Coming down the home stretch

I now have all of my submissions complete with editing and my cover art taken care of. Even with the big stuff taken care of, this task of actually putting it together still seems rather daunting. I finally dealt with that writer problem (or problem writer) and he sent back a re-write. Though it is barely a re-write, he fixed what I asked him to and now I don't really have to bother with him anymore. I guess the next step is heading to Kinko's and spend some quality bonding time with my kitchen floor.

God Porn Press Release

God Por’n

Christopher Watson, John Logan, Camonie Johnson

4873 N. Kenmore Ave.

Chicago, IL 60640

(773) 599-7718

godpornzine@gmail.com

“There aren’t enough exclamation points to puncture a single succulent second of existence!” –God Por’n motto

God Por’n is a new kind of magazine that intends to revolutionize literature and culture through the embrace of passion and the exploration of the infinite possibilities offered by the dawning Information Age. Its content willfully combats the complacency and nonchalance that has become the veneer of our postmodern world without the usual preachiness and gloom of your average revolutionary. In contrast, the magazine embraces the zany and surreal in a conscious attempt to bring their power into the concrete world in an understandable way. Though well educated with degrees in literature, the founders of God Por’n envision the magazine as a blue collar literary showcase. Although deep theosophical, philosophical and ontological issues are addressed, they are discussed in ways translatable and entertaining to the everyday human.

The form of the magazine is loosely based around the concept of literature, though the theme and content of each issue will change dramatically. The Zero Issue (also known as The Six Headed Beast) is centered around six poems by different writers with each of the authors writing short stories and lunatic essays in response to each other to create a wild tapestry of agnostic dread, existential optimism, street music, the loss and regaining of self and the secret immortality hiding in the right kind of smile. The next issue, known as The Manifesto Estate will be a collection of personal, social, political and religious manifestos from some of the brightest and most energetic minds in the Chicago underground.

God Por’n is a zine that has been aching in the heart of Chicago long before it was ever published (June 31^st, 2008, $6) and brings together the city’s loose ends into a beautiful tangle worthy of a new genre. It’s been building into a force whose momentum seems unstoppable as the buzz spreads through different communities and submissions skyrocket. We at God Por’n cordially invite you to be there at the magazine’s inception to review each issue and attend our fundraising parties.

Christopher Watson graduated Columbia College in 2008 with a degree in Fiction Writing. He is the chief A&R executive of the record label Auidio 8 Recordings and is the front man and founder of the band “Harlet Star”.

John Logan graduated from Columbia College in 2008 with a degree in Fiction Writing and a minor in Poetry. He is the founder of LCP Inc., an underground organization of pranksters that has been handing out strange, goofy and philosophical flyers in 3 states since 2001. He is also the front man and founder of the band “The Fighting Scientists”.

Camonie Johnson graduated UIC in 2005 with a degree in English. He currently works with the non for profit organization Chicago Young Authors to enact social change that encourages writing and literature in Chicago communities. He is also the co-founder of the band “The Innervisionists”.

Just When You Thought Going to Print Meant "Done"

So after an arduous process, I converted everything to PDF and then to FTP only to find out there were some formatting issues. Things like "text subsets" and "embedded codes". These things are not in my vocabulary. As I was speaking with my guys at the printers, I'm giving a lot of "uh-huh" replies. I get off the phone with them, dial up my layout girl, and start biting her head off about why these issues were not taken care of. Suffice to say, beggars can't be choosers. Free help is not easy to negotiate. Fortunately, I put her in touch with their tech person and now things are being smoothed out. I may be a writer and an editor but a graphic designer and code writer I am not.

Web Comic in StickBall?

Well today I got a lovely little message from my friend Mason saying that he would like to submit a web comic. So I told him I would check it out and actually really enjoyed it. Now I originally wanted to keep the zine to all prose but the addition of a web comic seems like a good idea. Instead of the magazine being all about words there will be some visual as well. I really like the idea of that and I also tend to enjoy graphic novel to I'm thinking about allowing that submitted as well.

When Tapes Attack (Or don't, in this case)

So maybe it's the end of the world.

