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

We have much in common. Including :

Love for Rachel Stamp *Robin* Eeeee!!!!! He gives me kisses & I'm narked that their recent tour didn't stop here in Bristol.

Getting through the last draft (before I find a decent agent and go mainstream) of my first book...

The love of guinea pigs. They squeak! Enuff said.

The word smocking is excellent. S-words have added joy if you say schm- at the start of them instead of just plain old ssss- In fact that works for most words.

And general other things. My P-space would say these things, but frankly I can't be arsed right now.

Hurrah!

Rachel Stamp did play nearby last year, but I... forgot about it... (and my source of information was feeble.)

I'm sodding the literary agent (not literally...) since I'd only have to pay them, and I have done everything else on my oddy knocky and it's not that hard. It's like getting a man in to do your wallpapering. As goes the book at the moment, though, I am just sharing it round friends for them to comment.

joy of pigs... possibly the world's most ridiculous animal, and the better for it.

Schm- will try that. Also amusing to whistle s's.

S'pose the literary agent thing all depends on whether you want it to be your career or not. I'm 18...start as I mean to go on. It's something I really want to kick a nice steady amount of cash out of, so an agent is something I can't afford to NOT have!

Joy of Kitties and other fluffy things with pink wet noses...

True. I have things which I'd rather do for money at the moment (hence my much-plugged website), but writing is still an option. However since I'm doing illustration at uni I can see a way into books through that. I don't think I'd like anyone else drawing my characters- unless they were exceptionally well-suited- since a lot of them I drew first then fitted personalities and stories to (and in one case, a whole book... possibly another soon).

Yep. I understand that completely. I'm no drawler myself...but I do have a fluctuating interest in photography - something that I may take up later in life. So I assume you write Fantasy, oui? For some reason, I don't think I am in a genre. If anything, religious-horror-gangster...but they are film genres!! Shows my influences really. But I doubt if I'll need illustrations. Photography seems to fit in/around with how I write. When/if I'm published I would probably choose a war journalist/photographer to take the picture. It's that sort of harrowing. For me anyway! I think some people don't equate imagery with writing a book...I think of books like writing elaborate screenplays. I would be writing screenplays if I could be bothered with the layout. SO fiddly!

I like some photography, but I always do something on top of it.
Not really fantasy as such. Humorous accounts of possibly real characters in ridiculous situations.
You could spend your literary-agent money, and spend it on an editor to screenplay-ise your writings, maybe.

Nah, I want an agent. Keeps me from the rejections, and you really can't be in the business without one if you want to make any sort of impact. It wouldn't bother me to tell you the truth.I'm not out to make big cash. Just want to write...

I think I could do the screenplay thing, if I was more motivated to complexeties. I want to burn this story that I'm finishing, and never have to cast eyes on it again. I am SO SICK of editing it, and thinking of the same story over and over. Three years of work and remoulding.

*has gone slightly mad and so runs away frightened*

no, come back!
trap...
I had that sort of moment although I have ignored my story for a while. I am relying on friends to read it, and they either never get round to it and give it back, saying they've no time, or do not make any specific comments (I intended for them to go thru with red pen etc.) I only printed off 2 copies- it is huge... so most of those who want to read it are still waiting for it to be recycled.

I do find friends to be completely unreliable when it comes to that sort of stuff. Hence why I stopped bothering. I think they are afraid that it might be rubbish, and dread having to either tell you, or lie. I'm about 10,000 words plus through my final draft type thing...I'm only on chapter 15, I have ages to go yet.

Bloody thing. I will end up burning it. I know I will.

I have some *very* unabashed friends...
why, one of our favourite group activities is to sit around insulting each other!

I think you can tell if you're good at writing, though- like you can tell if you can draw, act, or mend household appliances etc. But it's sometimes more subjective than that, i.e it's obvious if someone's crap with a screwdriver, and there's no hope for them. But some may like your writing style, and others not, and who's to say which is correct?
(mind, I have trouble telling if people can 'act' or not so I suggest it is all subjective anyway. And I seem to be seeing colours differently to others...)
hmm.
oh btw, I see you have encountered the legendary Justin...

My first posting to Justin was moderated out. As I fear my second. Not my fault he provokes me! Easy game for a Satanist, is he. Talking like Yoda, why be I?

I'm in a remarkably silly mood. I do apologise. I've waged war on POO (People Offended Opmetrically) because well...with a name like that, it was fair game. They don't like the new eyes...and so I waged war. Someone entitled Captain Kebab came up with the name We Enjoy Eyes and well...here I am in my silly eyes, infiltrating/sabotaging the POO Guide Entry...but all in good humour...



Hence my lack of logical response...

