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

If you're going to blow your own trumpet anywhere, it should be in your own room - so, since this is about me and no-one else is forced to come here, I am going to give a great big gobsmacked YYEEESSSS! to rating "pretty good" with the editors for my Venlo article. On that scale, when they read John-the-Gardener's stuff about the Grand River (if we can persuade him to submit it) they're just going to combust!

Coming back down to Earth about this, and if anyone else out there wants to feel how I'm feeling just now but keeps getting rejected, a quick analysis of some things I think helped:

I wrote about a real place on this Earth.
It's somewhere I've spent a fair amount of time, so I know a bit about it - but I didn't write EVERYTHING I know.
It's something most other people aren't going to know too much about - a subject like "The Internet" is always going to be hard to be definitive on. Look for the detail. Look for what you can teach us about.
I struck an appropriate mood - looking back on it I think a little too cynical, but the important thing is I didn't force it into a tone that wasn't naturally my own.
Some nice people visited, and were kind (and, I'd have to say, stimulated) enough to say nice things and even extend the discussion.

Oh, and I held the grammar together and spelt most of the words right.

That is my little empirical style guide. I have no illusions about the imperfections of this particular article. I don't think it's exceptionally insightful, funny, or profound - and I KNOW that both you and I can write better. Go now, and do so!


- Chuffed Gary

 

Nearly forgot, one last point....

Write it in a local file
Sleep
Reread it as if someone else wrote it
Polish it
Post it
Sleep
Reread it
Read people's comments (if you're lucky enough to get any)
Polish it
Sleep
Reread it
Decide it's as good as you're going to do
Submit it

You'll be surprised how much you throw away - sometimes the entire article. This doesn't mean you can't write, just that you're becoming your own best critic. That's the one you're most likely to listen too - and the one from whom it's easiest to accept criticism!