Not really, but I'm about to scream. Here's what happened:

My friend borrowed a camera from his school and brought it to my house on Saturday night, where many people were gathered with alcohol. Don't worry; the camera was not harmed at any point in the night, nor was it stolen, both of which kind of surprised me. Anyway, he set it up and we had this chair and all this great lighting and a line of people who wanted to tell drunk stories and then Pooty, my friend who brought the camera, realized that he didn't have a tape. HE DIDN'T HAVE A TAPE TO RECORD ANY VIDEO ON!!!! This was both of our faults, seeing as I just assumed he'd bring it, and he forgot all about the part where you need a tape to record videos. Because sometimes he is an idiot. But really, I love him for getting the camera.

Anyway, so I didn't get any drunk videos on Saturday, and I still haven't heard from my writers. But it's okay. Because I have decided to use my awesome digital camera to do the video, because it's easier than dragging around Pooty and his borrowed camera, especially because he forgets about tape. And I wrote one drunk story and got a few non-writerly friends of mine to tell me some drunk stories or promise to write them down.

So it's not the end of the world. And I won't get an F in this class, because I WILL actually have something to put up on the internet before the semester is over. I promise.

The editing monster

I've finally set up some sort of plan of attack to finally complete this thing, but alas, plans will only get screwed eventually. The editing thing is my main problem still. The writer of the piece that I believe needs the most editing seemed offended when I suggested a re-write. He said he'd do it, but I have a feeling I'll need to start making some nagging phone calls soon. Other than that piece, I think the others are turning out quite nicely (whew), and I've asked a few people to sketch a cover illustration for me. I figure, if they all actually come through, I'll have options for the cover.

Having decided to make this publication in the kitchen floor/countless late nights/scissors and glue sticks sort of approach, I'm excited to start the hands-on process. It's like painting or molding a book rather than writing.

Any suggestions on how to deal with stubborn/sensitive/slightly asshole writer are welcome.

My love/hate relationship with InDesign.

So I downloaded the free trial of InDesign. And after a couple hours of complete frustration and confusion and wanting to throw my computer out the window, I think I'm finally starting to get it. The only problem now is there's so many options, I'm spending way too much time obsessing over little details like "what font should the title be?" "should I move this paragraph up a little more?" "why won't this last sentence fit onto the previous page?!"
But I'm actually starting to have some fun with it. I still can't find out how to get a picture onto my cover, but I'm surprised at how professional it's starting to look. I was thinking about buying the whole program on a whim, just because there's so much you can do with it- like story boards and menus!- but then I realized I will never have to make either.
Anyway, I guess I'm just really excited about having actually been able to figure it out- and without a tutorial! I was just clicking around randomly.
My next problem is if I just print it out from my printer, and then get it bound at Kinko's, the pages are going to be one sided, and it's not really going to look as nice as I would like. But like we were saying in class, it's only a prototype, right?

One Author Gets Brownie Points

One of my authors is making me feel better about being an editor. Today I received her final edit on the piece that we've been working on together for quite sometime and truthfully I think we're both happy with it. I just went in and did a few line edits but other then that it's ready to go. This made me feel really good about what I'm doing with StickBall as opposed to how I'd been feeling before. The two other authors that I'd heard back from were rather difficult toward my edits and I just felt like, "Hey I'm trying to help you guys out."

It felt really good to have a piece finalized and finished, completely ready to post online at the zine. Now I'm just waiting on everyone else. It's one less thing on my mind at the moment so that really helps.

It's all about Craig's little list

I posted a request on craigslist.org for "Designer Needed for New Zine," and within 24 hours received 7 replies.  My post pointed out that it is a non-paying gig, that the only real compensation is the chance to buff their portfolio.  Some have even forwarded links to their work.

It seems that everything is getting back on track, but at this point I still get bent whichever way the wind blows.  

Cheap and Lazy- cater to it

Every time I manage to get something for free, whether it is a nightstand from the alley, cheese and crackers from an event I didn't attend, or a book online, I feel an inner moment of bliss from cheating the system. Maybe it's because I read Stranger Things online to begin with that the idea of reading a book online doesn't bother me as much as others. Yes, reading online is definitely different, online is public while a book is personal. There is a private personal attachment to a physical book, for instance, if I lend a book to someone and don't get it back, I will burn with resentment and no longer call that person my friend. Books are dear to the heart, a kind of friend. Reading online lacks all intimacy, its like porn, or something... I'll flesh out that simile later, but I have to say that the convenience of online reading will sometimes outweigh the lack of person-to-print bonding.

