WikiProject Novels aims to define a standard of consistency for articles about novels, novellas and short stories. Through implementation of standards such as these, content can become more easily and quickly located with common organization and structure for novel articles.
Do not, however, forget the spirit behind these guidelines. If they make editing or reading more difficult for a particular novel or for novels in general, change them or ignore them, preferably with some explanation on talk (discussion) pages. Many novels do not necessitate layouts such as this, or have special requirements that do not fit the template exactly. Feel free to adapt this WikiProject to specific situations and to discuss changing it.
Main Project Discussion takes place at /GeneralForum
Novel
articles | Importance |
| Top | High | Mid | Low | None | Total |
| Quality |
 FA | 3 | 6 | 18 | 2 | | 29 |
| FL | | 1 | 2 | | | 3 |
 A | | | 1 | | | 1 |
 GA | 2 | 19 | 36 | 12 | 1 | 70 |
| B | 62 | 201 | 548 | 115 | 12 | 938 |
| C | 16 | 39 | 153 | 148 | 4 | 360 |
| Start | 29 | 365 | 2621 | 1838 | 117 | 4970 |
| Stub | 3 | 226 | 4890 | 9831 | 1147 | 16097 |
| List | 1 | 1 | 144 | 87 | 23 | 256 |
| Assessed | 116 | 858 | 8413 | 12033 | 1304 | 22724 |
| Total | 116 | 858 | 8413 | 12033 | 1304 | 22724 |
WikiProject Novels aims to define a standard of consistency for articles about novels and literary genres associated with fictional narratives. It also aims to encourage and provide the structure for enhancing the writing of high quality articles on all manner of different novels. For the purpose of this project, "Novels" are deemed to include all works of narrative fiction that exhibit novel like structure, regardless of length and genre. (This includes full novels, novellas, novelettes and short stories.) It also aims to encourage and promote the writing of articles on all types of such Novels. (see "#Hierarchy Definition" for more details of what is in or out of scope.)
 | WikiProject Novels • (inc. novellas, novelettes & short stories)
Announcements and open tasks |
→ Please help with tagging articles!
[edit] Article structure
[edit] Naming, style and notability
The project itself has a style guidelines department, which gives suggestions about writing articles on narrative prose fiction.
[edit] Article templates
Articles should be written to an agreed basic style for standardization purposes. We encourage all participants to use this template not only as a starting place for new articles, but also as a guide to amend any existing articles that need improvement. There are currently two supported templates:
For novel articles:
- which includes
- an Infobox template for a book - /InfoboxCode
For fictional character articles:
[edit] Related WikiProjects
[edit] Parentage
[edit] Descendant Wikiprojects
[edit] Project organization
There are currently four major elements to our project organization. Participants (or membership), a Job Centre, specialist Departments and special interest Task Forces.
[edit] Members
The list of Wikipedians who are committed to the WikiProject can be found at Wikipedia:WikiProject Novels/Members. If you are interested in participating, please feel free to join by visiting that page.
Once you join, you are welcome to add this template to your user page: {{Wikipedia:WikiProject Novels/Outreach/User WPNOVELS}}. This userbox automatically adds you to the WikiProject Novels participants category and appears as such:
 | This user is a member of the Novels WikiProject. |
[edit] Guestbook
This is a list of Wikipedians who are not committed to the WikiProject, but who are sympathetic to the cause. Feel free to express your support by signing the list below:
Guestbook signators
[edit] Guestbook signatures
Please feel free to add your name to this list if you would like to express your support for the project.
This is a list of Wikipedians who are not committed to the WikiProject, but who are sympathetic to the cause. Feel free to express your support by signing the list below!:
- Temlakos (talk · contribs) - 5 February 2006 - (No message left by user)
- Candybars (talk · contribs) - 7 February 2006 - (No message left by user)
- Acebrock (talk · contribs) - 15 February 2006 - Unfamiliar with discussed material.
