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Dialog Formatting Guidelines

Mixing dialog & stage directions

This generally tries to follow formatting conventions from theater:

  • Stage directions are surrounded by parentheses.

  • Stage directions are italicized.

  • Stage directions are in present tense.

  • Character with spoken lines have their names in ALLCAPS within stage directions.

Just stage directions (and “look” descriptions)

  • Normal prose treatment.

  • Present tense.

Overworld Vignettes

  • Normal prose treatment.

  • Present tense.

  • Never contain spoken dialog.

  • Dialog options are commands (ex. “Leave” or “Walk inside”), but use the 'insertedText' attribute to insert full descriptions of the actions (ex. “Conway closes the door and returns to his truck” or “Conway enters the diner and closes the door behind him.”).

Style guide

  • Titles of books/films/artworks/etc in italics.