gh-haowjy-creative-writing-skills-creative-writing-skills/skills/cw-official-docs/references/citation-guide.md

# Citation Guide for Fiction Documentation

How to cite sources when creating reference documentation for your creative writing project.

## Why Cite Sources?

Citations in fiction wikis serve several purposes:
- **Verification**: Readers can check the source
- **Consistency**: Track where information comes from
- **Contradiction resolution**: Identify which source takes precedence
- **Completeness**: Ensure nothing is missed
- **Updates**: Know what to revise when you rewrite chapters

## Basic Citation Formats

### Chapter References

**Simple chapter citation**:
```markdown
Sarah's ability to see auras is revealed in Chapter 5.

## References
- Chapter 5
```

**Specific scene**:
```markdown
Marcus first meets the antagonist during the cafe confrontation.

## References
- Chapter 8: Cafe scene
```

**Multiple chapters**:
```markdown
The prophecy is mentioned repeatedly throughout the story.

## References
- Chapter 2: First mention
- Chapter 7: Full text revealed
- Chapter 15: Interpretation discussed
```

### Page/Section References

If your project uses page numbers or sections:

```markdown
## References
- Chapter 3, Page 45
- Chapter 5, Section 2
- Chapter 12, Opening scene
```

### Scene-Specific Citations

```markdown
## References
- Chapter 4: Training montage
- Chapter 9: Sarah vs. Marcus fight
- Chapter 14: Climactic revelation
```

## Inline Citations

For specific facts within the page, cite inline:

```markdown
Sarah discovers her powers at age 15 (Chapter 2). She trains with 
Master Chen for three years (Chapter 4-7) before facing her first 
real challenge (Chapter 8).
```

Or use reference-style citations:

```markdown
Sarah discovers her powers at age 15 [1]. She trains with Master 
Chen for three years [2] before facing her first real challenge [3].

## References
[1] Chapter 2: Power awakening
[2] Chapters 4-7: Training arc  
[3] Chapter 8: First mission
```

## Organized Reference Sections

### Chronological Order

Useful for character biographies or timelines:

```markdown
## References
- Chapter 1: Birth and childhood
- Chapter 3: Teenage years
- Chapter 7: Adulthood
- Chapter 12: Current events
```

### By Topic

Useful for complex pages with multiple aspects:

```markdown
## References

### Physical Description
- Chapter 2: Initial description
- Chapter 9: Post-transformation appearance

### Abilities
- Chapter 5: Power discovery
- Chapter 11: Full power reveal

### Relationships
- Chapter 3: Meets Marcus
- Chapter 14: Reconciliation with father
```

### By Relevance

Most important references first:

```markdown
## References
- Chapter 8: Major character-defining moment
- Chapter 3: First appearance
- Chapter 15: Character arc resolution
- Chapter 6: Minor mention
```

## Special Cases

### Contradictions

When sources contradict, note both:

```markdown
Sarah's age is stated as 23 in Chapter 2, but later referred to as 
25 in Chapter 8. [Contradiction noted - clarification needed]

## References
- Chapter 2: Age given as 23
- Chapter 8: Referred to as 25
```

### Implied Information

When something is implied but not stated:

```markdown
Marcus likely has military training (implied by his combat skills 
and terminology).

## References
- Chapter 4: Combat proficiency demonstrated
- Chapter 7: Uses military jargon
```

### Retroactive Information

When later chapters reveal backstory:

```markdown
Sarah's mother died when she was young (revealed in flashback in 
Chapter 12, though mentioned briefly in Chapter 3).

## References
- Chapter 3: Brief mention
- Chapter 12: Full flashback and details
```

### Work-in-Progress

For incomplete information:

```markdown
The antagonist's true name has not yet been revealed.

## References
- Chapters 1-10: Referred to only as "The Shadow"
- [To be updated when revealed]
```