**silly mood rather. Can't even type the right words now...

I understand and rejoice in silly moods. Earlier I was having a mild Grosz day (after George, a favourite curmudgeon of mine), i.e. I am put out by the stupidity of People. Occasionally it turns to disgust, today it was of a comical nature.
I have finally got Justin to respond rationally. .
Are you a LaVey-type Satanist? the other kind I have gyp with... they owe far too much to Christianity to get so snippy with it.
I am a non-specific pagan, I take things from here and there, mainly based on whether it is relevent, fun, useful and ethical to do so. (Today I was in a Norse frame of mind.) I have no problem with non-hierarchical, non-dogmatic humanist philosophies; organised religions leave me cold. And occasionally induce white-hot rage.

Well I'm absolutely thrashing Justin right now. He's so BORING, but whipping Christians such as he is a good sport, that one doesn't get to do often. I fear I may have made a mistake in posting a question asking why homosexuality is wrong.

I am indeed a LaVey-Satanist...but with my own modifications. I wouldn't be a Satanist if I followed it all by the book. I have a great big problem with the Christian-Satanists (defeats the point) as well as Pagans (but only when I can be bothered) as well as Christians (Catholics included & all the time ) ). Mainly because the first are too violent and destructive (burning church's) the second are too libral and get nothing done (no offence) and the third are too rude, ignorant, destructive, mind-damaging, stupid, inactive...Ok the list goes on...

Why oh why. The Bible is nothing but trouble. Kill them all. Have a nice world

I know some good Christians who I can actually talk about belief with, and we *agree*. On everything. O' course they are nothing like Justin.
Here is one of his more memorable quotes, which for him would settle the homosexuality issue; 'The appalling anus-lust.' There, that's all there is to it. (you should have been here when we were 'discussing' the issue with two other fine Christian gents...)

I don't live much by being pagan, i.e I don't look at a political issue and think 'what would the pagan interpretation be?' and of course don't have a book to look it up in. I am Libertarian Left on the political compass but not how conservatives would view it, i.e fluffly and here-and-there. I have strong views and can (and do) argue them where appropriate, mainly with regard to personal freedoms (i.e. anything to do with sex, drugs, appearance, beliefs etc.) I distrust capitalist culture as displayed by America, i.e wealth is everything and sod the scruples, but I am all for working for yourself and getting the best you can provided you're ethically sound. Destroy Disney and MaccyD's. What I really hate is oversimplification by the press. (They're going to kill our children! etc.)
I hope I get something done in regard to these, even if it's only stirring things up.
Mostly I think pagans have a bad press. Not in the same way as Satanists, i.e. child-murdering nutters, but enfeebled sheep-lovers. Everytime the media wants A Witch they get that clot Kevin Carlyon ('King' of a non-hierarchical, non-organised loose affiliation? wot?) to talk about earth energies and how he can stop Margaret Thatcher. Or some 13 year old Buffy fans who sincerely discuss their blood-and-spit initiation ceremony copied from one of those dire TeenWitch books.
I don't buy the 'ancient religion' argument either, I can't see why it matters. Who cares if what you believe has the seal of pre-RomanInvasion authenticity? if you believe it now, it's real enough. (As your statement to Justin about myths, )
well, that was involved.

Ah you saw that Ch 4 documentary too??

Hilarious.
I was going to say that you probably find common ground with Christians, because of the modifications that went on during the witch trials in paganism. The whole Wicca thing is the best example...their most common phrase? "We're not devil worshippors, we don't even BELIEVE in the devil"...bleh. They kiss Christian ass worse than anyone. I refuse to do that. Christianity stole the magic sites of proper paganism, stole the holidays, stole the fundamental rules of social interaction and hygiene
and made it their TRUTH. B*****ks.


"The appalling anal-lust"

Of course. That amount of ignorance is appalling. He is obivously one of those that thinks gay guys just have sex 24/7...he is a fool...

I'm probably perceived as being quite rude because I am very objective when it comes to society and politics.

That's something to think about...

!

