The Newsroom: E-zine call for contributors!

[Houndoom_Lover]

I was having an awesome dream, I was like a villian in a movie which was being done impov+Spontanious skript reading done in a X-files L&O style which some other chick I didn't know but we appeared to be roomates in this really nice Penthouse like Apartment and then in the dream I remembered that I needed to upload these.

That woke me up :3

I'm going to have to submit them later in the day- as I left my flash drive at my Grandparent's house -_- Life fail.

[Mew Master]

I expect nothing but epicness from this Month.

[Kyuuketsuki]

It sure will

[Gavin Luper]

Indeed, it shall be epic.

I've just finished NaNoWriMo, I'm starting a new full-time job tomorrow and I started today in a different city, so I require time to get this e-zine sorted (those of you who haven't sent things in, do it NOW!!!) and I shall post it up tomorrow (ie. Dec 1).

[PancaKe]

GAH GAH GAH MINE ARE SENDING *dies*
My computer is being brokesies. Like on an off. So I'll send through what I have!!!

[Mew Master]

GAH GAH GAH MINE ARE SENDING *dies*
My computer is being brokesies. Like on an off. So I'll send through what I have!!!

HAXXORZ!

[Gavin Luper]

You guys all rock. Those of you whom I'm yet to PM with a nice thank you, I shall do so soon enough; formatting, collating, editing and proofreading (kinda) this issue of the e-zine - plus writing the editorial - has taken my entire night.

It will be up shortly. I'm excited.

[PancaKe]

I am just going to take this opportunity to congratulate Gavin on a successful revamp of the ezine and thank him for the insane work he put into it.

OH I JUST REMEMBERED NEW LTL!

*dashes off*

[mr_pikachu]

The Fanfiction Forum E-zine ~ January 2010

Good day, fellow fanficcers!

The last E-zine was a tremendous success, so we’re going to keep the newsroom format for publication! As before, this e-zine will be a more member-written publication than those of the past. The editor (me, in this case) will be responsible for shaping the ezine and running it all smoothly, as in a newsroom, while delegating the responsibility of writing (most of) the articles to the members (reporters).

So, as editor for January, here’s my blueprint of this month’s edition. The order of articles hasn’t been decided yet – we can probably discuss that together.

What I need is contributors to find a column or article that they’d like to write, and take it on board and start putting it together!

The good thing about having a contributor-based system is that we can all work together in bringing the e-zine to life: we can discuss issues as we see them. If you guys disagree with something, or want to see something altered or changed, we can talk about it and try it a number of ways. Let’s make this like a newsroom, where we talk and interact and help each other out. This blueprint is basically in line with what was discussed in the e-zine development thread, but obviously we can keep discussing this as time goes on (while keeping an eye on the deadline, obviously).

Here is a rough layout of the articles I’d like to see this month. The colored section beside each heading refers to who has committed to writing that column, or if it is still open to be committed to. Red tags means the article is still open to be taken; gold ones have already been taken by a member, and green ones are open to all members to submit simultaneously.


1. News. OPEN (Houndoom_Lover, PancaKe)

The journalistic approach seems to work well. A lot of things have been happening lately, both in Fanfic and around all of TPM. By the end of the month the Secret Santas will be complete, we should have a new Hall of Fame inductee, and the Golden Pen Awards will be underway. Elsewhere, Mt. Moon and the Fanfic News forums are now in full swing.


2. Interview. OPEN

Gabi, should we expect another interview from you this month?


3. Top Five Moments (or something else?) of a Fanfic Character. Samchu

Basically, approach the author of a fic and ask them a handful of questions (no more than half a dozen or so, I reckon), to which he/she will reply in the voice of the character in question. Fic and character choice are up to you, as are the questions. It doesn’t have to be top five moments, so it can be any question – just keep them tasteful, people. To whoever takes this: if you want to make a public poll first and ask people what questions they want to ask the character you’ve chosen (or who they want to be chosen, as another poll), you can feel free to do so – it may engage the readership more. But there’s no obligation to do this – if you want to make the decisions yourself, I trust your judgment. Who wants this one?


4. Author’s teasers of future chapters/storylines. OPEN TO ALL

This is open to EVERYONE. If you’re writing a fic, you can submit a short teaser (each month) of no more than 200 words to be run in the e-zine. All teasers will be run, so if you want to promote the next chapter or story arc in your fic, this is your chance. As there’s nothing required other than collating these, I’ll take this one, so everyone, send me your teasers ASAP!


