h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Old Alice in the Bacon Box- The Little Eaton Hermit - A729560
Author: KerrAvon- thingite in charge of revoltionary misspelt graffetttti - U189636

Hi all, another in the series on Little Eaton. One of the village's more interesting characters!

The entry seems great to me, just a couple of points. Maybe the intro needs to be a bit snappier, and also I'm not sure if she is that well known, unless I'm just an ill read ignoramus (who can't spell). I really enjoyed reading it though

I meant well known in terms of people from Little Eaton- I mean Little Eaton itself isn't exactly well known to the rest of the world! Better add that qualifier to the entry, methinks

Better?

Great apart from being people not poeple, but that rich coming from me!

Fascinating entry - well done. The title could be a bit snappier - something like "The Hermit of Little Eaton", or "The 'Witch' of Little Eaton"?

There were 240d to the pound, so 3d is one eightieth of a pound = 1.25p. In today's economy that would be worth a lot more than 2.4p if it would buy 1.5 pints of anything at all!

Changes made as suggested, apart from the title. I'm reluctant to change that, as that is the title she's known by in the village. I certainly wouldn't want to call it the witch of Little Eaton, as she certainly wasn't that. It was only children (who tend to think that anyone who's odd is a witch) that called her that.

The title's up to you of course - for now. But if this gets recommended, which let's hope it does, you should be aware that the title may get shortened by someone else - would you prefer that? Although that's how she's known locally, your readers here won't know that, and in my opinion you do need a short informative title to attract the attention of this community where there's so much else going on at the same time.

Hmm. You could be right I guess. Perhpas I should use a shorter title and add her 'local title' in the opening paragraph?

Better?

Nooooo, KerrAvon! The original title was *much* better. It was more colourful and gave a flavour that the current title lacks. I know that Belshazzar will disagree with me here, however I have had at edited entries with longer titles (I think my longest is In Comes I! Mumming,, Pace-egging and Souling Folk Plays), one of which made Editor's Choice (The Copper Family - A Living Folk-singing Tradition).

I'd be interested to hear what other people think, but I much prefer the original title.

I do think that this sentence is too long:

'Obviously the box was changed from time to time and she did sometimes move around the village, into the nearby quarries and Whittaker woods, but the village pinfold by Whittaker lane where stray cattle used to be kept until their owners paid the penny fine was always her favourite haunt.'

and should be split into two.

PS: How large, approximately, was the bacon box?

No, Zarquon, I don't disagree with you. I don't mind long titles. I just worry that a long title will get subbed down, and if that's going to happen it might be better for the Researcher to do it first. At least that's how I feel about my own entries. But as I said, it's up to KerrAvon, who could certainly go with the original title and run the risk.

In the guidelines it says it's best if titles are as short and simple as possible, as long as they accurately describe what is in the entry.

http://www.derbyshireuk.net/alice_grace.jpg Picture of laice in her box. See, she was a real person!

Title- I know, I prefered the old one too! That's two votes in favour, any more for or against?

Sod it, I'll leave it, if it gets changed, changes are it will be to 'The Little Eaton Hermit' anyway!

I've changed the title back (that's it, it stays now, I've decided ), and split the sentences up.

The title is an attention-grabber. I bet it will get more readers this way when it appears on the front page.

If dear sir, IF. Never assume (because assuming makes an ass of u and me)

Like the picture, KerrAvon! Answers my question about how big the box was.