I just hope that some of those dear little kiddies grow up and can be taken seriously. (I did like the girl who was a Christian but wanted to do witch things as well, rather than wigging out on the rest of them.)
A common theme with all pagans, I think (in my experience, anyway) is that we're all mightily PO'd with Xians for nicking our ideas. I would not mind at all if they acknowledged this, respect for what has gone before, like- but they either deny it, calling it a demonic myth, or they just don't *know*. Ignorance of the history of one's religion is terrible. I don't expect them to be either proud or ashamed of anything good or bad that their religion has done, but they really ought to read up on it a bit more. (In the same way that every German schoolchild is required to visit a camp. I would hate modern Germans to think they had to be sorry for things which they personally had no involvement in, like I will not feel proud of or ashamed of the British Empire. I wasn't there. I use this example because it seems ok to dump on Germans, who include some of my family and friends. They have a GSOH btw. )
to ramble: take Hallowe'en. Secular folk get dressed up and have a good time, or ignore it. Pagans get dressed up and have a good Samhain. Christians either recognise it as the Feast of All Hallows, i.e every saint has his day, or condemn it as 'Satanic' which shows a woeful ignorance of their faith and heritage.
I don't approve of 'taking back' pagan places by burning churches etc. since it's in the past, what can we do about it? The *place*, (genius locii, if you will) is unchanged, and you can ignore the church. Actually I like churches- or at least pre-Reformation ones- and visit them often, if only for the gargoyles.
If a pagan believes in some variant of the horned god, that gives the Christians their devil. Those who have argued with me on this topic will never accept that they are separate, so I say 'I don't believe in *your* devil. I do not have an evil entity, I consider evil to be a concept which every human is capable of and which comes from us.' Blaming your problems on a convenient goatlegged fellow is pathetic.
I really don't go for the feeble fairy-lite version of any faith, and refuse to make apologies. Conveniently since I have no specific pagan-subgroup (tho' I sometimes use 'witch' for effect), I don't get much bother. Trouble is, Wiccans are- their fault or not- probably the most public style of pagan, and (in the US at least) are actively pursued as Satanists, child-murderers etc. I don't believe the Burning Times was about Wicca, at all, but I can see why some of them today have a persecution complex... no one comes out on top in that definition, apart from schlock Xian Satanists who want to foster the belief that they're sacrificing Hallowe'en kiddies (when, as Terry Pratchett implied, 'they're vegetarians really').

I like this conversation.

I just hope that some of those dear little kiddies grow up and can be taken seriously. (I did like the girl who was a Christian but wanted to do witch things as well, rather than wigging out on the rest of them.)
A common theme with all pagans, I think (in my experience, anyway) is that we're all mightily PO'd with Xians for nicking our ideas. I would not mind at all if they acknowledged this, respect for what has gone before, like- but they either deny it, calling it a demonic myth, or they just don't *know*. Ignorance of the history of one's religion is terrible. I don't expect them to be either proud or ashamed of anything good or bad that their religion has done, but they really ought to read up on it a bit more. (In the same way that every German schoolchild is required to visit a camp. I would hate modern Germans to think they had to be sorry for things which they personally had no involvement in, like I will not feel proud of or ashamed of the British Empire. I wasn't there. I use this example because it seems ok to dump on Germans, who include some of my family and friends. They have a GSOH btw. )
to ramble: take Hallowe'en. Secular folk get dressed up and have a good time, or ignore it. Pagans get dressed up and have a good Samhain. Christians either recognise it as the Feast of All Hallows, i.e every saint has his day, or condemn it as 'Satanic' which shows a woeful ignorance of their faith and heritage.
I don't approve of 'taking back' pagan places by burning churches etc. since it's in the past, what can we do about it? The *place*, (genius locii, if you will) is unchanged, and you can ignore the church. Actually I like churches- or at least pre-Reformation ones- and visit them often, if only for the gargoyles.
If a pagan believes in some variant of the horned god, that gives the Christians their devil. Those who have argued with me on this topic will never accept that they are separate, so I say 'I don't believe in *your* devil. I do not have an evil entity, I consider evil to be a concept which every human is capable of and which comes from us.' Blaming your problems on a convenient goatlegged fellow is pathetic.
I really don't go for the feeble fairy-lite version of any faith, and refuse to make apologies. Conveniently since I have no specific pagan-subgroup (tho' I sometimes use 'witch' for effect), I don't get much bother. Trouble is, Wiccans are- their fault or not- probably the most public style of pagan, and (in the US at least) are actively pursued as Satanists, child-murderers etc. I don't believe the Burning Times was about Wicca, at all, but I can see why some of them today have a persecution complex... no one comes out on top in that definition, apart from schlock Xian Satanists who want to foster the belief that they're sacrificing Hallowe'en kiddies (when, as Terry Pratchett implied, 'they're vegetarians really').

I like this conversation.

ah, evil double-post hex!

That happened on another thread!!!

Ok....my brain is trying to shut down on me right now. I discovered something on the net that left me rather dismayed. On this topic, but it's nowt that would concern anyone else, and so *can't be bothered to care*...

I must be completely oblivious to it all, or just immensely more secure in my belief system that I thought. I have no persecution complex whatsoever, despite being what even some intelligent people would consider a devil worshipper after talking/listening to me. I really couldn't care less. If someone came after me, tried to burn my house down, injure my animals...I would kill them. As plain and simple as that. It's logic that drives me, not some belief in benevolence. When I want them to, my "curses" work...sometimes to ill effect, but that is usually my own fault. I really honestly could *NOT* care less if some crusty old Christian has nothing better to do that denounce me in public/on the net/in the street outside my house. Odd that.

One of the problems I have with other "religions" is the lack of honesty and knowledge. But that is so vast and wide that I really can't be bothered to go into it.

I clicked on the wrong bloody reply link...hang on...