5. Writing competition. OPEN

There’s been the suggestion that we have a writing competition in the e-zine, and I love this idea. The winning piece will be published in February’s issue. So what we need is someone (or a group of someones) to brainstorm a topic for the competition, and what kinds of rules it will have in place. Also, if you guys could locate a judge or two (yourselves, if you wish) to judge the pieces, that would be terrific. Who wants to run this one (more than one member possible)?


6. Best Line of the Month. Pichu Luver

As before, it would be great for someone (preferably someone who reads widely) to collect for him/herself some of the funniest, most poignant or most memorable lines – the best – that have appeared in fics, poems and one shots during November, and make a shortlist of the best lines this month. Other members can also PM their suggestions of the best lines to the member who takes this column on board. After that, I guess a poll would be in order (what do you guys think?) or the person who takes this could just chose their favourite; I think I’d lean toward a poll being taken so we can verifiably make this a forum-wide kind of decision. Who wants this one? Someone who reads a lot would be ideal.


7. A fic or poem spotlight. Kyuuketsuki

It would be great to have a nice review/discussion of a new or underappreciated fic or poem or one-shot. It can be formal or casual, and interviews with the author will only serve to enrich the spotlight. Who wants this one?


8. TOP FIVE with various writers. mr_pikachu

Basically, this segment involves profiling a different writer each month on their top five writing habits, writing places, favourite words, favourite books, favourite albums to listen to while writing, etc. I’ll take it this month as I’m keen to try it.


9. Fic backstories. OPEN TO ALL

This would be a section where the author would take us through some deeper details of their fic – for example, a detailed description of a setting or a character’s backstory, or a scrapped plot arc – that were too extraneous to appear in the fic itself. If YOU would like to tell us a bit about an aspect of YOUR fic’s backstory, write it up and PM it to me. No minimum word limit, but let’s keep it under, say, 1500 words max. (We can negotiate this.) The more the merrier; anyone can submit.


10. Feature articles. OPEN

Some potential ideas for feature articles:

- Time Management: Balancing writing and "real life" - OPEN
- Why write fanfiction? - classy_cat18
- Constructive Criticism - OPEN
- The writing process, from A to Fin - OPEN
- Writing fiction 101 - Samchu
- Writing Horror, how to get the suspense across without being repetitive (suggested by Mew Master) - OPEN
- Descriptions of animals and humans, a question of anatomy (suggested by Mew Master) - OPEN

We now have a host of regular column ideas, but what would be great would be new and interesting feature articles on various aspects of fanficcing, writing, reading, reviewing, editing, planning, getting time to write, etc. If you have an idea for a feature, post here and let us know, and get writing! It would be great to see your ideas in print!


11. New Year, New Title. => Should we do anything special to introduce the newly christened e-zine? mr_pikachu


If you want to contribute and write one of the columns above, post here to say which one you’d like to take. You can ask for more info/guidance if anything’s unclear, or you can discuss your ideas here with the editor, other contributors and other members first before going out and writing it. Totally up to you.

When your piece is finished and proofread, PM it to me.

I know there are loads of you who are actively keen on contributing and also loads of you who are hanging back in the shadows wondering whether you should step forward or not, so I’ll just say I hope to see you all here in the newsroom!

-mr_pikachu

[mr_pikachu]

It's time to return to the newsroom for the January issue!

[Samchu]

I've been asked if I can interview another character this month so I can contribute that.

I'm also planning on continuing my writing fiction 101 article from the last issue.

[mr_pikachu]

Sounds great! Thanks, Samchu.

[Houndoom_Lover]

If you liked my last news article, I can do it again ^_^

I may do some backstories and some author teases, depending how much I work on over this awesome winter break :3

[mr_pikachu]

That would be great, HL!

[Houndoom_Lover]

On it then!!! *puts on a pair on binoculars* :3

[Pichu Luver]

I'll take on Best Line of the Month again. Though instead of a poll I was thinking about posting a topic with the top 10 lines, then have people PM me their vote. So it's a surprise who won for January.

[mr_pikachu]

Thanks, Pichu Luver! Sounds like a good idea. I look forward to it!

[Kyuuketsuki]

A fic or poem spotlight IS MINE!

[classy_cat18]

Can I take Why Write Fanfiction?

[Mew Master]

I'd like to offer a few suggestions for possible articles (though one I may end up doing myself)

Writing Horror, how to get the suspense across without being repetitive.
Descriptions of animals and humans, a question of anatomy.

