportion

“Proportion” is the word I have chosen to describe a writer’s need to be able to fit their choices of moves and spots to the situation in which a match is taking place. It’s something that a good writer acquires with time; when you first start writing, it’s always tempting to squeeze in as many impressive spots and big moves as you can, in order to make your matches gripping and exciting to read, and I’m certain that most people who write regularly have done this at some point (I know I have). But you’ll soon discover that the “wow” factor of spots and such can very quickly be degraded through over-use, and that you risk straying into ever more unconvincing territory as you try to compensate, so that your writing ends up less like a wrestling contest and more like something out of a low quality action film; loud, brash, superficially exciting but ultimately unsatisfying.

The best examples of e-fed match writing that I’ve read always strive to remain firmly grounded in the “reality” of the fed they represent. Much of the body of these matches consists of quite basic moves and actions, but it’s described in such a vivid manner as to have the reader completely immersed in the world that the writer is creating in their head. And when a signature move appears, or someone performs a daring leap from the top turnbuckle, it’s a real “mark out” moment that brings a smile to your face.

As you write more, you’ll develop a refined ability to judge the kinds of actions that fit into regular weekly shows, title matches, and PPVs. You’ll also be able to gauge if a request from a handler “works” in the context in which it will occur, and if necessary discuss any modifications that might make that spot better. If you can master this skill, it will not only improve the matches themselves, but help in forging a “structure” for your fed as a whole that gives it a pleasing feeling of depth, logic, and ultimately reality.

Advanced considerations: Fairness, and how to maintain it

Most of what needs to be said about fairness has already been dealt with; almost every match you write will have all the competitors putting on a good performance, and make the handlers of those characters feel that they have been represented in a positive light. Don’t misuse signature or finishing moves, and if in doubt about anything, refer back to the handler(s).

It is important that as a match writer you fully understand the responsibility you have when you are writing for another person’s character in a match situation. The vast majority of handlers are mature enough to deal with losing a match, but there’s a vast difference between a close contest and having a character lose via a “squash”. Making a character look foolish, or cheating when they’re supposed to have a high integrity are also surefire ways to get handlers angry and complaining, and I would strongly advise against writing any such actions without the express, written permission of all involved.

One other caution; You should always follow the instruction regarding the outcome of a match that you are given by the head of the judging team or your head writer. As long as you heed the points already made, the actual result of the match is not your responsibility, and you should not allow any member to browbeat or otherwise intimidate you if they have a dispute about the result. Simply refer them to the person with responsibility for the decision process; it is a breach of most feds’ rules if members put pressure on writers over match outcomes, and you should not tolerate any such behaviour. I should add at this point that these problems are very rare, but it is important that you know what you have a responsibility for, and what is the responsibility of others.

Advanced considerations: Time management

Unless you’re some sort of hermit surgically welded to your keyboard, your fedding activities have to fit in with a huge amount of other stuff going on in your life. However, if you’re going to write matches for a fed, then you need to be able to commit an appropriate amount of time on a regular basis in order to get the writing done to specification and to time. One of the things that will drive members away from a fed as if it has the plague is if the results are repeatedly late, incomplete or unreasonably short.

Before committing to write for a fed, work out how much time you actually want to spend writing for each show. If you’re just starting, you’ll probably need about 45 minutes for a standard 500-700 word match for a regular show, dropping to about 30 minutes once you become proficient. On top of this, allow yourself at least 30 minutes on writing allocation day to read your messages from other members, check movesets, and resolve queries. Be reasonably sure that you will be able to get to a PC to pick up your allocation at the appropriate time, and again to submit your work in time for the show co-ordinator to assemble everything. No one is going to get angry over an occasional problem, but if it starts to become a habit, you need to reassess things.

If you’re also writing between-match segments, or if you need to add significant action before or after the match itself, you need some time for that, too. Only experience will let you judge this accurately, but again a half hour is about the minimum.

