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

It's true you know. I've been waiting some four years to post your work in the AWW though I have abstained out of courtesy and the assumption that if you wanted it there, well, there it would be though upon further reflection I've began to wonder if that was the wrong assumption.

I recall a post in the P&S from wayyyyyyyyy back to the effect you'd flood the place with materiel if nessesary and I'd always hoped you would. That has yet to occur, in fact it's a rarity you work in other than collaboration when actually posting a piece. Of course those pieces remain some of the very best work to be found and it's a very select group which even rates consideration to stand along side them. Still, almost anything you've ever written with intent is UG ready without question.

So much of it has been in The Post already but I still feel the UG is the rightful place for it, a place for it to be preserved and readily accessable for everyone. You've got to admit, the UG Archives are one of this sites most valuable assets, a true treasure trove and one of the best selling points for an author I can think of. Sure, the Front Page is great but the Archives are forever, something an author can point to with pride today, tommorrow and, with perseverance and a bit of luck, forever.

I guess my question is whether I can start to share your stuff with a greater audience. I once stated that I'd read all your work to which you replied "Everything?" In fact I have, at least what there is to be found on your PS as yours is one of the few secondary accounts I've yet to pinpoint if you even use one anymore. In fact I'm not sure everyone is as secretive as they where in the days of yore though I think somes should remain so, especially if one is in need of a bit of 'disconnect'.

Obviously we both know you're the real deal but I think modesty is keeping your best out. Don't worry, you'll not chase away the less talented, rather you'll inspire them to greater heights, a situation that is needed to bring real life back to the Workshop and a chance for the treads to flow with content that sparks the mind and inspires the soul. That's one of the greatest unacknowledged resources we have, the banter back and forth between real peers down AWW way. Oh, and if if you think it's for lack of talent there now, well I'm working on that to but need a viable community to really sell it.

That's about it. Give it some thought, mull it over, kick it around then tell me yes. I'll be waiting patiently, I've certainly had the practice

Spy

Wow Spy. Where to start?

By saying thanks, I guess. Those are real compliments. It’s very nice to be admired. And after that, I guess some explanation is in order.

First, the reason I don’t usually put Entries in the AWW is the simple and obvious one. It’s a Writing Workshop, not an exhibition space. The Entries in the AWW are/were those where I wanted genuine crit, or in some cases those that linked to something going on collectively, a challenge or similar. The first reason for posting to the AWW has receded too. I’ve found I only get helpful crit from a few particular people, so I tend to just ask them directly now.

Second, the reason there are few new Entries any more. I still write as much, even more perhaps if you count all the genres and media. I just don’t Post a lot of it to h2g2, whereas there was a period when I posted all of my output here. I did so because I wanted to be ‘discovered’, and thought that recognition here might get me an invitation to write scripts for the BBC. That’s something I’ve always dreamed of doing. There was a secondary justification for the spate, as well. I was growing so fast as a writer. I was genuinely excited back then about what I was learning to do.

So what happened? I realised I was achieving the exact opposite of my intention. If you’ve read convo backthreads, you’ll know how antagonistic some of the Slants got towards me. The clincher, though, was Beeb acquaintances in RL, and one in particular who actually warned me off h2g2 as a discovery route. He articulated what I’d begun to suspect, that h2g2 was and still is a rapidly-vacated stepping-stone for the corporation’s able employees, but a final destination for some envious underachievers who resent the fact that enthusiastic amateurs can effortlessly produce copy like they never could.

The second (learning-to-write) justification hasn’t gone away. It’s just that I’ve pushed up against the limitations of h2g2 the medium. If you can’t grow more here, you have to grow somewhere else. After all, there’s very little point in covering the same ground twice, don’t you agree? I keep writing Entries for the EG, to show willing and because I fervently want to help keep the site alive, but I get no real pleasure out of them. Been there, done that, (literally) got the T-shirt. Readers too, I’m sure, will get less out of Birchinlee or Sheffield cutlers than they would out of, say, Crackle or Gorgon.

That’s where I depart from, say, Jodan (I pick on him only because he has thick skin and because he’s an excellent spokesman for his beliefs). The UG is very much a two-edged sword. It provides a showcase for fine writing, but it’s in the back of the shop. A fully-inclusive Edited Guide with no stylistic boundaries should always have been the goal, and the community’s demand.

There is still a chance of redemption for h2g2, but only if some frankly terrible decisions are reversed. Examples that concerned me, and Entries that could have been in the vanguard of an enlivened Edited Guide, were Lee (the pair idea), Towton and Orgreave. Some of the other battles were try-ons, sure, but to reject those three (among others omitted for brevity) was idiocy. Most of the idiocy was Jimster’s, as it happens, but by the time he made the calls he was minding a dwindling back-alley shop. Jims only applied the sentiments of people who should have known better in better times, and at least he was decisive. I took the message, and that’s really all there is to it.