- BirgitteSB (talk · contribs) - 17 February 2006 - Birgitte§β's Talk - I work mainly with Wikisource.
- Rimbaud (talk · contribs) - 13 April 2006
- Ganymead (talk · contribs) - 26 April 2006 - Greetings from WikiProject Theatre!
- Monzonda (talk · contribs) - 30 April 2006 - I'll try to contribute if my work schedule permits me :) Monz
- Mingus ah um (talk · contribs) - 5 May 2006 - When I stray from the non-fiction, I'll try to help this project out.
- JennyRad (talk · contribs) - 19th May 2006 - tentatively signing up, when I have time
- Tombseye (talk · contribs) - 24 May 2006 - I'm down to help by helping with articles on books I read as I do a lot of that at work besides, ah, working. Tombseye
- Almighty Tallest (talk · contribs) - 7 June 2006 - Love to actually help out, but new baby on the way :)
- LadyPeter (talk · contribs) - 15 June 2006 - I would love to help out on this project after I clear some other projects off my desk. 'Till then, I'll provide moral support!
- SorryGuy (talk · contribs) - Guy - 4 July 2006 - may join eventually but already has several commitments he may not be living up to.
- Wizkid357 (talk · contribs) - 4 September 2006 - I'd help out but books aren't exactly my forte.
- Marco 1094 (talk · contribs) - 23 September 2006 - I'm a huge bookworm but my schedule and strict parental rules may result in only limited results.
- Hide&Reason (talk · contribs) - 23 September 2006
- riana_dzasta (talk · contribs) - 7 October 2006 - used to be a member, but my editing has branched out too much. I will help out when I can. — riana_dzasta wreak havoc-damage report
- frijole (talk · contribs) - 27 October 2006 - I think The Big U is as much as I'll work on, but will do what I can to help out!
- Fleiger (talk · contribs) - 3 November 2006 - Will check out where I can help
- Alarob (talk · contribs) - 21 November 2006 - A good idea, especially when it comes to historically significant novels.
- Zachary crimsonwolf (talk · contribs) - 14 November 2006
- Destructo_087 (talk · contribs) - 29 November 2006 - I love my thick novels
- Sd31415 (talk • contribs • count) - 4 December 2006 -
(User • Talk) - The Modern Prometheus (talk · contribs) - 5 December 2006 - Say goodbye to the science fiction story stubs!
- Walter_Humala (talk · contribs) Heya guys, do we need tittle translation on spanish novels?
- Yossi (talk · contribs) - 30 December 2006 - I am willing to help with all English novel data, and to post summaries.
- AndonicO (talk · contribs) - 5 January 2007 - I'll probably be joining for good one of these days...
- Walters1 (talk · contribs) - 6 January 2007 - I read as much as I can and really hope I can help with this project as it sounds great!
- Manquer (talk · contribs) - 11 January 2007 - will love to wrok on this one... have been frustrated many a time by not finding a article on a novel..
- Loyola (talk · contribs) - 18 January 2007 - Time forces me to shift from active to guest. Delighted to help as and when I can. Wide variety from fantasy to serious novels.
- GROG (talk · contribs) - 20 January 2007 - I think this is a wonderful project, I'd like to work on it, though I may or may not find time.
- Gwinva (talk · contribs) - 6 February 2007 - My wikipedian efforts are mainly directed to developing the Nigel Tranter pages. I am a bit on my own at the moment, and as a editing newbie am figuring it all out as I go along. Could do with help, advice, support! Would like the pages to be consistent with your Wikiproject, but also to develop their own style as they overlap with other topics such as history. Come and have a look.
- haha169 (talk · contribs) - 17 February 2007 - This is an interesting project. I've been working on a couple of novels myself. Maybe I should join.
- You would be most welcome! :: Kevinalewis : (Talk Page)/(Desk) 14:55, 2 March 2007 (UTC)
- Logologist (talk · contribs) - 24 February 2007 - I know a little about Polish novels in particular.
