Editing Writing Better Articles (section)

== Layout and Structure ==
Layout matters. Good articles start with introductions, continue with a clear structure, and end with standard appendices such as references and related articles.

===Intro===
Good articles start with a brief lead section introducing the topic. We discuss lead sections in greater detail [[#Lead section|below]]. The lead section should come above the first header; it is almost never useful to add something like <nowiki>==Introduction==</nowiki>. Sometimes, the first section after the lead is a broad summary of the topic, and is called "Overview", although more specific section titles and structures are generally preferred.

=== Paragraphs ===
Paragraphs should be short enough to be readable, but long enough to develop an idea. Overly long paragraphs should be split up, as long as the cousin paragraphs keep the idea in focus.

One-sentence paragraphs are unusually emphatic, and should be used sparingly. Articles should rarely, if ever, consist solely of such paragraphs.

===Headings and sections===
Sections and subsections are introduced by headings. These headings clarify articles by breaking up text, organizing content, and populating the table of contents.

==== Headings ====
Headings help clarify articles and create a structure shown in the table of contents.

Headings are hierarchical.  The article's title uses a level 1 heading, so you should start with level 2 heading (<nowiki>==Heading==</nowiki>) and follow it with lower levels: <nowiki>===Subheading===</nowiki>, <nowiki>====Subsubheading====</nowiki>, and so forth. Whether extensive subtopics should be kept on one page or moved to individual pages is a matter of personal judgment.

Headings should not be wikilinked. This is because headings in themselves introduce information and let the reader know what subtopics will be presented; Wikilinks should be incorporated in the text of the section.

Do not use too many pseudo-headings using bold or semicolon markup. Use the correct hierarchical heading for the level so it appears in the Table of Contents (ToC) at the top of the page.

Finally, do not use redundant subheadings in an article. For example, in a page named "combat", you would not need to use the heading "combat maneuvers" for the "maneuvers" subtopic.

====Lead section====
The article's title should be displayed in bold as early as possible in the first sentence. For example:

<blockquote>A '''Player Killer''' ('''PK''') is a player that has converted to one of Bael'Zharon's Chosen by using an Altar of Bael'Zharon or Eye of Darkness.([[Player Killer]])</blockquote>

=== Images ===
If the article can be illustrated with pictures, find an appropriate place to position these images, where they relate closely to text they illustrate. If there might be doubt, draw attention to the image in the text (''illustration right''). For more information on using pictures, see [[How To Use Images]].