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

She writes stuff like this on a regular basis:

"Ah, Elizabeth II. Queen regnant of 16 independent sovereign states, head of the Commonwealth, Supreme Governor of the Church of England. And, with increasing regularity, inspiration for biopics about gnarly episodes from her life that we’ve already pored over in the News of the World.

Following on from the success of Helen Mirren’s Sexy Queen in The Queen, Channel 4 has “seized an opportunity” — as the Queen would politely put it, if meeting Channel 4 at a garden party — and churned out a week’s worth of hour-long docudramas off the back of it. One a night, Sunday to Thursday, and all, confusingly, titled The Queen. Quite why the opportunity to call them Queen I, Queen II, Sheer Heart Attack, A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races was missed is anyone’s guess. Most of those titles would fit the subject matter. It’s just another instance of how this world is not all it could be."

It is just so unfair that I don't have that talent!

Maybe she's in constant pain, or her husband cheats on her, or she can't have any children, or she is seriously ill, or she has bad breath, or she can't hop on one leg, or she is allergic to cats, or her mother likes her sister better, or her ingrown toenail is driving her bonkers... there may be SO many reasons why you'd probably rather be yourself and not her!!

indeed

Thanks Yarreau, but I think her husband seems like a nice chap (I'm subscribed to her AlphaMummy blog and he writes there sometime)

I'll bet her wireless router installed first time too...

Thanks for the vote of confidence though, having a totally bad day/weekend/month over here

for the

but you have to agree - she writes beautifully?

Dunno - she writes well, but so do many other people. Her words are well put - a little too well perhaps for easy reading and a natural flow - but I can't say I find the content terribly interesting.

I think I prefer you as Sho!

I believe she was home educated, which may have a lot to do with her style. She never had to learn to write to a formula or to meet the requirements of a mark scheme, she could just write freely.

Yes, her accounts of her home education are hilarious.

I think that her lack of ... discipline ... for want of a better word, in her writing, makes a refreshing change. But then, what do I know? I'm in desperately unrequited love with Giles Coren after reading one or two of his Times columns!

Despite our very different education backgrounds (I'm a boarding school girl) I think I have put my finger on it. She writes the way my best friend and I used to speak, when we were about 18.

If we're going for good writing, I nominate post 2 in this thread. There's a little touch of genius in it.

But Caitlin Moran...just my own opinion, but her voice is too present in her writing. I prefer it when the author is "invisible" and doesn't clamour for attention. But that's just a matter of taste.

Actually, that "clamouring for attention" is what I meant by "a little too well".

>>I think I prefer you as Sho!<<

Didn't quite know how to express myself, and then Yarreau came by and wrote it out just like it should

*tweaks subject*

You're right, KB.

Thanks Toybox

I like a columnist to come accross with a bit of personality. I've written for magazines before (oh yes, I are published) but not articles about anything interesting, and so you have to use the magazine's voice. Nothing wrong with that, especially in a newspaper.

But for a column, I like the personality to come through. Same with Giles Coren, Clarkson (to a certain extent, these days he's more playing to the gallery than expressing anything originally his).

It's difficult to put my finger on it. But basically, I'm suffering from being jealous of Caitlin Moran full stop. I'll get over it.

Oh, you don't want to be Yarreau, Sho - if you think the Gruesomes are bad, just imagine having three of us

*adjusts subject*

?

i don't get it. all these years i have been aiming for objectivity - and now everybody is asking for subjectivity

Well, that's your opinion

In any case, if it's just one column in the paper it's not much subjectivity. And subjective stuff can still fed upon facts.

Trust me, you don't want to be me. With diabetes and recurring cancer, I'm not so keen on being me either.

On the other hand, I'd never agree to trade places with anyone because I am awfully attached to my gleesome threesome...
Dang, I thought I had just invented that, and then I got 18,500 G@@gle hits for "gleesome threesome"... something to do with Yogi Bear, apparently.

"Writing like a genius" isn't all that exciting either when they make you do it for money, all day long.

objectivity is good in reporting.

Caitlin writes a column with opinions. I'd certainly hope for subjectivity, or I'd just read the Times Editorial every day.

Yarreau -