## Citation Best Practices

### Do Cite
- Direct statements from the text
- Character actions and decisions
- Physical descriptions
- Relationship developments
- World-building facts
- Timeline events

### Don't Need to Cite
- Commonly known information repeated throughout
- Your own analysis or interpretation (just label it as such)
- Meta information about the writing process

### Multiple Mentions

If something appears in many chapters:

**Specific approach**:
```markdown
## References
- Chapter 2: First mention
- Chapter 5: Detailed explanation
- Chapter 8: Used in combat
- Chapter 12: Full capabilities shown
- Chapter 15: Ultimate application
```

**General approach** (if too many to list):
```markdown
## References
- Appears throughout Chapters 5-15
- Key scenes: Chapter 5 (introduction), Chapter 12 (mastery)
```

## Updating Citations

When you revise chapters:

### Add Update Notes

```markdown
## References
- Chapter 5: Sarah's backstory [Updated 2024-03-15]
- Chapter 8: Major revision changes relationship dynamic [Rev. 2024-03-15]
```

### Track Versions

If you maintain chapter versions:

```markdown
## References
- Chapter 3 (v2): Sarah's age corrected to 25
- Chapter 7 (v1): Original meeting scene
```

## Reference Section Templates

### Minimal

```markdown
## References
- Chapter X
- Chapter Y
```

### Standard

```markdown
## References
- Chapter X: [Brief description]
- Chapter Y: [Brief description]
```

### Detailed

```markdown
## References

### First Appearance
- Chapter X: [Description]

### Character Development
- Chapter Y: [Description]
- Chapter Z: [Description]

### Major Moments
- Chapter A: [Description]
- Chapter B: [Description]
```

## Cross-Referencing

Link to other wiki pages:

```markdown
Sarah's relationship with [Marcus](marcus.md) is complicated by the 
revelation about [the prophecy](prophecy.md) in Chapter 8.

## References
- Chapter 8: Revelation scene
- See also: [Marcus](marcus.md), [The Prophecy](prophecy.md)
```

## Spoiler Management

### Spoiler Frontmatter

```yaml
---
title: Sarah Chen
type: character
spoilers: true
spoiler_level: major
---
```

### Spoiler Sections

```markdown
## Character Arc

Sarah begins as an ordinary college student...

<details>
<summary>Major Spoilers - Chapter 15+</summary>

In Chapter 15, it's revealed that Sarah is actually...
</details>

## References
- Chapters 1-14: Initial arc
- Chapter 15+: Major revelation (spoilers)
```

## Example Reference Sections

### Character Page

```markdown
## References

### Biography
- Chapter 1: Childhood flashback
- Chapter 6: College years mentioned
- Chapter 12: Complete backstory revealed

### Abilities
- Chapter 3: First power manifestation
- Chapter 7: Training montage
- Chapter 14: Full power display

### Relationships
- Chapter 2: Meets Marcus
- Chapter 5: Conflict with father
- Chapter 11: Romantic development
- Chapter 16: Resolution
```

### Location Page

```markdown
## References
- Chapter 1: First described from distance
- Chapter 4: Sarah enters for first time
- Chapter 9: Major battle scene
- Chapter 13: Destruction
- Chapter 18: Rebuilt
```

### Lore Page

```markdown
## References

### Mentioned
- Chapter 2: Brief reference
- Chapter 5: Name-dropped

### Explained
- Chapter 8: Full explanation given
- Chapter 10: Demonstrated in practice

### Crucial to Plot
- Chapter 15: Used to resolve main conflict
```

## Remember

**Good citations**:
- Are specific enough to find the source
- Are organized logically
- Note contradictions when found
- Get updated when chapters change
- Help readers verify information

**Bad citations**:
- Just say "somewhere in the story"
- List every single mention when dozens exist
- Ignore contradictions
- Never get updated
- Are vague about location

The goal is to make your wiki a reliable reference that accurately reflects your story content and makes it easy to verify or update information.