TI/AP as "The Raven"

Once upon a Warsong dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,

Over many a quaint and curious volume of skillcapped lore,

While I alt-tabbed, nearly dying, suddenly there came a tapping,

As of some rogue gently stabbing, stabbing at my back some more.

'Tis some skill-less noob,' I muttered, 'stabbing at my back some more -

Only this, and nothing more.'

Ah, distinctly I recall it was in the early Fall,

And each separate dying horde had wrought its ghost upon the floor,

Eagerly I wished the morrow; - vainly I had sought to borrow

From my vids surcease of sorrow – sorrow for I play no more -

For the rare and radiant AP of whom I miss but play no more -

Nameless here for evermore.

And the imbalance itself of each skill-patched elf

Thrilled me – filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;

So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating

'Tis some AP toon entreating that I play some more -

Some old AP toon entreating that I play some more; -

This it is, and nothing more,'

Presently my toon grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,

'Bad,' said I, 'or Noobie, truly your submission I impore;

But the fact is I was alt-tabbed, and so gently you came tapping,

And so faintly you came stabbing, stabbing at my back some more,

That I scarce was sure I heard you' – here I pet freeze to my fore; -

Smeld there, and nothing more.

Deep into that login peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,

Doubting, knowing blizzard has nerfed my precious toons before;

But the nerf was indirect, and the login was correct

And the only phrase there spoken was the whispered phrase, “Play More!”

This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the phrase, “Play More!”

Merely this and nothing more.

Writing Outline

I have written many “articles,” but none of them are written well. What does it take to communicate clearly? Communication should be focused on getting a point across without unnecessary words. This article will serve as a resource for me when writing future articles, and it begins with an outline.

• Planning:
  • Topic: what is it?
  • Audience: who is it for?
  • Purpose: why is it?
  • Scope: how much detail?
• Knowledge:
  • Internal: what do I already know?
  • External: what research is available?
• Organization:
  • Brain Dump: get all the ideas down on paper.
  • Order Ideas: combine into an outline.
    • Thesis: The purpose, from planning stage (it evolves)
    • Body: Organized ideas from brain dump phase
    • Conclusion: Restates the thesis, no new information
• Writing: using the outline, write from point to point until the end.
• Editing:
  • Content: comparison to outline.
  • Paragraphs:
    • Topic Sentence
    • Main Idea
    • Conclusion/Interpretation
  • Sentences:
    • Length: average in teens, frequent changes
    • Structure: Simple, Compound, Complex
  • Words:
    • Order
    • Choice
    • Cohesion/Location
  • Key terms: keep a similar term for the idea throughout
  • Transitions
  • Condensing:
    • Emphasize important information
    • De-emphasize or omit less important information
    • Replace or omit pointless words and phrases.
  • Reduce intensifiers and hedges
  • Avoid writing in the negative

Whenever I have time to write, I will pick the topic that is most interesting. My audience is my future self. I will do everything I can to communicate clearly and remove assumptions. The articles stop as soon as my point is made, because I respect my readers time.