- Rumiton (talk · contribs) - 2 March 2007 - I am interested in novels in translation, particularly from German to English, as I believe misunderstandings and prejudices caused by poor translation have created much of the misery of the modern world.
- Aleta (talk · contribs) - 3 March 2007 - I contribute to some articles in the purview of this project. :)
- Davy1132 (talk · contribs) - 3 March 2007 - I have made some contributions to articles such as Skybreaker.
- Reloc (talk · contribs) - 19 March 2007
- 9muses (talk · contribs) - 22 March 2007 - Due to lack of time, I'm switching from active to guest.
- Beatlesmaniac (talk · contribs) - 25 March 2007
- S II 087 (talk · contribs)- 27 March 2007 - I am not full fledged, but I am working on bring the Cat Who series up to a decent level. I hope to help more though!
- Jim32990 (talk · contribs) - 6 April 2007 - Nice idea!
- RubADubDuckie (talk · contribs) - 8 April 2007 - I read a lot, so I will do what I can to help.
- Edna H. (talk · contribs) - 10 April 2007 - Mysteries, mainly.
- Barchetta Ferrari (talk · contribs) - 27 April 2007 -I'll do what I can.
- Movedgood (talk · contribs) - 7 June 2007 - I know much of novels, and I want to write articles of all them.
- Catmoongirl (talk · contribs) - 22 August 2007 - I'll help more when I have the time.
- Karenjc (talk · contribs) - 15 November 2007 - I do what I can when I can: the templates and guidelines are clear and helpful, which is good for someone who is still learning but who does want to do it right
- Coho (talk · contribs) - 12 December 2007 - I'll do what I can I usually work on wiki pages of books I finish
- Majestysquest (talk · contribs)- 18 December 2007- I am fairly new, so I will be sure to check everything out. I like to read, but I can't find the books I've read. I'll look around!
- Aristophanes68 (talk · contribs) -- 4 March 2008 -- esp. ethnic U.S. lit
- Deadguy71 (talk · contribs) -- 7 July 2008 -- My uncle (Jan de Hartog) was an author of about 2 dozen novels.. only two or three have wiki pages, and I want to fix that.
- Lexo (talk · contribs) -- 15 August 2008
- Vjingo (talk · contribs)-- 10/26/08 -- First Project...
- kiranbg (talk · contribs) 11:21, 30 October 2008 (UTC) I read a lot. I will also do what i can to help
- LovesMacs (talk · contribs) 31 October 2008 I read a lot but I read a lot of non-fiction too so I don't want to commit solely to novels.
- CaptainJae (talk) 19:18, 10 December 2008 (UTC) - I'm a huge reader and am happy to help with this great project.
- Tezkag72 (talk · contribs) I'm not planning to join this project; got enough to do already. But yes, I want to express my support for it. One comment—an article quality and importance count table (whatever that's actually called) would be a good idea on the project's homepage. As well as giving new visitors an idea of what the project has accomplished, it would tell longtime contributors what still needs to be done. Tezkag72 14:51, 25 January 2009 (UTC)
- grrlpup (talk · contribs) - 30 January 2009 - you have my support and interest.
- dvp7 (talk · contribs) - 16 February 2009 - I can certainly help, where Star Trek is concerned... :P Dave (talk) 16:32, 16 February 2009 (UTC)
- Galoubet (talk · contribs) - April 29, 2009 - A novel is to the soul as a glove is to the hand, it fits or it doesn't!
- Leahtwosaints (talk · contribs) - June 21 2009
- Argonel42 (talk) 21:41, 25 July 2009 (UTC)
- Srinivas (talk) 11:02, 20 August 2009 (UTC) Very nice project. I am actively supporting it.
- Kingbirdy23 (talk) 21:58, 15 October 2009 (UTC)nice, i really like it, but i dont have the time to be an active contributor.
If a member is interested in becoming involved with the work of the project, they are welcome to visit the "responsibility clearing house" or Job Centre. From here it is possible to join multiple areas of the project that need supervising and/or updating, including our five departments, which are listed below. Departments are specialised areas of the project for a targeted activity, serving the aims of the whole in a smaller way.