I just reread an old time favorite of mine online, 1984, which I probably would not have done if I had to truck to the library, worry about overdue fines, or buy it outright from a bookstore (which hardly ever happens), so I read something because I got it online. Is that such a bad thing? And with the prospect of moving again, I am not looking forward to lugging those books up and down stairs for the third time in three years. Having books is wonderful but so is having the option of attaining stories through the internet, where it might even reach more people.

More Editor Woes

Like I mentioned in class last night my writer's have been pretty picky about what I'm doing as an editor. Today I received two replies from the edits I made and one writer told me that I over-edited his piece and gave me a lengthy reply as to why everything I edited was wrong in his eyes.

I don't know if maybe because all of the writers I'm dealing with are students or what, but do editors deal with this on a regular basis. I felt like what I did added to the piece not took away from him and he made me feel like my input was unwanted and unneeded.

I also feel like just because I edit something doesn't mean I don't like it. I decided to publish the work which means that I obviously like it. Oh and I got a reply from the girl with the pac-man bar story who said she understood why I took that section out that I did and agreed with me that it slows down the piece. That made me feel pretty good actually. Since it affirmed I knew what I was talking about at least.

I know that some pieces are like people's children, but come on, let them grow up. I mean maybe I did over edit, maybe I did change a bit too much, but that's why I expect to have a correspondence with each and every one of the writers I'm publishing so we can reach a nice medium where we both like where things are at in the piece.

SRANGER THINGS ONLINE!?

Survival’s Ball, or, The Donner Party:

I re-read as a free download, and I would like to take a moment to speak on the matter. There was a fear of mine that I wouldn’t be able to see the story in my mind the same way as if it were read from the book on the page. That was a stupid assumption seeing as I read stories on line all the time. I guess the thing that made me feel this was the fact that it was an assignment that caused me to dwell on the matter. Seeing the story in my mind is a very intimate experience that shouldn’t be compromised. Reading on the train or with the television on in the back ground don’t break my concentration either. I did not feel the distraction of other media attempting to take my attention on my computer the way most people in the class feared.

The pros of reading a download. There are manipulations that one can claim that cannot occur from a book format. When you download an article of writing you can change the font size or the actual font to fit your personal preferences. That is all…

The cons of a download. It feels disposable. When I have a book in hand I want to keep it. This download is getting erased as soon as I am done. I also feel more connected when reading a book apposed to being online. It feels more real somehow. I like to collect books of all kinds. Text books on writing and most sciences, journals, poetry and novels are all objects that make my house a home. Keeping them around allows for dramatic effect and employs others to gain access in a more traditional way. I prefer not to scroll when I read. Now that does cause a break in concentration for me when I’m not editing my own work.

Sheesh, the list is depressing. I feel if you can do both then it is obviously the best way to go. I did like the fact that I had the option to do both. If I were given the option before I bought the book then I would have bought the book anyway just to add to my collection. Hey, some people collect stamps or rocks. I collect all three and much more.

As far as a selling agent I feel that it can help for people who don’t have money and that’s cool. And for the people who do have the cash to make the purchase, they can introduce it to there friends without having to let them borrow the hard copy. I wonder when is the best time to release a free version of a book on line? After it has sold a considerable amount or if it isn’t selling much in the first place. I would imagine that both are acceptable. If it isn’t selling well then allowing people to see and example of you work could bring promising results for a second product in production.

At the end of the day I think I want my books as books. The Internet is has taken over too much of our lives as it is and the last thing I want to see in the world is books disappearing from the shelves of libraries and schools. Novels should be available for free after a while just as a playwright’s material becomes public domain. People take too much advantage of the Speed Racer lifestyle and should slow down more in general. Granted these are all my personal opinions but looking at the state of the world has led me to believe that nothing we are doing in the today is going to pay off for any of us in the long run of man kinds progression.

In the end I stand on the fact that both function to meet the expectation of the reader. If we could write these stories as painting to reach a wider audience then we should.


-Bruce Kent
Audio8.com

"That's Almost a Wrap People"

So after a long, daunting, and soul-draining process, I've compiled everything I need to go to print. I'd say the toughest part was getting my celebrity writer's submission. I've learned that sometimes you have to play Cap'n Mother-Fucking-Asshole/Play the Game in order to appease all parties, meet deadlines, and still have a staff. Doing all the proofing/editing is no easy task so once this thing is negotiated, signed, and backed, I'm hiring a second staffer. I can't do this all by myself. Fortunately, I had a free-lance artist who worked for free pending my guarantee of a future gig which I'm in the process of making good.

