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Regarding the typewriter journal, I am having trouble deciding whether each issue should have a theme, or whether it should just be a free-for-all. Votes? Ideas for themes, if you're coming down on the side of themes?
Banning the Big Black Box
5 hours ago
9 comments:
I'm not a big fan of themes. I've always found that the submissions are fewer and less organic when I've done themed magazines.
Amazingly, each batch of submissions tends to create its own collective voice. It's what I love best about doing the magazines. I teach my students to listen for that voice and be open to the subtle repetition of an image, an assonance, a tone.
But this is for straight lit magazines, not for a retrotech journal.
Our magazine comes out in two days - I'll send you a copy.
(Let me try this again)
Perhaps the introductory issue should be a "free-for-all," with themed issues to follow.
Perhaps an open-ended theme?
For a first issue, it might be introductions to a few writers' lives and their wares.
A bit of a common thread, but not too narrowly defined.
I hope I can submit something, too!
I vote no theme.
I confess, I'm a little frightened by themes, even while it would be fascinating to see what a group of individuals does with the same theme. I've been a little nervous about signing up just because I'm not sure how I'd be able to handle writing to a specific subject or theme.
This coming from the same person who is always in panic mode right before NaNoWriMo unless someone gives me a theme to run with. I are a bundle of contradictions.
I like what speculator said--it wouldn't hurt to have a very broad theme...but then, doesn't the very idea of a typewritten journal bring about a common sort of thread by its very definition?
I need to sign up, if I can decide what genre to tackle.
I kind of like themes. But maybe it might be best to start out publishing just what we can get. If the thing takes off, I'm sure enough excess material will come in to later assemble into themed issues.
I am coming down on the side of no theme. Which means I should write a post about that...
Free form.
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