Once you’ve worked out roughly how much time you want to give and checked that your schedule is compatible with that of your fed, you can offer your services. Don’t be afraid to turn down a match if you think there’s a strong chance you won’t get it done; most show co-ordinators/head writers would rather you said no upfront than simply failed to get the match in on time.

Adjust your work to suit your time availability. If you find yourself with less time, scale back and perhaps only take a match every other week or so; any help you can give will still be greatly appreciated. If you get into writing and want to do more, most co-ords/Heads will welcome you with open arms. The worst thing you can do is struggle with more than you can comfortably do, get totally sick of the whole thing, and then suddenly throw in the towel; you won’t enjoy the experience, the writer in charge ends up with a serious problem to try and fix, and other members of your fed may feel let down, even if they’re sympathetic to your situation.

[Alicia "Atomic" Kitsune]

Advanced considerations: Mistakes, and resolving them

Even the very best writers who take great care with their work will occasionally mis-interpret a character, or make other (hopefully small) errors. Your show co-ordinator/Head writer should be checking your work for any really serious mistakes, and if the advice in this guide is generally followed, really big problems shouldn’t occur.

If a mistake does crop up, be honest, and apologise; be prepared to edit anything that is of real concern to a handler. The very vast majority of issues can be resolved with a friendly chat, and most handlers will only raise an issue so that you can write things more in tune with their own ideas in future rather than because they’re truly angry or offended.

Advanced considerations: Important matches – planning is critical

At some point you will almost certainly be asked to write or co-write a match which is of some importance, and which has a number of special requirements (spots, events, and eliminations if it’s a multi-man contest). Keeping track of everything can be very tricky, and if you’re co-writing with others, you need to ensure that you don’t double up on spots or make other errors.

The best way to do this is to create a match plan. This basically sets out spots and events in the order that they should occur to make a good match with increasing drama, and also notes who is eliminated when, and by who/what method if this is relevant.

If it’s just you writing, you can do this in your own time and manner, but if you’re a co-ordinator who needs to split a very big match up into parts, you need a way to convey to everyone what they’re supposed to be writing and how it fits into the whole. In addition to the points above, your plan should give each writer a “start” position, detailing where each person is and what they are doing, and an “end” position with the same information; one writer’s “End” will be the next writer’s “Start”, hence allowing the pieces to hopefully mesh together. A little gentle editing may be needed as you get the sections in, but that should be all.

Collecting in spots etc. is obviously important and needs to happen efficiently; rigidly enforce the deadline so that you don’t end up constantly changing the plan and risk confusing people. If you’re doing a rumble, don’t forget the entrances; it’s advisable after each entrance or exit to list the people who are active in the match, so that you don’t “lose” anyone by mistake. If you’ve got tables, chairs etc involved, track those as well.

Proofread your plan before you send out the instructions to check that you’ve got spots and such in sensible places (example mistake: with big matches it’s possible to put a spot in after the person who’s supposed to be doing it has been eliminated). Writing a plan might seem like a hassle at first, but once you get the hang of it, it will make seemingly impossibly complex matches far, far easier to handle.

Advanced considerations: Working as part of a writing team

In most feds there will be 2 or 3 writers contributing regularly with matches and other work, and larger feds can have many more. Being part of any writing team means that you always have access to advice from other people, and whether you’re learning the ropes or have plenty of experience, getting and giving feedback on what you and others write is always useful.

As explained above, when you’re involved with a complex event such as a PPV, it’s important that you are clear on what you are expected to write and when it needs to be submitted to your show co-ordinator/head writer. Other people may be waiting to see how you’ve handled a match before adding in actions that occur later in the show, so timeliness is key.

Ensure as far as possible that you observe conventions that may be set up with regard to the characters of NPCs (such as announcers, referees etc); this helps your work to “blend” with that of others to make the show coherent.

Lastly, if you feel that you are not getting the support that you need, or that what you are being asked to write is not reasonable (such as adding huge tracts of pre- or post match text that aren’t directly relevant to the match itself), take your concerns up the chain of command. Most of the people who run E-feds want to retain good staff, and will do all they can to help you out. If you honestly can’t come to an agreement, then it’s probably time for you to think about changing to another fed that will better accord with your preferences, before relations are at risk of breaking down.