All I can say is that launching a journal is not for anyone who wants to do this as a hobby; esp if you're also a writer. You're either all the way or get the fuck outta here. I'm in this for the long haul so either contribute, start a press, or have fun in a suit.

The Tooth that Told the Truth

Kelly Link's Stranger Things Happen proves that yes they do indeed after reading her short story entitled The Survivor's Ball or The Donner Party.

The story hooks you instantly as we are thrown into a situation already transpiring with two friends who met by happenstance during their course of travel. Jasper, one of the two main characters, has a broken molar which has become the acting "little voice in the back of his head." The time is not really made clear yet it must be sometime in the mid 20th century as they are driving along a wintered, winding road in search of a hotel. The relationship between Jasper and Serena is juxtaposed with the twisting and turning road in which they are traveling. Outwardly, it's platonic but Link avails little hints between the two that suggest it building into something more serious.

They swerve to miss a random, road rug-rat that sends them off the road into a ditch which seems to parallel with Jasper's uncertainty about the whole situation. The parallel structure juxtaposed with the other character makes for an intricate blue print in this telling. Link brings the two about as they find themselves at a hotel mingling with a group of elegant yet sketchy characters who seem to be hiding something larger. The leader or MC of the gathering, Mr. Donner, is conveyed as a multi-faceted character who Link uses to hint at what's really going on but not enough to make it too obvious.

Link's use of Magical Realism is dashed on the platter for flavor as Serena disappears into the hoard of guests followed by a wolf's howl in a land of Marsupials.

Link online

I don't like to read anything longer than a paragraph from a monitor.  Even when doing research papers I'll just read the title of an article, then print it.  Most of the time I can cherry-pick a few sentences and make them fit my thesis.  By doing this I save paper and my eyes.

When I first pulled up The Specialist's Hat on my computer, the large black & white blocks of words illuminated by the bright smiling-dog-faced background of my desktop, I felt a familiar sense of dread.  It reminded me of one of the lengthy soapbox emails I get from a relative. The kind that usually ends with, "If you believe in this message, share the lord and forward this to 19 of your friends.  But if you hate God and country, just delete it.  You jerk."  

But I did read a few paragraphs of the story.  Enough to know that I didn't like it.  I'd rather kick back on the couch and read, turning pages, and when I fall asleep I can move my bookmark and start snoozing; minimal effort here.  Reading on my desktop?  Not a fan.

so much for brevity. har har.

I chose to reread "The Specialist's Hat" because I couldn't remember if the hat actually bit someone or not; I needed to settle my mind on the issue. After rereading it twice? The groundskeeper, I think? Still can't remember. Unlike my first reading--which was quick but awesome because it was one of my favorite--I just plowed through the internet readings, hoping to actually finish reading the story without my eyes bleeding from staring at practically the same spot on my monitor for so long. I don't think I retained much.

The problem with reading online is that I am mostly online when I'm at work and so there's more than internet distractions. There's work distractions. Work distractions for me include rousing games of ping pong where I DOMINATE (well, not really, but I have the swagger and trash talk of someone who does) and occasional bouts of actual work. It took me about three hours to read and it was difficult to stay focused. I mean, I made two moves on this Scrabulous game I'm playing that's taking about eight years to complete, checked my e-mail a handful of times, and left a friend a Myspace comment. So I tried again earlier tonight in the comforts of my room in front of my own computer.

And it still wasn't very fun. I cheated, I guess, and downloaded the PDF as it looked more like pages instead of huge blocks of text that the HTML version gave me at work. It was easier, the simulation of pages, to get through. The fact that I initially wrote "get through" instead of "read" sort of bothered me. I'm not sure why. Maybe I just don't take reading that much in one sitting at the computer as seriously or enjoyable(-y?) as I do with an actual book. I mean, I do enjoy reading things on the internet; I read Brevity, McSweeney's, a few other online lit journals, and more blogs than I can count, but those are are quick reads that often don't demand much from me as a reader. I'm stuck on the nice tangibility of having a book, as mentioned by Katie, that acts as a trophy of sorts that helps inflate my ego so I can subliminally say to everyone when I place it on my shelf, "See, I READ. This book here? Read. Have you read it? Well, it doesn't matter because I have and I don't have to tell you because it's on my shelf, thus implying that it's been read." Reading from a book has this nice sense of accomplishment; you can actually feel the pages go by until all of sudden you're at the end. Staring at my computer screen? Endless.

