Template talk:WritingCredits

Abbreviations and mix-ups

@TVBuff90: I have reverted your changes at Star Trek: Discovery (season 1) and Star Trek: Discovery (season 2) regarding this template, and suspect you have likely made the same changes at multiple other TV articles. This is a major change and I am very strongly against it. I can understand why it might make sense to abbreviate "Story" and "Teleplay" if an episode table was getting short on space, but if that is not the case then you are just making people do extra work to figure out what it says unnecessarily. And speaking of unnecessary extra work, making people figure out who wrote the story and who wrote the teleplay by having different lines for story, teleplay, and story & teleplay seems like an obvious no-no to me. What was the problem with just saying "Story by A, Teleplay by B"? - adamstom97 (talk) 01:54, 4 April 2020 (UTC)

Nothing. It just seemed easier that way. — Preceding unsigned comment added by TVBuff90 (talk • contribs) 11:52, 4 April 2020 (UTC)

Adapted by

Is there a reason why Adapted by isn't a field in this template? it's a standard and common writing credit - X201 (talk) 07:38, 16 September 2025 (UTC)

{{WritingCredits|w=Jon Smith|ex1label=Adapted by|ex1=Mark Moe}}

Written by : Jon Smith
Adapted by : Mark Moe -- Alex_21 _TALK 09:21, 16 September 2025 (UTC)

I can also only find 17 articles that use this template with a label for "Adapted by". -- Alex_21 _TALK 09:36, 16 September 2025 (UTC)

Colons

Why is everything "by:" and not "by" as in standard usage (standard English, most professional onscreen credits)? Can this be changed, or optional, or something? ~2026-32733-35 (talk) 15:56, 1 June 2026 (UTC)

It's a label. The colon separates the label and the credit. -- Alex _talk 21:11, 1 June 2026 (UTC)

What is the reasoning there? Any English style book will tell you not to use colons following verbs or prepositions (by), which ARE separators; colons stand in when there is none.

Directed by Joe Blow

Director: Joe Blow ~2026-32733-35 (talk) 13:07, 3 June 2026 (UTC)

I wasn't aware we were an "English style book". Can you show me where this has been an issue for the past eleven years of this template? Surely if it was so egregiously gramatically incorrect, hundreds would be flocking to correct it. -- Alex _talk 21:22, 3 June 2026 (UTC)

Oh because if something passes without an uphill battle to correct it, it's obviously perfect? I don't see why you wouldn't want to improve, better late than never. I'm taking the time to try to make a small difference, you're welcome. Hundreds may easily be discouraged by picky gatekeepers (ahem) too, so, you know, think about it. Ask an editor (a professional one) if you like. Don't ask a maker of cheap schoolroom valentines or gift tags. (Edit: You know, I just remembered a typo- and mistake-riddled official hospital email signature that has been going out for over a decade and which I can't find the right person to do something about. If I ever find that person, would you advise him/her to retort that no one else has complained about IT and therefore it's fine as is? I don't think so.) ~2026-32733-35 (talk) 20:12, 6 June 2026 (UTC)

Unfortunately, I did not understand most of that ramble. Please provide some sort of policy that supports there being an issue. Thank you. -- Alex _talk 02:13, 7 June 2026 (UTC)