[PancaKe]

I'm pushed for time but I'd love to cover news again. Things I'm thinking of covering are:

- Secret Santas
- New Name
- Upcoming Golden Pens (and possibly a history of the golden pens)
- Hall of Fame inductee.

Is that all??? Is there any other news???
Am I being a hog?


OMG BRIAN I CANT BELIEVE YOU QUOTED ME aahhaha x_X now it will never leave me!

[mr_pikachu]

You cannot escape the quotemaster, Tara! Muahaha!

Sorry for my relative absence yesterday; I was working on one hour of sleep. All requests approved!

[PancaKe]

ARe we pretty much right for most things then, brian?

[mr_pikachu]

Most things, yes, although we do still have a few openings. There's always the writing competition as well as a few feature articles; I'm not sure if Gabi had another interview planned for this issue, but I'll ask her about that, as well. And of course, the Happy New Year section... heck with it, I'll take that one just to set a good example. Follow my lead and grab some articles, people!

[PancaKe]

I might write a feature article if i get the time...

[mr_pikachu]

I've just been notified that Gabi does not have an interview planned for the coming issue and doesn't anticipate being able to do one. So, that section is open as well, if someone wants to take it.

[Samchu]

My God this just hasn't been my month...articles will be in tomorrow night or tuesday night at the (very) latest. Freaking cold and the a stomach bug over christmas...*grumble grumble *

[mr_pikachu]

Hey, everyone. For those of you who haven't already submitted your articles, I just want to remind you to PM them to me ASAP so that we can put them into the first issue of the new E-zine!

[Samchu]

I had to email my articles to Gav because they wouldn't fit in the pms ><

[mr_pikachu]

The new E-zine, Muse, is up! Thanks for your contributions, everyone!

[mr_pikachu]

Our editor for this month had to take an unexpected leave of absence, so I'm going to take the second month in a row. As editor for February, here’s my blueprint of this month’s edition. The order of articles hasn’t been decided yet, but we can probably discuss that together if you like.

What I need is contributors to find a column or article that they’d like to write, and take it on board and start putting it together!

Here is a rough layout of the articles I’d like to see this month. The colored section beside each heading refers to who has committed to writing that column, or if it is still open to be committed to. Red tags means the article is still open to be taken; gold ones have already been taken by a member, and green ones are open to all members to submit simultaneously.


1. News. Houndoom_Lover

The journalistic approach seems to work well. A lot of things have been happening lately, both in Fanfic and around all of TPM. The new website is in full swing and continues to be developed with news articles and content additions, for instance, and by the end of the month, voting will be underway for our own Golden Pen Awards.


2. Interview. OPEN (Lady Vulpix?)

Gabi, should we expect another interview from you this month?


3. Top Five Moments (or something else?) of a Fanfic Character. OPEN

Basically, approach the author of a fic and ask them a handful of questions (no more than half a dozen or so, I reckon), to which he/she will reply in the voice of the character in question. Fic and character choice are up to you, as are the questions. It doesn’t have to be top five moments, so it can be any question – just keep them tasteful, people. To whoever takes this: if you want to make a public poll first and ask people what questions they want to ask the character you’ve chosen (or who they want to be chosen, as another poll), you can feel free to do so – it may engage the readership more. But there’s no obligation to do this – if you want to make the decisions yourself, I trust your judgment. Who wants this one?


4. Author’s teasers of future chapters/storylines. OPEN TO ALL

This is open to EVERYONE. If you’re writing a fic, you can submit a short teaser (each month) of no more than 200 words to be run in the e-zine. All teasers will be run, so if you want to promote the next chapter or story arc in your fic, this is your chance. As there’s nothing required other than collating these, I’ll take this one, so everyone, send me your teasers ASAP!


5. Writing competition. mr_pikachu

There’s been the suggestion that we have a writing competition in the e-zine, and I love this idea. The winning piece will be published in February’s issue. So what we need is someone (or a group of someones) to brainstorm a topic for the competition, and what kinds of rules it will have in place. Also, if you guys could locate a judge or two (yourselves, if you wish) to judge the pieces, that would be terrific. This month, I'd recommend a very short word limit, since we're short on time at the moment. Who wants to run this one (more than one member possible)?


