Repetition in Shrines

[yeerk]

When analyzing a character for a shrine and exploring scenes or events in different angles for essays, do you find it hard not to be repetitive? Let's say an event is super important to Character A, the character you are shrining, and changes him in some way. Let's say that that event also is important to another character involved, Character B,

Comments

[yeerk]

I struggle with this so much.

What I try to do is discuss the event in great detail in the section discussing its importance to Character A. On Character B's relationship page, I'll mention the event without going into detail, and then discuss its importance to Character B's relationship with Character A. I guess I just assume visitors will read my entire shrine, so they'll eventually read about the event in detail. No need in me going in-depth with it multiple times.

[rayesesshyfan]

I really don't mind repetition when I'm reading or making essays for the shrine.

Sometimes people don't see things the same way as you do and that's what's so great about reading people's views. You can compare it to yours and what others have came up with.

Like say they missed something or forgot that the other character was involved or they just got into the series. I find that repeating information one extra time isn't so bad, it's just the way you word it. If you're going to type a good amount one for Character B, you can put in an achor and direct to it with a link on Character C with, say, "As expalined here, they were also involved...".

[dubiousdisc]

For your specific example, I would just discuss the event itself and then, in the same page, talk about what happened to both characters.

More generally - I would say that "is that redundant?" is my primary concern when creating anything at all. For what concerns fansites, my original website draft usually has a lot more sections than the finished site because I end up merging pages to avoid redundancy. If I really, really have to mention a topic that I already wrote about in another page, I just sum it up and use the power of the hypertext. But I basically swear by not using a word more than what it's needed and revising everything several times.

In other people's works, I will say that it bothers me a bit when I notice it. Mostly because I will end up thinking, this could have been avoided had this thing been written like this and this and that and that and it takes me out from the reading.

[daysees]

On merging pages due to redundancy- I definitely do this too. I usually start off with a list of essay topics and the site seems really big, until realizing that: "Hmm, these two pages are pretty much THE SAME, so let's just use one..." :)

[dubiousdisc]

And then you end up with a grand total of six pages and wonder why you wanted to write about this character in the first place... XD

[daysees]

Exactly!! LOL! Make a page that's like "I think he/she's cool, that's all!!"

But this kind of made me think: I used to browse these websites that gave out awards and had affiliation programs. Part of getting recognized was having a set number of pages in your site. So, I am thinking that, this requirement (even for a shrine) could lead to either repetitiveness or pages that don't really add up to too much value.

I'd rather have maybe 3 pages that have really good content instead of 12 pages that no one may even go to.

[aleniakalain]

In my head, repetitions of any kind are boring, so I try to avoid them as much as possible.
Usually I would discuss the event in great detail in one more generic section (which could be, for example a "story" or "background" section in a series-related shrine) and then only mention it in the other ones, possibly adding a link or note to where to find more information about it.

[daysees]

I'd say that this bothers me more when I do it, instead of when I read it in other people's shrines. I can't really explain why, though. Maybe it's because I have some sort of high standard I subconsciously hold myself to? But I'd say that it would bother me a fair amount if all of the essays on the site were reiterating each other.

I'm currently struggling with how to write different essays with a limited amount of information without being repetitive. For shrines in the past, if I wrote an essay that slightly overlaps in detail, then I would put a link for the visitor to go to that essay and read if they hadn't already. My current issue it that I just don't have a lot to work with! I am not sure how I can write more essays without just repeating essays I had written previously. Part of me is going: "You can do this. You've written shrines for characters that had nothing before, this character has way more to work with!" But I just feel like I'm hitting a wall. Maybe I need some suggestions to really think outside the box, which is

[dubiousdisc]

When that happens to me, I just let it boil while checking out the source material. If possible, I talk with someone who is familiar with what I'm trying to write. Soon or later, the ideas will come.