Choosing a subject for one pagers

[Kula]

I don't think I have too much to add after so many helpful comments (and already commented about this on twitter) but I would recommend you to just take it easy---people under pressure generally just see the big picture and forget the details. If you can make it into the marathon, nice! if you can't... you can still finish it eventually

Anyway, personally I have a notebook full of notes of things I like/would like to do. From series, characters, items, etc. anything that comes to my mind or that I end up obsessed with goes there. This is how I plan things I'll do (apps for fanlistings, ideas for shrines, layouts for my domain and more) so later on I just need to take a look at the list and decide. Sometimes I also talk about things like this with Aku or Sumie, specially when I'm not sure about it.
Oh and can't forget that I always end up saving up images I find on the internet in a special folder and bookmark sites that can come handy later xD

[Eden]

@Ava: Thanks for the really helpful advice Ava! I do like keeping lists and I should put my listography to better use. I really like the advice about focusing in one medium or a specific thing about a character. That really helps narrow down my frustration! Neptune is indeed a deep character and she's from a huge series, and I actually struggled with doing something for a character like that.

Two characters I do want to do a site for are Furude Rika and Houjo Satoko, both from Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni, but the series is so expansive as a metaseries including manga (which I haven't read), anime + ovas (seen all of them), and includes two video games (visual novel, fighting game). The visual novel I have already played this. I feel these two would work better as a multi-page site, but again I'm not sure and I don't know if anyone here at this board has seen this series/or is a fan of it like I am.

@Kula: I have plenty of notebooks but I haven't written anything by hand in years. I'll probably write down my ideas for my sites in a notebook now. I used to draw out my layouts on paper but I stopped doing that. I should try to do that again.

I really wish I did have someone to confide in, discuss, and talk to, but I never did find anyone who shared my unique interests. I feel a little awkward not really knowing the majority of subjects everyone here are familiar with (aside from like DBZ or Fruits Basket). I think not having someone to discuss my interests is giving me a bit of a handicap when it comes to expanding my horizons.

I will give the lists a try though (I used to be a huge list-nazi back a few years ago) and go from there. :)

[Kibumie]

When choosing a topic to shrine for I generally select a character ( I currently only shrine characters at the moment. ) from a series that I really really really like and have a lot of things to say about. For me, it's easy to shrine a subject that you already have a lot of knowledge about than spending time researching because you might end up something based on wiki's and other informational sites existing.

I like to shrine just to gratify myself. It's like when I shrine I want to show that: I love this character so much and I'm going to show you why he is awesome. What I learn from Aku. lol.

For the one page marathon, just try an easy subject especially if you are just starting. What I mean about an easy subject is something from your most favorite series like DragonBall. I wouldn't worry about the deadline, if you can't finish it then just do it again next year. Or if you are so pumped to finish it but can't follow the deadline, then make it a huge shrine! haha.

The question I was asking everyone else is what kind of subjects do you pick for one page sites? Small characters? Minor subjects like songs, etc? Regardless of how I feel about the subject, I feel that the majority of the ones I have up for consideration are too big to make a one page for.

I think any subjects can fit a one page site. It doesn't matter if it's a minor/major/series or whatever subject. It's your shrine, it's your page, you can fit anything on it. Last year, I did create a one page shrine for a huge major character Kenshin from Rurouni Kenshin series. Just try it first. Don't be so hard on yourself.

[Chibi]

I've thought about making one-page shrines before and I'm certain I'm going to make one at some point. I don't see other people's one-page shrines as a lesser effort, because I think people put effort in every shrine they make, even if it's one-paged; but when it comes to my one-page ideas, I sort of feel like I can actually do them at some point, because I feel I don't have to go into as much in-depth as my other multi-paged projects. (Not saying other people's one-page shrines don't have depth; this is what I feel about my one-page ideas.)

If you are a first-time shrine builder, I would perhaps suggest to focus on something from a small/medium fandom. Not saying you have to shrine a minor character from a small fandom; just think about something "easy" that won't require you to research for months on the info you need to write. Or maybe shrine a subject that you don't see very often, like a song (Crystal's "Song of Storm" one-page shrine comes to mind), or perhaps a movie, or a book (I'm thinking of doing this and I'm pretty sure Saya has a one-page shrine about the BBC Series "Pride & Prejudice"), or maybe even a pokemon? Personally, I think pokemon are good one-page subjects, but maybe that's just me. XD

I see one-page shrines as little tributes to characters/etc. that I like, but that I wouldn't dedicate a multi-paged shrine to. My multi-paged shrines are about subjects that I love deeply (and sometimes from big series) and that I like to analyse, write essays on and rant over and over again. My one-paged shrines subjects, on the other hand? They're still subjects that I like, but perhaps on a "lesser" level that the subjects of my "big" shrines.

I hope this helps... and that it makes sense XD;

[Mikari]

A list of favorites sounds like a good idea. Maybe drawing Inspiration from you blog if you have one, realizing that you have more to say about the subject you started discussing.

I don't have 1 page shrines right now, but that's what I would do if I tried to make one.