I like my books as books

I hate reading things online. Especially stories. I tried rereading "Water Off A Black Dog's Back", and I honestly couldn't even get through it. I ended up skimming through parts, I got confused a lot because my eyes kept crossing or something. With all the pronouns, I was like "who's what now?"
Skimming was a huge part of why I couldn't take in the story. I'd see these huge blocks of single spaced words that never seemed to end and I just felt like I had to get through the story. With an actual book, I can physically turn the pages- there's an end in sight. I could close the book after a story or chapter and set it down with a bookmark. What do you have online? There's no bookmark, except the one you used to mark the website that holds the entire story on page!
I don't understand this new technology, it's called Kindle, and it's like an iPod for books. I guess it can hold a whole library, and you read these books on your screen. Even in theory, I don't like the idea. Part of the book experience is having them on your shelf, in your library! They're like little trophies or something. You read them, you've lived through the characters, and then there they rest until you want to pick it up again. But maybe I'm just being old fashioned.
I'm getting off the topic, but I guess what I mean to say is I like my books as books, not as online documents.

Reread of Water Off A Black Dog's Back

I reread Water Off A Black Dog's Back online just like we were assigned. As I was reading I kept thinking of other things I needed to do, clicking off to check my email, etc.

My eyes also started to hurt after awhile. The type wasn't double spaced and everything seemed so pressed together. There's only so long I can concentrate on a computer screen.

I'm easily distracted when I'm reading online as well and it was no different with Kelly Link's story. I just think it's too lengthy to be something read online. I started to get frustrated with having to reread this again in a less comfortable manner.

I can see why she would put her work online for people to access freely, but I think it would be better to print it out. That's a lot of ink though and I don't know how many people would be willing to do that. I also don't know how many people would be willing to sit there and read the whole collection online.

I'm not a website moron!

Okay so today I decided what the hell let's start making StickBall for real. I registered at wordpress and got down to business. So, me, the one with all the questions about design and how do I do this just started messing around. I picked a template, I made my own header and started making pages. After about an hour or so I really liked the way it was looking. Not gonna lie I'm kind of proud of myself. Earlier in the semester it seemed like something so foreign, something that I was incapable of doing and now I have the page all set up. I really like the way it looks right now, and I might just leave it for good, but I think I'm going to try and personalize the design a bit more. Go for the original idea that I had about the mixed skyline. The header I chose now is an actual photo that I took driving along the BQE with my parents. So it's original. I don't know if taking photos of skylines and cutting them up from online and making my own would be copyright infringement. Do any of you know if it is?

Organizized

With all my submissions together and set, I've run into the next problem: organizing. All the stories fit into the theme of my journal, but I'm growing more concerned with how to order them within the pages. Logic will suggest alphabetical order, but that same logic makes me want to avoid it, if that makes any sense. Maybe I'm just getting to a point where I'm stressing about every minor detail.

I'M ALMOST DONE!!!

GOT ALL THE SUBMISSIONS.

LOOKING FOR PRINT QUOTES? MAY ALREADY HAVE AN IN WITH A BUDDY.

CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT I REALLY WANT IT TO LOOK LIKE...

WAITING FOR THE START UP CASH.

AUDIO8.COM

OH BOY

So over this past weekend I read through each of my submissions. Some of them were okay and well one I refused to accept and work with the guy on editing. It was really just awful. The five others were all pretty good. Only three needed full rewrites which I told the authors why, one was too dialect heavy for my taste, the other needed something brought to the forefront much earlier and the last just had a lot of filler that didn't need to be there. If she doesn't take it out then I think I just will. The other pieces just need some editing stuff which is fine by me.

I was really surprised by how different each of the pieces were though. All of them fit the theme but in different ways and I loved that about reading them. The Cubana is a great piece about a Mexican wedding and the guy being obsessed with his cousins ex-wife and The Wrong Side of Candyland is an awesome piece of flash fiction about the seedy underbelly of Candyland. I also got a great flash fiction piece about a bum on the El. Only one piece that was written seemed like, "here take this just because you asked me and I'm being nice," and I told that author that it needed a rewrite.

Now, onto the Kelly Link interview.

I love what she said about fantasy writing and the quote she used by John Updike. The idea that everything needs to be realistic is ingrained in us as Americans and it tends to be what the American public enjoys. So why can't a story about pirates with magic maps and rejuvenating treasure be just as good as that? I feel like sometimes we take ourselves too seriously and don't have enough fun and that's why fantasy has such a terrible label placed on it.