Advanced considerations: The Big Kahuna – leading a writing team

Every fed has at least one person who has responsibility for preparing and organising their shows, and if you find yourself enjoying your writing and want to take the next step up the efed “ladder”, you just might find yourself hired as a show co-ordinator.

A co-ordinator has several important responsibilities; they take the card which has been set by the fed’s booker(s), and may arrange the matches in such a way as to increase the anticipation and importance as the show progresses, from opening match to main event. Each match must be assigned to one of the writing team for that show, and the co-ordinator is expected to keep tabs on who is available to write at any particular time, and the approximate skill of those individuals (you certainly shouldn’t expect a new writer to take on the penultimate or main event before they’ve had time to gain the appropriate experience).

However, make sure that you try and be fair in handing out matches; no one wants to be stuck with the opening match every week, and even if you’ve got one or two writers who are particularly good, let others have a turn at the bigger matches as well. If you’re writing for the show as well as co-ordinating, don’t hog all the “best” matches for yourself, this will generate annoyance with the rest of your team. If you’ve got writers who are also handlers, it’s acceptable for them to write their own matches once in a while, especially if they’re experienced and you know that they’ll be completely fair in their writing; if they’ve not written a match of their own before, proof read it closely and be scrupulous as to the tone before you let it go out. If though the other parties in the match have an objection, let someone else write the match and apply this rule strenuously. It’s essential that you do not let a “them and us” mentality develop between writers and non-writers handling in a fed.

Encourage as many people as possible to have a crack at writing; you want as broad a pool to draw from as you can make. Where people are just starting out, give feedback and be positive as much as you can; where something isn’t quite up to scratch, suggest an alternative. Always be constructive in your criticism, never destructive. Don’t be picky about style at first – as long as the match is reasonably balanced and fits the characters involved, everything else should develop with practice. With regard to spelling and grammar, it’s usually best to edit out any little niggles without criticising the writer directly, and you’ll probably find that they’ll subconsciously absorb the corrections little by little. Only if a match is hard to read should you approach a writer directly on the issue, and do so tactfully.

Members will also be sending in their spot requests and other instructions for the matches; as co-ordinator, you should ideally screen out anything that is obviously going to cause a problem at this stage and take it up with the person concerned. The writer doing the match may wish to refine further, but the earlier you address an issue, the more likely it is to be sorted out in good time.

If a match has a fixed result, it’s good practice for the co-ordinator to double check this with those involved; the last thing anyone needs is for any accusations of match rigging or bias to crop up due to a simple failure to communicate.

As the day of the show approaches, the matches should start to come in, and the co-ordinator can build up the show from its component parts. If you’re also taking in between-match segments from members and writers, you can end up with an awful lot of messages going in and out, so good organisation is critical. The co-ordinator will often need to add short pieces of linking text, occasional whole segments, and there will quite often be last minute changes from members that arrived too late to send to the match writer involved, so having an hour or two set aside on the day of the show itself to deal with all the bits and pieces is the best arrangement if you can manage it. If you find that getting everything polished is problematic, set a “cut off” time for segments, instructions etc, and don’t include anything that is sent to you after that time. However, you may well choose to bend this rule if a writer ends up being a bit late with a match as once writers get some experience under their belt, few if any changes will be needed to what they write.

Where a fed has more than 1 regular show, there may well be separate co-ordinators for each one so as to spread the load. In such a case, there is usually a designated “head writer” who has the final say on any major disputes that arise, and keeps in contact with the other co-ordinators so that they in turn have some support if things get tough. The Head Writer is also usually the person who takes on the task of co-ordniating PPVs.

