Douglas Adams' Vision For H2G2
shows what he had in mind when H2G2 started and it's a good vision! However...how many of you actually contribute to the Guide? Do you just use H2G2 as a place to meet people, talk and argue about things and pretend to run around climbing trees in one of our many clubs, societies and RPGs?

If so then you need to get writing! The Edited Guide needs you! There are thousands and thousands of things that you can write about, and this article is just the place to start if you've never written an entry before. We're going to go through writing your entry, getting people to see it, getting it picked for the Edited Guide, what happens next, and the final glorious moment when it gets on the front page.

But I don't know what to do! I can't write a whole article by myself and besides, I don't know that GuideML thingy

This is the cry that is heard so often when the Edited Guide teams are trying to bully...ahem, encourage people to write for the Guide. But that's okay! Everyone needs a helping hand sometimes! And we even have a place just for you people who need someone to hold your hand and bring you cups of tea whilst pointing out what you're doing wrong and teaching you to get it right first time.

Choosing What To Write About

Many people make their biggest mistake at the very beginning when they try and write about something they shouldn't really be attempting. So here are some tips for you:

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  Choose something that is factual. Fiction pieces have a special place in the Alternative Writing Workshop.

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  Choose something that excites you and you want to share with everyone else on H2G2

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  Choose something you will enjoy researching and finding out more about. There's no point choosing to write about three-toed sloths if what you really enjoy talking about is chamber music.

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  Make sure your topic isn't already in the Edited Guide by searching for it in the search box at the top of the page

For more inspiration check out the entries at the end, or if you're feeling lucky then see if you can find anything to rescue in the Flea Market.

Picking Up Your Helper

Once you've chosen what you want to talk about then Hitchhiking Your Way into the Edited Guide is the place for you! Set up by Mikey the Humming Mouse this place is the perfect way to get yourself into the Guide. Whether you just have a question about writing style, Guide-ML¹, making sure your entry is squeaky clean for going into Peer Review, or you really need someone to help you from the very beginning, the researchers here are dedicated to getting YOU onto the Front Page. Someone will always be waiting there to give you all the help you need. The researchers have all written many articles themselves, and most of them are scouts² or sub-editors³, if not both! Mikey set up the help area because:

As a Scout, I was often coming across people who really wanted to get an entry on the front page, but didn't feel ready to tackle the process on their own. I thought that having a place where people could go for one-on-one mentoring would help both 1) those who needed a boost to get to Peer Review, and 2) those who dove headfirst into Peer Review but needed some help figuring it all out.

Writing!

So, now you have your friendly mentor you can get down to writing your article! Make sure you've checked the writing guidelines and you're ready to get researching. You can research from the internet, books, talking to people, watching television, going and looking at things, whatever you think might help you to find everything you need. And then...write. There are different ways of going about this. Some people start writing and then research as they go along, having a multitude of windows open on their screen about their topic whilst they frantically type, frequently going back to insert new information along the way. Other people gather all their information in notes copied from their sources, and then neatly and orderly start writing their article. You can try both and see which one is best for you. One of the most important things is to make sure you aren't copying something you have read. Copywrite laws mean that this is illegal, and besides, it's not as satisfying if it isn't your own work.

Along the way, if you find that you don't know enough about your article or need a bit of pushing along the way, then you can always put your piece in the writing workshop⁴ or the collaborative writing workshop⁵ and hopefully people like you will come along and help out. Don't forget your friendly mentor you picked up at the start too.

Once you have written everything down in an orderly fashion and have crammed it full of all the information you think could possibly be interesting, check it. This is so important. If you have been writing in notepad or on the internet then take your piece and chuck it into a writing program such as Microsoft Word to check your spelling and grammar. Then read the entire thing through again. Make sure all the sentences make sense, that you don't repeat yourself, that you haven't missed anything out and that you don't repeat yourself. Get your mentor (or if you didn't pick one up then any old friend) to read it through too, as they may well pick up things you didn't.