I also feel that same way she does about being a literary writer. I don't really like to call myself that either. I just write, whatever comes to mind and I write it. In a way she's saying the same thing even though she'd rather be called a science fiction writer. I definitely agree with her saying that people are almost afraid of the genre books and I don't really understand why. I thought reading was about Immersing oneself in a different world. So why do Science Fiction and Fantasy have such a stigma about them? I don't really get it. My favorite book of all time is Peter Pan and in essence it's a fantasy story, but why is that such a bad thing? I love it. I love reading about things that couldn't possible happen but seem like they could. That's what Kelly Link is saying to me. Read these outlandish stories because what else is there? Writing fiction is about engaging the imagination.

I feel like Kelly is talking to me in this interview especially when she mentions her fear of boring people or that writers get stuck using particular themes or types of characters. I know that I do that for a fact and that I tend to enter my comfort zone and stay there. I've recently been trying to break that I definitely understand where she's coming from with this statement. I'm always afraid that something I've written isn't engaging or has no real moment that the reader gets hooked on the story. I don't think that fear ever ends, and hearing that from Kelly Link tells me that it really doesn't.

"Writer's should lead quiet boring lives, but be sure to have friends with interesting and difficult ones." I'm not going to say that my life is boring or quiet, but this completely makes sense. Most of the time I prefer to stay home and just watch a movie. I'd rather not go to a club, bar or party, when I'm home I just want to watch T.V with my parents or visit my grandfather with my mom. Kelly Link takes details of her friends lives and uses them in her stories, making them grander and more fanatical. I believe that all writers do that just not in the same capacity that she does. She creates a fantasy world out of real happens. Autobiographical points in a story make them something better then just having them be completely fiction, for me anyway and to know that even though Kelly writes strange, awkward and completely out there fiction but draws from real life makes me adore her writing even more.

What Kelly says about writing YA fiction makes total sense. I wouldn't like to be talked down to or to be lectured. I didn't like it when I was fifteen and I'm sure I didn't like it as a kid. I also have to agree that in order to write a book for a certain age group of readers you have to go back and remember everything about what it was like to be that age. I think those are the best YA books. The ones that tap into that time in the author's life even though they might be telling a vampire story or something like that.

Kelly Link made so many good points in this interview, so many things that really got to me as a writer, things that I do or don't do, or things that I even think about. As I read it I was going "Oh yeah, yes I know what you mean." She was dead on with almost everything she said. I actually want to read more of her work as well as some more interviews.

Paint for Macs?

So at first I was getting kind of overwhelmed when I was editing my friends' pieces they had sent me, because (unexpectedly) I was actually timid to tell them about the changes I thought they should make, especially the poetry.
I guess when it's someone I don't know, it's a lot easier to address it professionally. But other than that, I feel like my project is really starting to come together.
The only thing I wish I had was some sort of paint program on my Mac for my cover. Does any one know if there's a similar program that Apple sells?
Also did any one realize that we only have like 6 more classes? That's kind of frightening...

Print Quotes

Getting confused with the print quotes...it looked so easy in class. 

On Bookmobile.com:  What is the difference between a galley and a paperback?  Why can't I do anything other than get an "instant quote?"  How do you create an account?  

On unitedgraphics.com: the only question I understand is my address.  What are halftones and duotones?  And how many do I need?  

Those are the only 2 companies I'm really aware of, and the others I'm finding online seem to be way expensive (Blurb.com = $18.95/book with minimum of 10 - but you get a 10% discount).

[*Just found www.instantpublisher.com    Seems pretty simple and about $100/25 copies.  Cannot print detailed quote, though.]

Anybody that's had success with this, please let me know.  

Personal email:  eric.a.hanson@comcast.net

Plan B

I feel as though I am in a similar boat as KT with Kaleioscopic Resonance. I would like to believe that I came up with a nice concept for the magazine's premiere issue. I've asked several people and sent out a few more emails, but I have yet to recieve any submissions. This sucks! I'm going to have to tackle, tag and cage this beast from a different angle because right now its winning. I guess I have to be prepared to put up my work only for the first issue, but I pray that it will all come together sooner than later.

