Style Guidelines

• Books should follow native Morrowind style and way of writing. When in doubt, check existing texts for examples.
• Titles can be written in caps, centered, left-aligned, or wholly absent.
• Authors can be noted, but this is not necessary. Avoid writing things like "by anonymous" - if the author is unknown, simply to not mention him or make an editorial note.
• Editorial notes at the beginning of the book or in the text should be placed between square brackets. A general out-of-text note on the meaning or significance of a book can be very useful to contextualize a book. A distinction should be made between editor's notes (which are present in the physical text) and contextual notes (which do not technically appear in the text, but give it more meaning). The following it an example of a contextual note:
  

  [This is a chronicle of events of historical significance to the Dwemer Freehold Colony of Nchuleft. The text was probably recorded by an Altmer, for it is written in Aldmeris.]

• Remarks or impressions of the player character should also be places between square brackets. Notes that describe how the player feels or acts should be avoided where possible. The same goes for dialogue: the player is in control of their character, and should be able to decide how they feel.
  

  [No words can describe what you see. Or what you think you see.]

• Sometimes, generic texts can be summarized in a single sentence, with no further text. This can be a time-saver, but should only be used for the most generic and uninteresting objects.
  

  [This parchment shows a list of contracts to purchase ebony or work in the mines.]

• Many texts consist of only a couple of notable excerpts or fragments of a larger book. These can be marked by adding ... to the beginning and (if necessary) ending of a paragraph, or by placing [...] between text blocks, signifying that parts of the text are being skipped or are lost.
• "Unique" aspects of a book can also be noted between square brackets: handwritten notes, pages torn out, damages etc. However, these should only be used for unique books such as journals, notes etc.
• When using hyphens to distinguish parts of a sentence or two sentences, Morrowind books use double hyphens "--". Of course, this does not apply to normal usage of hyphens within words. This also applies to dialogue.
  

  Mehrunes Dagon seems to prefer natural disasters -- earthquakes and volcanoes -- for venting his anger.

Writing Guidelines

When talking about the place books have in Tamriel Rebuilt, we are really asking what they do both in an Elder Scrolls game, because in the end that is what we are making, and in Tamriel, because this is what we are depicting.
Books have a role to play because they carry an enormous potential to build a world beyond the several gigabytes that constitute the game. They can establish things that are far beyond the budget, time limit or skill of any development team (including us) and can often plainly do things that are impossible to describe otherwise. They are necessary, because to some extent they save the fictional world we can portray through our game engine from becoming a facade, transitory and ultimately meaningless.

• Consider the role your book is to play in the gameworld. Books are never narratives that stand on their own: they must always express something about the world and the people, faction, etc. that exist in it. A book that does not inform us in some way about Tamrielic culture is a waste of space. Books are tools to enrich the gameworld in ways that dialogue or the worldspace cannot.
• Consider both the author, publisher and the audience of your book. You are not only crafting a fiction within the text, but also a fictional writer with their own prejudices and ideas.
  • The impression the book makes on the player should be the same as the impression it makes in-universe. If you want to write an old-timey sounding text then it needs to be something that's old-fashioned in-universe, and that has to be important enough to the nature of what you're communicating that it's worth the added baggage.
  • Having a defined (but not exaggerated) authorial voice makes your book more believable. It is also worthwhile to define where and when a book was written (though this should only be noted in the text where appropriate).
  • Finally, consider the publisher (who would print this book? For what reason? Would this be a profitable venture?) and its audience (who would read this? Why? In what kind of locations can the book be placed?)
• Always remember that you are writing a book, not an audiolog. Avoid writing in accents or dialect, and avoid audible remarks ("snorts", "spits", "coughs", etc.)
• Consider the genre of your book. "Adventure novels"and fantasy stories about questing heroes should be avoided, instead, consider what kind of books are popular IRL and in various historical periods.
• Do your research. Books should adhere to the existing lore of the Morrowind-era setting. This does not mean that no new lore can be included, but only that this should not contradict existing lore, or only do so in measured and well-considered ways.
• Books should also adhere to the planning and development of the mod itself. In general, proposing extensive new pantheons, locations or factions in books is bad etiquette. If you wish to develop new ideas through literature, do so in the lore forum first or make a brief summary of the new concept above the book text. This goes double for books touching on the works of other projects, such as PC or SHOTN.
• Your book should never be objective truth. Your text is always an interpretation of events, filtered through the worldview of your author and his culture. Also consider what your author can and cannot know: many things we take as a known fact in lore are unknown or speculative from in-game.
• Remember that it is not always necessary to write a complete books - many vanilla books feature only excerpts and fragments from what are supposed to be larger texts.
• Proofread your work: check your grammar, check your tense (use only one tense!), check your spelling. It is best to read your text out loud to see if sentences don't go on too long or sound weird.

Keeping the above in mind, it becomes obvious that books, far more than a source of information, are tools. Any worthwhile book seeks to do something; it takes the world as we imagine it and builds upon it, deconstructs it, reconstructs it, changes it, nuances it, … Books always have hidden agendas.

1. Take your time to decide a single subject. Something or anything that interests you.
2. The people around here are more than willing to assist; your work will be reviewed, discussed and suggestions will be made. If something needs to be fixed, fix it. If you don't know how, ask for further assistance. It is most important to be persistent and dedicated. No one is perfect, don't give up.
3. Follow the steps it takes to write a good story. Once you have your subject, outline what you wish to discuss. Use your outline to expound upon your theme.
4. Do the research! You are writing the book, song, scroll, journal or quest. YOU should know the lore that substantiates and supports it, better than most. You should be able to defend your position.
5. PROOF READ your work. If someone else is not available to read your work prior to submission, try the following techniques:
   
   1. Read the piece out loud.
   2. Read the piece backwards.
   3. Check your grammar.
   4. Check your story's tense. One tense please.
   5. Check your spelling. Spell check is helpful, but don't rely on it. (i.e. there, their and they're or to, too and two)

Great Sources of TES lore

The Imperial Library:
https://www.imperial-library.info/