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

Howdy Yelbakk,

I was doing a bit of deep mining for the AWW and ran across this gem (A693371 Life,by Chance) and couldn't for the life of me imagine why I'd not seen it before. That became rather obvious when I noticed it hadn't been submitted to the AWW which of course gave rise to my next question , that being why? This is a well crafted piece, engaging and entertaining in a wonderful way not to mention that it makes ones stop and contemplate the fickle nature that is life.

I was sorely tempted to submit this to the AWW myself on your behalf but I am reluctant for the reason that I would rather an active hootooer such as yourself do it instead. Sometimes one has a reason for NOT submitting and I would not be so presumptuous as to ignore the writers own wishs. I've been a Miner for some time and certainly recognize talent and fine writing so have no fear, this deserves a wider audience than it has now and besides, it might be so well recieved as to make it all the way to the UnderGuide and a Front Page showing. So, why not give it a shot. Simply submit it for review in the AWW and see what happens, you've nothing to lose and the readers have everyting to gain. Rest assured I'll have my eyes peeled for it

Spy

Dearest Spynxxx,

Thank you for reading my story, for the kind comments and for encouraging me to forward it to a wider audience. Indeed, I have no reasons not to wish such a thing to happen and the only reason for me not to have submitted it anywhere is my not knowing of such places as the AWW. While in my superior decoding skills (and probably due to having seen it spelled out before) I am quite able to identify the AWW as the Alternative Writing Workshop, I do not have much of an idea as to what the AWW actually is. I would therefore be obliged to you if you could point me to one or two places to start exploring the AWW and would then be happy to submit the story.

Have a nice weekend and enjoy what is around here called the first Sunday of Advent. Time put up the candles and set fire to the Advent wreath, or something

Y.

Well now, that fact is quite shocking as I just assumed everyone was aware of our little slice of heaven. No matter, a quick intro is in order, the how's and why's sorted in a blink so as to bring you up to speed. First off I'm what you'd call a miner, a volunteer who sifts through the Alternitive Writing Workshop (and anywhere else for that matter) in search of the ellusive "IT".

Hmmm, what might "IT" be you're asking and just like that the answer appears. The things we look for are entries of the utmost quality and they fall under many headings. Poetry, Personal Narritive, Fact Based Pieces, Humour, Tales and Stories, Opinions and Theories, basicly anything that doesn't fall under the all encompassing 'fact' that makes up the works of our estimable sister the Edited Guide.

We on the other hand are a kinder, friendlier format, the 'Cool' member of the family if you will . Our mission is to find ANY work of high calibre and feature said gems on the front page on a weekly basis and biweekly when we're lucky enough to have sufficient material. And that's not an easy task as our mission statement is clear. "If there is nothing woth publishing on that day, then we would rather publish nothing!"

Entries are selected for the purpose of a vote as we are a democratic society, why there's even a 'checks and balances' system just to assure the quality. Once a month we gather to cast our votes and those selected are then ready to begin the process of being polished. This is where a polisher is assigned to the piece, the purpose of which is to work hand in hand with the author to correct any spelling and punctuation errors which may still haunt the work after it's stint in review down AWW way.

Then, when the author, who by the way ALWAYS has the final say on any piece, and the polisher are happy with the work it is sent along for approval to our BBC rep for a final Yay or Nay ( a legal thing of course). Then it is officially ready for it's place in the sun, the Front Page, were all can see and bask in the artistic vision that was so lovingly crafted by the likes of authors just like you . And after it's stint on the front, it is entered into the official UnderGuide Archives, forever to remain as a shining example of what real creative writing is all about here on hootoo.

So there you have it in a nut shell, the hows and whys of what we do. I thought it important to come by and fill you in personally as your story shows such talent and attention to your craft that it would only be a matter of time before you become intimately acquainted with the process. It is a most excellent piece of writing and I speak for all in saying that we hope to see many more works of such greatness from you in the future.

The link below will bring you staight to the AWW Home Page where a more indepth review of the procedures is to be found. As far as submitting your story, well, that's as easy as clicking the 'Submit for Review' box in the upper right corner of your Guide entry and then selecting the Alternative Writing Workshop as to where you want to submit along with a box where you canput anything you'd like say, those sentiments then heading the posting headre for comments and such. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask and I'll do my best to answer each. And the same goes for any of the staff as well for we pride ourselves of being helpful and darned friendly to boot .

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/Writing-Alternative

Till then,
Spy

Dyslexia perhaps? I just used the very link that I put in my original posting for your story and got...SMILEYS!!!! Sure, they were cute as they danced merrily about the page but definatly NOT 'Life, by Chance'!!! Just to remedy this I'll post the correct # so there's no confusion

A693731 'Life, by Chance' and just to be safe I'll follow the link to double check. Yup, all sorted and up to snuff. Sorry for the confusion but hey, that's just a part of what makes life so interesting

Maybe there is a story in it Smileys, by chance? But then again, this sounds more like the next James Bond movie...

Thanks again for your praise, though. I am rather keen on getting into the AWW. What with the Christmas holidays approaching, I might even find the time to do so. As for these next few weeks, however, there are lessons to be taught and papers to be written - the joys of being a teacher in training.

Y.

Ah, a quick check shows you've some experience in Peer Review and thus your explanation about time makes sense. No fear, we in the AWW don't operate on the same labor intensive system that PR does, in fact the're really isn't anything you are required to do once your entry is there. Some entries get picked up right away while others seem to just sit and wait for the miners eye to see the beauty (if any) there may be. We Miners are a selective lot to be sure but it just adds that much more prestige if ones entry is chosen for the UnderGuide.

The AWW is a great place to get feedback and critique on ones work but as I stated, we're a 'No Pressure' outfit so no worries on any count. If you'd rather I can just as easily submit it for you as it's nothing more than a button push and no worries, it's still yours complete with name and researcher number. Just let me know what you'd like to do and that'll be that though I'm really anxious to get your piece out there as it's the sort of thing I like to see in the AWW, not only as a joy to read but as an inspiration to others that might have something to express in written form

Just popping in to let you know I'll post your story this week in the AWW unles you have any objections. With the holiday season upon us many will have free time on their hands and nothing to do with it so why not give them something to read while they relax.

A messege will appear telling you your entry has been submitted and a simple click as usual on the A# will bring you to it. You can access the discussion postings by looking on the upper right hand side and simply clicking on where it says 'Currently In: Alternative Writing Workshop'...and expect to see some glowing comments when you do as I suspect this piece will draw some very complimentary praise and perhaps some crit as well though that's not my strength and I usually leave it(if any) to others with the proper creds to get it right.

And that's about it other than submission so get ready, I think you'll enjoy the experience

Spy

Yelbakk, since I didn't know if you were aware of the conversation this has generated in the AWW, I thought I'd post here and hopefully you'll see it.

The conversation in AWW is here: F74130?thread=4909314
Your writing was well received, and picked by a Miner in our last mining round. Our QA had some nice things to say about it and passed it on to the Gem Polishers, and that's where I come in.

I've "polished" up your entry for a Front Page run, the polished version is A32474072. Basically what I did was correct a typo or two, add an UnderGuide link and an "Official UnderGuide Entry" graphic. You can check it over and make sure I haven't done anything you don't approve of, and I'll tell our Eds that it's ready to go.

It would be nice to see your work in the AWW again sometime!