[Destinie]

A one page shrine is a great way to get something off that ground that you really want to do. Sometimes you lack inspiration to get something started or you intimidated because you feel your shrine will be too big. A one-page shrine is a great way to get something up and then you can expand it at your leisure in the future. It's also a nice way to make a shrine if you have a lot of topics in mind.

This year I was going to kick-start a project by doing the one-page shrine marathon. However, I can't due to time constraints. *sob* I seem to be able to do 1 shrine a year now...

[Aku]

I think a mistake we may be making here is thinking that particular subjects are more appropriate for a one page shrine at all--I think anything can be a one page shrine! What's nice about one page is that it has the tendency to make you think more concisely because of it's size--but in a lot of ways I think that's a good way to think about shrines in general. Just because there are characters that seem like they are a "multi-page" shrine doesn't mean they can't be properly represented on one page. Shrines don't need to cover every single aspect of a character if you don't want them to. I choose my shrines based on subjects I have a lot to say about, but other people choose differently! Basically, I don't think it's easy to give an answer of "how to make a decision". XD I think you should go with something you're interested in and see how you can approach shrining that character in one page!

Another thing is, if you do think that your subject is more suited to a multi-page shrine, you can always use a one pager as a "baby step" toward something larger! Lots of people here at Amassment have expanded their one page shrines. :3 Sometimes forcing yourself to think concisely in one page can help better dictate how to expand out into something larger.

[Crystal]

I think a mistake we may be making here is thinking that particular subjects are more appropriate for a one page shrine at all--I think anything can be a one page shrine! What's nice about one page is that it has the tendency to make you think more concisely because of it's size--but in a lot of ways I think that's a good way to think about shrines in general. Just because there are characters that seem like they are a "multi-page" shrine doesn't mean they can't be properly represented on one page. Shrines don't need to cover every single aspect of a character if you don't want them to. I choose my shrines based on subjects I have a lot to say about, but other people choose differently! Basically, I don't think it's easy to give an answer of "how to make a decision". XD I think you should go with something you're interested in and see how you can approach shrining that character in one page!

Another thing is, if you do think that your subject is more suited to a multi-page shrine, you can always use a one pager as a "baby step" toward something larger! Lots of people here at Amassment have expanded their one page shrines. :3 Sometimes forcing yourself to think concisely in one page can help better dictate how to expand out into something larger.

You have a valid point. I honestly haven't thought of it that way before. o.o

[Ava]

@Ava: Thanks for the really helpful advice Ava! I do like keeping lists and I should put my listography to better use. I really like the advice about focusing in one medium or a specific thing about a character. That really helps narrow down my frustration! Neptune is indeed a deep character and she's from a huge series, and I actually struggled with doing something for a character like that.

Two characters I do want to do a site for are Furude Rika and Houjo Satoko, both from Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni, but the series is so expansive as a metaseries including manga (which I haven't read), anime + ovas (seen all of them), and includes two video games (visual novel, fighting game). The visual novel I have already played this. I feel these two would work better as a multi-page site, but again I'm not sure and I don't know if anyone here at this board has seen this series/or is a fan of it like I am.

Both of those subjects sound great. If I had to choose, I'd say I'm more partial to using Rika because there is such a rich well of content from her status as an important element of the main story's mystery, if not the most important element of the show. She also gives you the opportunity to talk about When Seagulls Cry too.

With these marathons, you can do whatever you want to the product afterwards. Some people choose to expand their one pager into a multi-page shrine later on. This is definitely an option if there's more you want to have in your shrine than you prefer to put on a one pager at the moment.

[Eden]

@Ava: Thanks for the really helpful advice Ava! I do like keeping lists and I should put my listography to better use. I really like the advice about focusing in one medium or a specific thing about a character. That really helps narrow down my frustration! Neptune is indeed a deep character and she's from a huge series, and I actually struggled with doing something for a character like that.

Two characters I do want to do a site for are Furude Rika and Houjo Satoko, both from Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni, but the series is so expansive as a metaseries including manga (which I haven't read), anime + ovas (seen all of them), and includes two video games (visual novel, fighting game). The visual novel I have already played this. I feel these two would work better as a multi-page site, but again I'm not sure and I don't know if anyone here at this board has seen this series/or is a fan of it like I am.

Both of those subjects sound great. If I had to choose, I'd say I'm more partial to using Rika because there is such a rich well of content from her status as an important element of the main story's mystery, if not the most important element of the show. She also gives you the opportunity to talk about When Seagulls Cry too.

With these marathons, you can do whatever you want to the product afterwards. Some people choose to expand their one pager into a multi-page shrine later on. This is definitely an option if there's more you want to have in your shrine than you prefer to put on a one pager at the moment.

I've not read/watched Uminkeo yet so I cannot address that in Rika's dedication. While I like Rika, I'd really like to dedicate something to Satoko too since a lot of people really seem to overlook Satoko and only see the "annoying" aspects of her character without really taking a deeper look into her. I am not sure how I'd approach each of them, but I'll figure that out eventually. I recently decided on expanding Hanyu's fanlisting into a one-page site as well, but that will come later as well.