Sigh
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
So I decided that the best place to put this would be on it's own page, where people could feel free to ignore it.
First of all, a warning. This is probably going to turn out pretty negative. I'd love to make it funny and uplifting, but if you're stuck with a limp, you walk with a limp, I guess, or something. Please don't stop reading after the next bit.
I have a problem with time. Specifically, the time between writing an article, and having it looked at by an ed. I don't particularly care that it takes three months. As a matter of fact, a little bit of anticipation can't hurt. Sometimes when reading articles that have been approved for the 'five a day', I have a quick look and find out when the article was originally written, just so I know round about when to expect a rejection/acceptance.
My problem is that many things happen in that three months. Especially at H2G2. Priorities change. When it began, the guidelines for submissions seemed to call for poeple to write on what they know, and make it interesting and humerous if possible. So I wrote a few. By the time that those got around to getting looked at, it seemed that H2G2 had changed it's focus towards making them more 'fact-based'. A good move, I thought. I understood that what I had submitted was written 'for me', and not 'for the guide'.
I set about writing articles that, as far as I could see, were what the guide wanted. I wrote 'drinking in Australia' which was just me spouting off, and 'tower hill' a serious attempt at getting accepted. Three months later, 'drinking in Aust' is accepted, and 'tower hill' is rejected. The rejection letter tells me that it's a bit brief, and to go into a bit more detail.
'fair enough', I think, and go into a bit more detail. I also write some more about what I know. 'DIY car repair' was written keeping in mind that nobody is ever going to repair a car based solely on information contained in the guide, but that they might like to get a general idea about how to go about it. 'Tower hill was extended upon'. 'Insanity prevention' was written with no forethought, five beers and a joint.
Three months later...
'DIY car repair' is rejected because not enough detail is given. It was apparently funny though. Thank you.
'Tower Hill' is rejected because not enough detail is given. Expand again, I'm told. "Go into the history and the surrounding area". Tower hill has NO history worth mentioning between 50,000 years ago, and now. The surrounding area is Australia, about which EACH point of interest inside will eventually have a mention. I was writing about tower hill. Not Warrnambool, or the south west corner of Victoria.
My drunk, stoned ramble, 'Insanity prevention' is accepted. Which I can't remember submitting.
I think the problem lies in that apparently ONLY five entries are accepted per day.
Why not have a list of entries accepted for the day/week and the BEST five, as rated by the eds given prominence. I would like to know that I had a fair grasp on the guidelines, if in fact I did.
The other problem, I think is that TPTB at H2G2 have three months in which ALMOST EVERYONE redefines their priorities. It's inevitable.
If you read this, thank you. I'm just U39396, but it's nice to be heard. :-)
First of all, a warning. This is probably going to turn out pretty negative. I'd love to make it funny and uplifting, but if you're stuck with a limp, you walk with a limp, I guess, or something. Please don't stop reading after the next bit.
I have a problem with time. Specifically, the time between writing an article, and having it looked at by an ed. I don't particularly care that it takes three months. As a matter of fact, a little bit of anticipation can't hurt. Sometimes when reading articles that have been approved for the 'five a day', I have a quick look and find out when the article was originally written, just so I know round about when to expect a rejection/acceptance.
My problem is that many things happen in that three months. Especially at H2G2. Priorities change. When it began, the guidelines for submissions seemed to call for poeple to write on what they know, and make it interesting and humerous if possible. So I wrote a few. By the time that those got around to getting looked at, it seemed that H2G2 had changed it's focus towards making them more 'fact-based'. A good move, I thought. I understood that what I had submitted was written 'for me', and not 'for the guide'.
I set about writing articles that, as far as I could see, were what the guide wanted. I wrote 'drinking in Australia' which was just me spouting off, and 'tower hill' a serious attempt at getting accepted. Three months later, 'drinking in Aust' is accepted, and 'tower hill' is rejected. The rejection letter tells me that it's a bit brief, and to go into a bit more detail.
'fair enough', I think, and go into a bit more detail. I also write some more about what I know. 'DIY car repair' was written keeping in mind that nobody is ever going to repair a car based solely on information contained in the guide, but that they might like to get a general idea about how to go about it. 'Tower hill was extended upon'. 'Insanity prevention' was written with no forethought, five beers and a joint.
Three months later...
'DIY car repair' is rejected because not enough detail is given. It was apparently funny though. Thank you.
'Tower Hill' is rejected because not enough detail is given. Expand again, I'm told. "Go into the history and the surrounding area". Tower hill has NO history worth mentioning between 50,000 years ago, and now. The surrounding area is Australia, about which EACH point of interest inside will eventually have a mention. I was writing about tower hill. Not Warrnambool, or the south west corner of Victoria.
My drunk, stoned ramble, 'Insanity prevention' is accepted. Which I can't remember submitting.
I think the problem lies in that apparently ONLY five entries are accepted per day.
Why not have a list of entries accepted for the day/week and the BEST five, as rated by the eds given prominence. I would like to know that I had a fair grasp on the guidelines, if in fact I did.
The other problem, I think is that TPTB at H2G2 have three months in which ALMOST EVERYONE redefines their priorities. It's inevitable.
If you read this, thank you. I'm just U39396, but it's nice to be heard. :-)
