italics are actions and part of the backstory. typically this will provide more than a foreign leader would typically know. this isn’t to help your espionage, though it can be used to some small degree for that. more than anything it is for the sake of storytelling
non-italics are dialogue
a new line of dialogue is often a new character if two are presented in the actions
ooc: ooc stuff is clearly marked
private messages and sometimes action text mixed with dialogue are used for diplomatic letters among other routes.
I just do it in book format. Correct English, italics/bold/underline as emphasis, images and quotes as needed, OOC and IC clearly marked. Oh…and on this note…could somebody try to jumpstart things here? I’ve done it like four times already, and although I already have a plan of action, I can’t really do it all at once. Needs to be gradual.