Tutorials: Writing Tutorials

A question that seems to pop up a lot in forums lately is "What should I do my tutorial on?" In response to that, I decided to write these little guidelines to give you ideas on what to write tutorials on and how to make them successful.

Before you even think of what you should write a tutorial about, the first thing you need to ask yourself is "Do I really need to have tutorials on my site?" If you're a novice doller and your site has been up for just a bit, you're probably better off saving writing tutorials for later, when you'll be more experienced. Also, understand that the purpose of tutorials is to share your knowledge with other dollers, not just to make your site more interesting.

The other thing to keep in mind is "supply and demand". In economics, if there's less of one thing (supply) than people who want to buy it (demand), the thing will be more expensive, and vice versa. In terms of dolling tutorials, the same concept applies. if you make a tutorial that's a copy of many other tutorials, not very many people will come to read it at your site, but if you make a tutorial that's unique or that many people need, more people will come and follow it.

But now, on to answering the famous question: What should you write your tut about?

• Write on something you're good at. If you don't know what you're good at (which is pretty rare...I mean I think most dollers are aware of that), think of what kind of comments people give you when you post your dolls on forums. Do people keep complimenting you about how nicely you do hair updos, or how your tool-shaded folds look gorgeous? If you think you're really good at doing that thing, writing a tutorial is a great way to share your skill.
• Write on a technique you discovered. If you spend a lot of time fooling around in your graphic program, or experimenting while dolling, you might have come up with a technique of your own. If that's the case, then definitely write your tutorial on that.
• Write about something original. There are tonnes of of tuts out there about pixel-shaded straight hair, or formal dresses. Try to think about something you've never seen before, or add a twist to a well-known technique.
• Write about something that people have trouble with. This can be a toughie, but it's guarenteed to be successful. Common things that people have trouble with are male dolls, complicated folds, shoes, etc. Or you could watch what kind of stuff people are asking tutorials for in forums. If you think you can pull one such thing off, go ahead and write a tut about it. . .just make sure you do a few practise dolls first.