PPVs work in exactly the same fashion, except with the amount of work multiplied by a major factor. Most people underestimate how much time doing a PPV well takes; even a basic opening PPV match will be somewhere around 1,000 – 1500 words, and if you’re doing a big and hyped main event, don’t expect to get away with any less than about 3,000. At the time of writing, ACW’s most recent PPV, Ragnarok 2006, weighed in at 31,000 words total with a main event of 11,000 words (a four on four elimination format, co-written by 2 major writers and contributed to by 2 more). A match of such length is indeed a special event, and no one should be expected to take one on more than a few times a year, but if you’re taking on a co-ordinator role with PPV responsibility, expect to have to organise these and be prepared for the effort involved.

For those who may be wondering, the record for a single ACW match is 16,000 words (Fallen Heroes 2005, a fully written 30 man Royal Rumble) and for a PPV is 65,000 words (Omega Effect I, ACW’s biggest annual event).

It’s worth pointing out that as a comparison, a PhD Thesis is usually capped at 50,000 words and takes at least 3 years to write. Length certainly doesn’t necessarily indicate a good show, but if you’re really serious about working to the best of your ability, and you have a truly exceptional staff and roster, there’s almost no limit to what you can achieve. Aim High!


Some closing thoughts

Everything that people do in connection with e-fedding is done for one reason – because it should be an enjoyable use of precious free time. Reading a superb efed match can be a highlight of someone’s day, and if you’re the kind of person who enjoys writing in general, it’s possible to derive just as much pleasure, if not more, from being a fed writer.

Being a writer is a privilege – it’s easily the most enjoyable and creative post of any fed team. I believe that a writer should always strive to give the members of their fed the best experience that they possibly can, absorbing and reflecting the members’ own work in what they write and giving those characters a third dimension, whilst always doing their very best to stay true to the members’ vision of their characters. For me, it’s about going beyond what videogames and the like can offer; a writer with skill can thrash even the best CAW generator hands-down in making someone’s idea come to life.

Whatever your role is – member, staff writer, co-ordinator or owner – never lose sight of the fact that everyone gives their time out of choice. It takes a whole lot of people co-operating to create a successful fed; no one’s getting paid, no one’s earning grade credit, and everyone could potentially be doing a million other things. So always try and keep things in perspective if there are difficulties or arguments along the way, and respect everyone’s contribution. If you decide to try out the writing game, only make commitments that you are reasonably confident that you can keep, and remember that there is always more to learn, whether you’ve written 5 matches or 500.

The cardinal rule for all fed writing, as for fedding in general, is simple: if it’s not enjoyable, then think about why you’re not enjoying it, and address the problem – even if that includes stopping your fedding altogether…

…until the next time you watch wrestling on TV and think “Hey! I could script better than that with my eyes closed!”…

Anyway, we’re done. I hope that you found this guide useful, or at least mildly diverting. Any comments, queries or suggestions for improvement are always welcome.

[Karate Master Kudo]

I've found this guide useful, and wildly diverting

Let me be the first to congratulate you on this guide. You've covered just about everything I could possibly think of for E-fed match writing. If anyone has any inkling of taking up match writing, whether it be full time or casual contributor, this guide will definitely help set you in the right direction and hold your hand along the way given how detailed it is. (Forgive me for the cheesy analogy)

When/If I find something to criticize on, I'll come back and comment. But as you said, there's always something more to learn, and capturing all 5 senses of the reader is something that isn't gained without some hard work and probably more important - a wild imagination.

Again, great job AK, maybe this will inspire more to lend their hand at match writing.

[Santiago Rivera]

Dang, this actually helps A LOT! Mr. Latino! Add this to the site!

[BK London]

Very VERY helpful. Great post AK. Can't thank you enough for this.

*copies and pastes into file on computer.*

[hunter]

Very nice job, AK.

To Latino: What Santiago Said

[Jack Jefferson]

Great job AK. This is really useful (well the bits I've had time to read anyway)

To Latino: What Santiago and Hunter said.

[The Senator]

Very very nice. Just a few things that I don't think I saw...be sure to always have the movesets of the people you're writing for in front of you, and if possible, read one of their previous matches to see how their moves are used. Never assume that people know what a signature move is just by its gimmick name, and descriptions of said moves are essential.

Other than that, an incredibly engaging read, and it should make everyone better off having read it.