The assessment department focuses on assessing the quality of Wikipedia's novel and novel related articles. The resulting article ratings are used within the project to aid in recognizing excellent contributions and identifying topics in need of further work, and are also expected to play a role in the WP:1.0 program. The assessment is done in a distributed fashion through parameters in the {{NovelsWikiProject}} project banner; this causes the articles to be placed in a set of categories that serves as the basis for an automatically generated worklist.
The automation department of the Novels WikiProject uses various automated and semi-automated methods to perform batch tasks that would be extremely tedious to do manually; it collects requests for tasks, discusses whether they are suitable for automation, and attempts to match them with bot operators or users of semi-automated tools for implementation. All project members are invited to request tasks and to comment on the suitability of outstanding requests.
The project's Collaboration of the Month seeks to identify particular articles that would benefit from a significant collaborative effort. Every month (currently), a single article is selected as the focus, and the project attempts to improve it, potentially to featured article standards. All articles dealing with some aspect of novel literature (except for current featured articles and featured article candidates) are eligible, and everyone is invited to nominate candidates. The current collaboration article is '''The Sound and the Fury'''.
The outreach department acts as the project's central point of coordination for recruiting new members and maintaining the interest of current participants. Its primary activity is the production of monthly project newsletters, it also contains a welcome message that can be sent to each new member as they join.
The peer review department conducts peer reviews of articles on request; this helps to obtain ideas for further improvement by having contributors who may not have previously worked on particular articles examine them. Project members are invited to submit articles to the department in lieu of using the generic peer review process.
[edit] Task forces
- Please discuss any proposals for new task forces with other members or with the project as a whole before creating them.
Task forces are informal groups of editors gathered for collaborative work on a particular topic within the field of Novels (as defined in the "scope" above); all project members are encouraged to participate in any task forces that interest them.
- General topics
-
- Genres
-
- Areas or Nationalities
-
- Specific authors and series
-
- Periods
-
[edit] Hierarchy definition
Since there are many types of novel, boundaries must be set so that other WikiProjects can guide articles that this one doesn't. (Just like the discussion on the Wikipedia:WikiProject Novels/Novel categorization project page.) So far, the titles that have been included are those that the "man in the street" would call a "novel".
Included:
| Overall | Genre | Description | Category | Stub template |
| "can be used in the text and infobox to describe the article" | | "Use to categorise the article" | "Use to mark short and incomplete articles as stubs" |
| Fictional Characters | [[Fictional character]] | Characters from novels | [[Category:Fictional characters]] | {{fict-char-stub}} |
| Overall | Genre | Description | Category | Stub template |
| "can be used in the text and infobox to describe the article" | | "Use to categorise the article" | "Use to mark short and incomplete articles as stubs" |
| Fictional Locations | [[Fictional locations|Fictional location]] | Locations from Novels | [[Category:Fictional locations]] | {{fict-location-stub}} |
Category hierarchy Novel articles are sorted under many categories; look in Category:Novels for a list. There are three "main" categories that most books are sorted to:
then also by the following, as applicable.
