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

You worry me a bit. I do not disagree with your point, Even though I have placed some rather long and even two part entries into the guide, I do keep an eye on the word count, and often ask myself at the start of a paragraph, or section, 'do we really need to know this'?

I just worry that statements like "We don't need more of this" might drive away the writers that we need to keep the guide alive.

Replies in Peer Review along the line of "you could take out x and z , modify y to... and still tell your story are great, but don't expect me not to argue.

My real concern is that a promising writer might read this and give up before they start, I would much rather have a long entry to pare down than no entry at all.

Only fair to warn you.. I have several loves of stale Cuban bread at hand, should this come to blows

F S

No. I don't back down on this. For three reasons:

1. We're not writing for ourselves, we're writing for readers. If we're running on too long, someone should have the guts to tell us this before we lose readers. No matter how interesting it is, an online reader is going to wander off if the entry's too long. Anybody can tell the story in 5000 words - it takes skill to tell it in 1500.

2. If we've got lots to say, chances are really good that what we've got there are two or more entries. Break them up - you've done this with those two-part entries. Yes, this is more work - but it's worth it.

3. What we want people to do is to read the Guide - lots of it. The snappier we are, the more individual Entries they'll read.

I know this is hard for the erudite to hear. I was raised on long articles, same as you.

But a friend will tell you this, because a friend cares that your good information gets noticed.

Now, you were saying something about stale Cuban bread?

Swings lethal loaf

It is neither you or I that I am concerned with, we are both crusty enough old men to stand our ground and spit on each other as necessary. My only concern is for the young folk who follow us, I do not want to discourage them before they get started. Writing shorter Entries is a skill that is probably the most important one we can hone.

http://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/04/28/shorter-letter/

I hope that link takes, Only a slice of it appears to work on the WP

We should all try to encourage the Entries in Peer Review to be as short as possible, while telling the important part of the story. I only suggest we do not try too hard to knock them down before they get there,

F S

Good quote.

I don't mean to knock anybody down. And, as I've said, sometimes it takes awhile to tell a story. Nothing wrong with that, if you do it in an interesting way. There will always be room for the thoughtful, lengthy essay, and we'll always have them, I suspect. It's like Robbie said, 'It's not either/or - it's both/and.'

If you'll notice, the one I said we didn't need a lot more of was the one I wrote on the Phantom Time Hypothesis. I doubt very many people have read it - to get Peer Review to read it, I subtitled it 'Tree Rings and Jesus' Underwear', and KB wouldn't stop ragging me about it.

Actually, you might be surprised, but one of the things that discourages a lot of the people who want to write Guide Entries - old OR young - is the feeling that they have to:

1. Know everything there is to know about a subject.
2. Be exhaustive.
3. Write a very long entry with many footnotes.

At least, that's what they tell me when I ask. When I say, 'No - it's a GUIDE. Answer one question,' they send me smileys. And write.

Lots of good Stuff coming in for the March Create Challenge - and I'm delighted.

And with people like you on PR, ready to help, I'm thinking our new writers will feel very encouraged, indeed.

Now put that bread down, or go feed it to the flamingos.

I hope you don't mind I will share the last of my stale bread with http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Roseate_Spoonbill/id

I knew we were both on the same side when I started, but you I hope you won't begrudge me a battle or two will you

FS

That is one gorgeous bird. If we don't have a Guide Entry on it...

Heh-heh, of course not.

I don't think I am enough of a 'birder' to write such an entry, Willham could probably do it in his sleep!
There was a colony of them, living in a pond near the Tampa Airport that I saw every evening driving home from work.

Lettuce sea! I will consider it with no promises. It might be fun


FS

Actually this brings up a most interesting question;

Have any of Willem's entries been published as a part of the Edited Guide? They certainly deserve to be, and they could all bring up more search entries to our site. I would like to go on record as supporting Willems Colours of Wildlife to edited status as soon as possible


FS

Some have, indeed, been made into Guide Entries. And we need to make that a project.

"I agree that the average reader won't read it all, but I didn't want to leave anything out" I recognise that quote! Yep, that was me, and that was in the PR thread for my Workhouse entry.

<BB<

Aha. I knew you would.

I appreciate you erudite writers, both for the expertise you bring and your willingness to help us encourage more writing.

I came to the Edited Guide from poetry and fiction, so I tend to look for pieces that:

grab the reader's attention with a striking first paragraph;

keep it with an interesting narrative - and a lot of people look for a personal angle, such as 'What was this man doing flying a kite in a thunderstorm on June 15 1752?'

give it a satisfying end. (I was surprised to find that a lot of Edited Guide articles just stop.)

Oh, good point! Nothing worse than, 'And that's all I had to say, wait, my phone is ringing...'

Luckily, one of the main sources for my next entry has vast swathes of tripe I cAn cut out.

Also makes reading the 500 pages of it a lot quicker when I can skip over what everyone had for dinner.