6. Best Line of the Month. mr_pikachu

As before, it would be great for someone (preferably someone who reads widely) to collect for him/herself some of the funniest, most poignant or most memorable lines – the best – that have appeared in fics, poems and one shots during November, and make a shortlist of the best lines this month. Other members can also PM their suggestions of the best lines to the member who takes this column on board. After that, I guess a poll would be in order (what do you guys think?) or the person who takes this could just chose their favourite; I think I’d lean toward a poll being taken so we can verifiably make this a forum-wide kind of decision. Who wants this one? Someone who reads a lot would be ideal.


7. A fic or poem spotlight. OPEN

It would be great to have a nice review/discussion of a new or underappreciated fic or poem or one-shot. It can be formal or casual, and interviews with the author will only serve to enrich the spotlight. Who wants this one?


8. TOP FIVE with various writers. Gavin Luper

Basically, this segment involves profiling a different writer each month on their top five writing habits, writing places, favourite words, favourite books, favourite albums to listen to while writing, etc. Who wants this one?


9. Fic backstories. OPEN TO ALL

This would be a section where the author would take us through some deeper details of their fic – for example, a detailed description of a setting or a character’s backstory, or a scrapped plot arc – that were too extraneous to appear in the fic itself. If YOU would like to tell us a bit about an aspect of YOUR fic’s backstory, write it up and PM it to me. No minimum word limit, but let’s keep it under, say, 1500 words max. (We can negotiate this.) The more the merrier; anyone can submit.


10. Feature articles. OPEN

Some potential ideas for feature articles:

- Time Management: Balancing writing and "real life" - OPEN
- Why write fanfiction? - Chris 2.1
- Constructive Criticism - OPEN
- The writing process, from A to Fin - OPEN
- Writing fiction 101 - OPEN
- Writing Horror, how to get the suspense across without being repetitive (suggested by Mew Master) - Houndoom_Lover
- Descriptions of animals and humans, a question of anatomy (suggested by Mew Master) - OPEN

We now have a host of regular column ideas, but what would be great would be new and interesting feature articles on various aspects of fanficcing, writing, reading, reviewing, editing, planning, getting time to write, etc. If you have an idea for a feature, post here and let us know, and get writing! It would be great to see your ideas in print!

If you want to contribute and write one of the columns above, post here to say which one you’d like to take. You can ask for more info/guidance if anything’s unclear, or you can discuss your ideas here with the editor, other contributors and other members first before going out and writing it. Totally up to you.

When your piece is finished and proofread, PM it to me.

I know there are loads of you who are actively keen on contributing and also loads of you who are hanging back in the shadows wondering whether you should step forward or not, so I’ll just say I hope to see you all here in the newsroom!

-mr_pikachu

[mr_pikachu]

Let's get our February issue ready!

[Gavin Luper]

Brian, thank you so much for taking this for me! Amid a new full-time job and a recent promotion (which is awesome!), as well as studying for work-related exams, having internet issues, setting up my new apartment and new car, a couple of blackouts and family visits, I feel like I've barely had a second to scratch my arse, let alone do much on TPM other than check in every day or two and make sure nothing has fallen apart.

I'll take March's edition for sure - next month promises to be back to normal.

Also, I have a Top Five moment with a well-known writer to send you for this month, so that's one article down. Should be able to churn out a teaser for LTL and if I scrape up a spare hour I'll try to write an article.

Cheers!

[mr_pikachu]

No problem, Gavin. Stepping up when one's colleagues are in need is all part of being a Fanfic mod, right? CONSTANT VIGILANCE!

Okay, seven days until press. Who's going to step up and take an article for February?

[Pichu Luver]

Hey, I came by to say I haven't had time to read any Fanfic this month, so I won't be able to do the five best lines. I can make it up next month by reading them all and then splitting them perhaps (unless of course someone else has time this month). I'm sorry but I've been crazy busy with school and work.

[mr_pikachu]

Okay, guys, desperate times call for desperate measures. I'm taking two articles, but we still need some volunteers ASAP. Who can take an article this month?

[Chris 2.1]

I'll take 'Why Write Fanfiction?'!

[mr_pikachu]

Awesome, Chris! Thank you.

Okay, who else? Let's keep it rolling!

[Houndoom_Lover]

Sorry, I'll have the News, please

Edit: And I'll take the horror one, I think. I make no promises. But I did just out it on my to do lisy. So, let's see what I can do

[mr_pikachu]

Excellent! Thanks, HL. That's what I like to see!

Can we get any more contributions for this month?