Genres of novels include:
| Overall | genre | description | category | stub template |
| "can be used in the text and infobox to describe the novel" | | "Use to categorise the article" | "Use to mark short and incomplete articles as stubs" |
| General Novels | [[Novel]] | Those that cannot be described by
categories below | [[Category:Novels]] | {{novel-stub}} |
| Specific Genres | [[Adventure]] | High adventure, action based narrative often with travel | [[Category:Adventure novels]] | {{novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| [[Alternate history]] | "What If, history had developed differently?" | [[Category:Alternate history novels]] | {{novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| [[Anti-war]] | "War novels, but the message is clearly anti" | [[Category:Anti-war novels]] | {{war-novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| [[Autobiographical]] or [[Biographical]] | Autobiographical - gives some of the author's life story | [[Category:Autobiographical novels]] | {{novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| [[Biographical]] | Biographical - gives another's life story | [[Category:Biographical novels]] | {{novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| [[Bildungsroman]] | Bildungsroman - a novel of education or a novel of maturation | [[Category:Bildungsroman]] | {{novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| [[Comedy]] | Comedy or comic - with humorous content | [[Category:Comedy novels]] | {{novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| [[Crime]] | Crime novel - without the whodunit | [[Category:Crime novels]] | {{crime-novel-stub}} |
| [[Detective]] | main character is a Detective | [[Category:Detective novels]] | {{mystery-novel-stub}} or {{crime-novel-stub}} |
| [[Dystopian]] | Dystopian - of hopeless or pessimistic character | [[Category:Dystopian novels]] | {{novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| [[Epistolary]] | Epistle like - written as a series of documents | [[Category:Epistolary novels]] | {{novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| [[Erotic]] | Erotic literature of novel length | [[Category:Erotic novels]] | {{erotic-novel-stub}} (sorts to novel-stub category) |
| [[Family saga]] | Family saga literature of novel length | [[Category:Family saga novels]] | {{novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| [[Fantasy]] | Based on magic, ancient myths and legends | [[Category:Fantasy novels]] | {{fantasy-novel-stub}} |
| [[Feminist]] | Feminist literature of novel length | [[Category:Feminist novels]] | {{novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| [[Gothic]] | The dark and horrific (see genre) | [[Category:Gothic novels]] | {{novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| ::[[Southern Gothic]] | The dark and horrific (see genre) - based in the Southern U.S. | [[Category:Southern Gothic novels]] | {{novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| [[Historical]] | Set among historical events, prior to author | [[Category:Historical novels]] | {{hist-novel-stub}} |
| [[Horror]] | with Horrific, scary subject matter | [[Category:Horror novels]] | {{horror-novel-stub}} |
| [[Jacobin]] | novels that espouse ideals of the French revolution | [[Category:Jacobin novels]] | {{hist-novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| [[Legal thriller]] | Subgenre of the thriller novel is the Legal thriller | [[Category:Legal thriller novels]] | {{thriller-novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| [[Medical]] | Subgenre of the thriller novel is the Medical novels | [[Category:Medical novels ]] | {{novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| [[Mystery]] | Subgenre of the crime or detective novel is the whodunit | [[Category:Mystery novels]] | {{mystery-novel-stub}} |
| [[Non-fiction]] | Not included in scope - often misplaced here! | [[Category:Non-fiction novels]] | {{nonfiction-book-stub}} |
| [[Paranormal romance]] | Subgenre of the Speculative fiction and Romance novel | [[Category:Paranormal romance novels]] | {{romance-novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| [[Parody]] | with a character of parodies | [[Category:Parody novels]] | {{novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| [[Philosophical]] | Novels where philosophical ideas form the main crux of the narrative. | [[Category:Philosophical novels]] | {{philos-novel-stub}} |
| [[Political]] | set in the political environment or politically themed | [[Category:Political novels]] | {{novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| [[Psychological]] | Novels where psychological issues are prominent factors in the story or characterisation. | [[Category:Psychological novels]] | {{novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| [[Romance]] | Romance themed, or based novels | [[Category:Romance novels]] | {{romance-novel-stub}} |