As far as my interview with Amy Schroder, she was really cool about the whole thing and easy to talk to. As you all could tell from class, she's not really an angry, firey feminist. She calls it like she sees it and has a descent wealth of knowledge of female artist across the board from musicians to painters. I can appreciate how she refined the clarity of her mission with Venus and is going for it completely. As she hones her business and literary/journalist instincts she's well aware of any obstacles to the mainstream growth of her magazine, as well as the pit falls that other small magazine publications have come against. I admire her drive and ability to find other editors and writers just as hard working as she, who are willing to stick it out, not for a woman, but for a an editor, a writer and an entrepreneur they trust to stick with into sucess.

Getting Closer

Like my dad used to tell us kids while on lengthy road trips, when being grilled on how much longer,  "We're getting closer every minute."  Then he'd usually slap somebody's finger out of their nose.  

Even though everything seemed overwhelming a few weeks ago, I can almost see the final point of destination.  I have received two printable short stories with at least one more on the way.  With my own contribution(s) I'll hopefully have enough to make an interesting prototype.  That's my mantra, anyway.  My main concern is the artwork.  I'll have to shop around on the net for downloadable artwork that will correspond with each story, all along keeping with the theme.  It's like mowing the yard - I have to keep going 'round in circles until it's done.

Another issue that is taking my attention is trying to get published somewhere.  I recently picked up a copy of "Writer's Market," and have been shuffling through it.  Now all I have to do is write something worth publishing.

"ONE MAN ARMY"

WHILE I'M WAITING FOR MY FINAL SUBMISSION FROM MR. LAST-MINUTE HERO, I'VE ASSIGNED THE VISUAL LAYOUT TO MY ARTIST. IT'S NOT EASY HAVING TO PLAY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, GRAPHIC MANAGER, AND SUBMISSION MANAGER ALL AT ONE TIME. MY BIGGEST CHALLENGE YET IS TRYING TO CONVEY WHAT THE JACKET IS TO LOOK LIKE TO MY ARTIST WHILE GATHERING BIOS FROM MY AUTHORS; BASICALLY, NOT HAVING ENOUGH TIME. I REALLY NEED HELP. I'M KEEPING IT UNDER WRAPS AND ALL, BUT MY SANITY AND PERSONAL LIFE HAVE SUFFERED SEVERELY . I'VE PRETTY MUCH TUNED OUT THE WORLD. I WOULDN'T EVEN CARE IF SOME PLUNK FELL FROM A SKYSCRAPER AND LANDED RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME; I'D SHRUG, KEEP WALKING, AND LIGHT UP A CIGARETTE.

IT DOESN'T STOP THERE, OH NO. I'M ALREADY TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW I'M GOING TO FIT A MEETING IN WITH "THE POWERS THAT BE". PLUS, I'M HAVING TO CO-ARRANGE MY MOVE BACK TO THE WEST COAST. FUCKING DEAD-LINES ALL AROUND ME; I'M TELLIN' YA!

April 8 class

So we had a poor showing for class on April Fool's Day. Guess spring break extends further than I thought.

Here's a list of what you need to have ready to go in class on 4/8:

1. You must have read Stranger Things Happen by Kelly Link and be prepared to discuss.
2. You must have your small press interview ready to roll.
3. You must have figured out costs for your project. Web people, that means you've decided on how you're publishing online (free or paid), and have decided on whether you're buying your domain name. Print: That means you've put out print quotes (this can be to United Graphics or other printers, Bookmobile, Kinko's, etc. Use the internet to find printers). You should have received quotes from three printers.
4. I want everyone to bring in one submission for their project, the draft that was submitted to you and how you've edited it, and be prepared to discuss. If you're self-publishing, that's fine, bring in two drafts.
5. Looking ahead to the 4/15 class, you're going to have to have a sense of how you want your project designed. Zach will be in class to discuss design principles, and I'd like for everyone to have something to show him, so he can give you practical, individualized attention.

All right, that's about it.

Change of Focus

I've decided to change the focus of Kaleidoscopic Resonance (at least for this first issue) to stories that use strong sensory details in ANY of the senses, rather than just focusing on hearing for the first issue. After the devastating lack of submissions, I figured I would have more luck if I broadened the scope a bit. I figure I'll separate the stories by the strongest sense they use and have a section for each sense, perhaps. Now I've got two submissions - both from friends who are very amateur writers (if you could even call them writers). But with a little editorial work with their stories, this magazine may actually feature someone's work other than my own! If any of you have a story you think would fit, please feel free to send them my way. :) Hope everyone else is having better luck than I am.