The third and last point of yours I want to answer is the one about frightening off versus inspiring would-be writers. I’m not convinced that writing like mine (the bulk of the h2g2 stuff, at least) really does inspire people. It’s self-indulgent and a lot of it’s meant to be challenging. It wasn’t really written for an ordinary readership either. It was written as means to ends, very personal ends, and I think it shows. Even if you find particular pieces inspiring, you might still be deterred if and when you realise just how much there is out there. Aren’t I right? You know, I’m not sure myself. I quite like being a hermit, always have, and I mostly set out to shake people rather than soothe them.

There’s an ongoing conversation with Jodes too (I guess you lurk the ‘Feeling Fettered’ thread as well?) to the effect that hootoo needs its undemanding, prolific writers. Would-be contributors in that mould would surely be put off by quite a lot of my stuff. It reads like earnest hard work, in length and in content. At least I hope it does, because it was hard work, even the short and spare pieces. None of this comes easy.

You post what you like to the AWW, Spy. All I ask is for you to be sparing, say no more than one piece a fortnight. And if anyone reacts against it, you should probably consider stopping. A mission to bring something to wider attention should be pursued only as far as it’s welcomed.

Thanks again. I’ll be interested to see which ones you pick. If I’m honest (and I try to be, most of the time), you’ve made my day.

Pin

"Be careful what you wish for" Gramma always said and boy was she right! You're old enough to remember the stand alone Candy Store or Sweet Shop as I believe they're called on your side of the pond. Well here I am, just like a kid with change in his pocket trying to decide from amongst the vast array of yummies, searching for that one special treat, the one which will be just right.

Should it be A5980377 'Thystl, Bente and Sande'? It would be a superbly timed entry what with the Donald up to his shenanigans there 'bouts.

Perhaps A2243026 'Takes Allsorts' as it would be a classic example of what would be allowed should there be an open set of Guidelines.

I could go on all day and still never decide, a most frustrating scenario though one I relish. Oh well, I guess we'll both just have to wait and see won't we.

Thanks by the way, it nice to not have to read between the lines though I'll admit it does present a frighteening picture. It's been obvious from almost the first mounth I was here that the Slanty types had an agenda that had little to do with the wants or needs of the community, a fact evidenced by their inability to take action even when the work was already done and required no more than a few key strokes to complete.

I do believe that there may be a new direction in the works, the chance that an employee might just break the mold and take decicive action. It happens, not often but enough that it is a possibility, one which may happen sooner than later if the signs I read play out the way I think they will. It's enough to keep faith alive and that's all we have these days.

Now as far as the 'back of the shop' scenario goes you couldn't be more right. I can't say I subscribe to the idea of a completly open guide as it leaves the writers of genres such as Fantasy and Sci-Fi out in the cold along with the poets and writers of pure fiction. Now a UG of equal status and given equal attention would solve the immediate problem swiftly and allow a foothold for a more relaxed set of guidelines to come, not so much baby steps yet not a full sprint either, just a steady, ground eating stride towards a greater goal.

Even at that it still doesn't present you with the platform you desire to achieve your ultimate goal but I must confess ignorance as to how one actually does break into that end of the industry. If the Writer's strike continues here in the US perhaps you could present some material to at least get your name out there and as you're over there the stigma of being a 'Scab' shouldn't apply or at the least carry over for any length of time. 'Strike while the irons hot' to put into a steel man's context, it's worth a try

Oh, one quick trade question. I thought the secret to Damascus Steel was the addition of wood though perhaps I'm mistaken. I can't recall in which part of the process it occurs, smelting or forging, either way it's been nagging me for to long and who better to ask right

Enough for one post I think. Perhaps we can even carry on a convo if you're willing.

Very willing. Let's break it down. OK? These long posts wear me out.

First comment: thystle, bente and sand (or however you spell it) would be a very nice gesture for Waz. There's more of her in that Entry than she acknowledges.

Second comment: the 'wood' in Damascus Steel was charcoal used in the fining stage to carburise iron. Since I now believe you really have read Everything, you'll know the metallurgical idea from both Crucible Steelmaking and the Sheffield Method - only the Indians who mastered the Wootz process did it a thousand years earlier. (Damascus Steel came from India). The blades were pattern-forged, folding and hammering out, this time five hundred years before the Samurai swordmasters of Edo period Japan, so they took a fantastic edge for their day but were still extremely strong. The result: a Western European crusader army marches 2000 miles to turf a load of infidels out of the Holy City, only to discover that the opposition's swords can literally lop off the Best of the West at the hilts. At least some Anglo-Saxons once found WMD in the Middle East.

Ah, I get to split the fortnight then

I believe I'll hit submit on T,B&S forthwith. With a bit of luck it'll get picked and on the front page in time to help raise awareness of the situation.

Another question I can tick off my mental list. Thanks, you have no idea how long that's been bugging me. Though I haven't any use for such any more, still, I appreciate a finely crafted blade and when one is as beautiful as these are it's all the better.

A question, this time relating to the archives. A peek 'Under the Counter' shows Nadia's 'Photograph Album' A3665865 removed due to to 'House Rules'. Why? I found nothing in that entry to be questioned, it was simply fact presented in a brutally honest fashion. Is honesty out of favor as well these days?

Perhaps you've already been down this road and I apologize in advance for my ignorance but I am not happy, not in the least bit!!!