| [[Satirical]] | Satire based novels | [[Category:Satirical novels]] | {{novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| [[Sentimental]] | Novels based in sentimental themes | [[Category:Sentimental novels]] | {{novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| [[Science fiction]] | Science advancement, or contact scientifically advanced civilizations | [[Category:Science fiction novels]] | {{sf-novel-stub}} |
| [[Speculative fiction]] | Speculation about worlds - alternatives to the
normal Sci-Fi,Alt-Hist,Fantasy, Horror
have their own sub-genre (categories and stubs) | [[Category:Speculative fiction novels]] | {{novel-stub}} (no specific notice) or individual spec fiction genre |
| [[Sports]] | Sports themed novels | [[Category:Sports novels]] | {{novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| [[Spy]] | Spying and espionage | [[Category:Spy novels]] | {{spy-novel-stub}} |
| [[Techno-thriller]] | Thrillers with a technical or modern science element | [[Category:Techno-thriller novels]] | {{thriller-novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| [[Thriller]] | Fast paced, action packed suspense | [[Category:Thriller novels]] | {{thriller-novel-stub}} |
| [[Time travel]] | Subgenre of the Speculative fiction is the Time travel novel | [[Category:Time travel novels]] | {{sf-novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| [[Utopian]] | Utopian - of hopeful, optimistic or idealistic character | [[Category:Utopian novels]] | {{novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| [[Victorian]] | Victorian - of the period - mainly British | [[Category:Victorian novels]] | {{novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| [[War]] | Warfare (mainly modern) | [[Category:War novels]] | {{war-novel-stub}} |
| ::[[American Revolutionary War]] | Warfare (American Revolutionary War) | [[Category:American Revolutionary War novels]] | {{war-novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| ::[[French Revolutionary Wars]] | Warfare (French Revolutionary Wars) | [[Category:French Revolutionary War novels]] | {{war-novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| ::[[American Civil War]] | Warfare (American Civil War) | [[Category:American Civil War novels]] | {{war-novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| ::[[Napoleonic Wars]] | Warfare (Napoleonic Wars) | [[Category:Napoleonic War novels]] | {{war-novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| ::[[First World War]] | Warfare (World War One) | [[Category:World War I novels]] | {{war-novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| ::[[Second World War]] | Warfare (World War Two) | [[Category:World War II novels]] | {{war-novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| ::[[Korean War]] | Warfare (Korean War) | [[Category:Korean War novels]] | {{war-novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| ::[[Vietnam War]] | Warfare (Vietnam War) | [[Category:Vietnam War novels]] | {{war-novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| ::[[Anti-war]] | "War novels, but the message is clearly anti" | [[Category:Anti-war novels]] | {{war-novel-stub}} (no specific notice) |
| [[Western]] | American west, with cowboys, gunslingers,
settlers and 'native Americans' | [[Category:Western (genre) novels]] | {{western-novel-stub}} |
| edit · changes |
Novels by age-group including
Here is a list of categories that short stories are often sorted to:
Genres of short stories include:
Short stories by age-group including
Literary genres
| Description | Category | Stub template |
| "Use to categorise the article" | "Use to mark short and incomplete articles as stubs" |
| encyclopedic article about the literary genre | [[Category:Literary genres]] | {{literature-stub}} |
These genres are not included within the project's scope:
References (can be made to):
[edit] Auxiliary templates
[edit] Article infoboxes
Infoboxes belong at the top of an article. Each article should only have one infobox depending on what the article is about. Instructions for completion are included on each page.
[edit] Project template
Project templates belong at the top of an article's talk page. Articles may belong to one or more projects. They may also be added to relevant template and category talk pages.
[edit] Internal project organization
- {{WPNOVELS}}: the main navigation box
- {{WikiProject_Novels_announcements}}: project announcements and top work tasks; place this on your userpage to provide information on the current state of project
[edit] Navigational templates
[edit] Work to be done
- List of literary works with eponymous heroes
- List of literary works with eponymous heroines
Sorting articles out from the main "dumping categories"
-
-
Review articles or images (in scope that are being "challenged")
-
-
Articles for which a valid class is not provided are listed in Category:Unassessed novel articles.
[edit] Project management work needed
- Supervise the announcements template
- Assist with the production of the monthly newsletter
- Promote the work of the WikiProject
- Tag articles on their talk pages
- Scan for new articles and "bring them into the fold" by encouraging good style and tagging the talk page.
- Developing the "Task Forces"
[edit] Check changes