Creating Your Article On H2G2

Now to create! On your Personal Space⁶, create a new entry. If you are using the brunel skin⁷, this link can be found on the lefthand side of your screen labeled Write An Entry. Brunel is the default skin that you will be using when you first join H2G2. If however you have already discovered the wonders of 'My Preferences' then you may have changed your skin appearance. If you are using the classic goo skin then your create link, labeled Click here to add a new Guide Entry, and entries can be found below your journal entries, but above your friends list. If you're using alabaster then your link is on the left side of the page labeled Add Guide Entry and your entries are listed below it. Anything else and I give up on you.

Once you have put your article into the box provided, and added a title what next? Well, you can either leave it as it is, or you can use a nifty thing called Guide-ML. This is the code used to write H2G2 and is similar to HTML. Nobody is forcing you to learn Guide-ML but it's certainly useful and can make your article look swish. If you have problems using it, or find it too scary to contemplate then either shamelessly abuse your mentor or nip along and find a guru⁸ who will be happy to help you. However, not using Guide-ML is not going to scupper your chances of getting in the Edited Guide, so don't fret if you hate it.

Getting People To See You

Now for reviewing time. You are finally on the road to the Front Page. On the page where you have written your article, there is a handy dandy link called "Submit For Review". Hit this button and you'll be taken to a screen where you choose which forum to put your article in. In this case, pick Peer Review⁹. Click on "Submit Entry" and you're away. Your article is now in Peer Review and can be seen by anyone and everyone, including the scouts. People will post to your thread commenting, criticising and praising your article. Any changes suggested need to be thought about and either changed in the article (by clicking on the "Edit Entry" button on the right side of your article page) or you need to give an explanation of why you haven't made the change in the thread. The reviewers are only trying to help you make your article the best it can be, so don't be too sensitive and do listen to what they have to say. Once your article has been in Peer Review at least a week and is the best it can possibly be, it may well get recommened by a scout. This means that they think it is good enough for the Edited Guide and have sent it to the italics¹⁰ to have a look at. Then you wait. The italics need time to read your entry and find a sub-editor for you if they think it is worthy of the Edited Guide.

Sub-Editing Your Entry

If the italics approve your entry, then it gets whisked off to a sub-editor. This is the person who does the finishing touches to your entry, checks the facts, spelling, grammar, and if it isn't in Guide-ML, they will happily change it for you. To find out who is subbing your entry take a look at your entries list (as mentioned above). There will now be a new entry with the tag "recommended" next to it. Click on the entry and you will be able to see that your article has a new bit on the right, saying it is written by you and edited by someone else. Click on their name and you can find out all about them and leave them a message if you have any burning desires and pains about your entry before it goes into the Guide. By the way, congratulations. If your article has been sent to a sub-editor then you're definitely about to make your debut in the Edited Guide.

The Front Page

Once your entry has been subbed, it gets sent back to the italics. They do a last pedantic check through and then...you wait again. You are now sitting in the pile of entries to be displayed on the Front Page. Then...one shining day you will log in to find that your entry is on the Front Page in all its glory, complete with a nice picture. Don't forget to subscribe¹¹ to the nice new edited entry so that you can answer any questions and gather praise and wonder. You have successfully orienteered through the spikes into the Edited Guide and you can give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back (don't forget to say thank you to your mentor too). Now you've done it once, you have no excuse not to write another entry, and another and another and another and another...

Here is a list of other important places to look at, and a list of some other help pages about Peer Review. Take a peek at them after you've read this, they'll be very useful to you and will ensure you get into the Edited Guide as soon as you possibly can.

Inspiration

If you can't figure out what sort of thing to write about then have a look at these. There are a variety of fun things, serious things, upsetting things and things you just have to know about. So get out there and get writing!

• Making Your Very Own Disco Snake
• How To Make Bronze Age Bread
• Food And The Colour Blue
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
• The Isle of Man