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

I knew I had messed up the 'sin' challenge soon after I had posted my piece about Osama bin Laden. It was simply too short. B'Elana called it 'succinct' but sketchy might have been more accurate. In the end, I took it off, with the view of rewriting it.

I was expecting to be evicted and, sure enough I was. It has been a great competition. Before the Stretcher started, I wondered if it might prove divisive but I was wrong. Instead, all the competitors have been really friendly, going round giving advice and constructive criticism. Thanks, folks.

There has been some superb writing, too, and who ever wins it will have deserved the accolade of a 'star writer'. I have learnt quite a lot, particularly about writing for the Edited Guide, which is something I hadn't done before. I even know what a 'curly apostrophe' is now!

It has been time consuming, though, and I shall be glad to get back to my usual habit of writing poems and bits of fiction. I might write pieces for the Edited Guide too, but I will be able to choose my subject.

Good luck to all the remaining Stretcherinos with the rest of the competition!

You've done very well, especially considering you've never written for the EG before - and all the last pieces have been EG pieces only (I have to admit I'm a bit disappointed with that, I had hoped for some more AWW challenges, but that's maybe because the AWW is *the* challenge for me ).
Anyway, here's to you for having done that well, and a if you feel like it.

Bel

Thanks B'Elana .

I agree that it's time that the organisers included an AWW challenge. The poor AWW is wilting a bit while everyone is busy being stretched in PR.

I could think of some particularly fiendish poetic challenges.

Like the one vowel one you once did?

There's always <./>thepost</.> if you have a good idea.

I'd just like to add a and a word of appreciation for your good writing work during this Stretcher business.

And to second your comment - after reading this week's challenge, I have resolved to have a few words to say when this is all over, about the deleterious effect this has had on the AWW, as well as the sneakiness of some people, whose hidden agenda it was to get more stuff in PR...

Apropos writing, voting, and the fickleness of one's public - my favourite example is, as always, the redoubtable Kenneth Branagh. His 'Frankenstein' was panned by critics, ignored by a public that wanted something different. He stuck to his guns. That film is now considered a classic.

Looking forward to reading more of your writing. You choose the subject.

Thank you, Dmitri.

Perhaps we should think up an AWW only competition for when this is over.

The most fiendish poetic challenge that occurred to me was... write a sestina . I had a go, in fact I had five goes but none of them were any good.

Maybe I'll put my thinking cap on.

I've just looked that up. That must be difficult.

I am so bad at maths that I can never remember which form is which.

I usually need to remember a poem with the form in order to get the pattern. Challenged, here.

I started writing villanelles because I was able to remember the form once I had one of my own in my head.

Yes, I agree that it's useful to have a good example when trying a poetic form.

This is an Elizabeth Bishop sestina: http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-miracle-for-breakfast/

Incidentally, I'm hopeless at maths too. I volunteered to help at my local Citizens Advice Bureau, and found myself doing benefit checks and financial statements.

Nice, thanks. Though that one would be hard to memorise - too slippery.

How did you deal with all those checks?

I think the knack is to avoid discussing the figures with the client too much, but to go into the office and leave the computer to do the calculations.

And to think that, when I was at school, we didn't even have calculators, let alone computers! How did we manage?

Well, there was that horrible slide rule...I hated slide rules...

We had four figure tables.

All I remember about them was drawing a picture on the front of four matchstick men dancing on a table. Education was obviously wasted on me!

I think it was Einstein who said, 'Never let your schooling interfere with your education.'

Hey, are you two up to writing a sestina?

Not I. No such thing. Just asking what it was.

Flout 'em and scout 'em and flout 'em and scout 'em,
Like cuba libre,
Verse is free...

edgar lee masters and old ee
went to sea in a bowl of tea,
bought a typewriter but lost the CAPSLOCK,
saw young graham greene at brighton rock.

Apologies. Don't know what came over me.

*I* don't have that effect on people.