Meta: Origins and Plunge Magazine
Mar. 14th, 2012 09:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ailelie posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
poetreeI did not start 2012 with the intention of starting an ezine. I wanted to polish and finish my own stories—at least, that was one of my New Year Resolutions. Plunge began without warning. Just an offhand post on my Dreamwidth. An only half-sincere musing of I would like to (someday, one day, never) create a one-issue zine with a focus on femslashy fairytales and/or in celebration of words. Not the grandest of origin stories. One spark of interest, however, and I couldn't get the idea out of my head. If you ever wish to thank or blame anyone for the existence of Plunge, you might want to start with havocthecat. Before her comment ("Ooh! I don't have much spare money at the moment, but I'm very interested in the project.") I was going to let the ezine idea fall alongside all the stories I'd like to read, but never write. I wasn't the kind of person who created ezines. I didn't know the first thing about starting an ezine. But when havocthecat expressed her interest, I wondered—just how hard could it be?
If you peeked into my web history for January 3rd through the 5th, you'll find dozens of sites regarding literary journals and online magazines. I read, partially to figure out how an ezine began and partially to discourage myself from really doing it. An ezine, at its most basic, is easy. All you need is a subscriber list and a newsletter. A literary magazine is a bit more complicated. Most fail within the first one to three years. Most don't even break even until the third issue at the earliest. The ones that succeed are often affiliated with a university or press.
The ones that fail do so for similar reasons. They may expect too much or go too fast (such as one publication I found that tried offering pro level payments to writers before the site had even established any kind of web presence). They may have an unclear vision of their content focus or ezine form. They may be indistinguishable from their competition. They may be unreliable in their posting schedule or quality expectations. But I knew I could avoid these pitfalls.
Instead of discouraging me, my research filled with a rush of brash confidence. If I did it—I posted on the fifth, still not expecting to actually follow-through—I would release the first publication in February 2013. I started by envisioning a long timeline. While I did this primarily to keep myself from balking, I also didn't want to create something quick and simple. My vision of online literary journals was shaped by publications like Goblin Fruit, Strange Horizons, and Endicott's no-longer-published Journal of Mythic Arts. If I was going to make one, I wanted to do it right. The rest of that post set parameters—token payments for writers, website-based, quarterly schedule except for year one, and a content focus. Within twelve hours I moved from If I did to So I'm going to do it. I asked people to poke holes in the idea, but instead ysabetwordsmith gave me a check list of things to do, consider, and make. She's the other person you can thank/blame for Plunge's existence.
My commitment to Plunge occurred in three stages. First was that post on the fifth when I decided to make the ezine. The second occurred when I decided to hire ysabetwordsmith as an editor. About a day passed between her offer and my acceptance. During that space of time, I panicked. I paced my small studio apartment wondering aloud, "What the hell am I doing?" and "Am I really going to do this?" Plunge had grown bigger and faster than I'd expected. I needed a moment to step back, panic, and evaluate what I was doing. I needed a moment to make sure I knew what I was doing, that I wasn't still just riding on that initial rush of confidence.
The third stage came about three-quarters of the way through the Kickstarter campaign when I thought that the fundraising would fail. I had to decide whether I would continue or quit if the funding did not come through. I had a chance to give myself an out, but instead I decided that Plunge would happen no matter what. I made a plan. Funding or no, Plunge would start accepting submissions in July and would publish in February 2013.
I share all of this, not only to explain the origins of an ezine to which I hope all of you submit poems (and stories and nonfiction) in July, but also to show that origins don't matter. An idea may be born of your heart's desire or forged in the heat of frustration, a long-time wish or a sudden whim. The starting point doesn't matter. What matters is what you do once the idea refuses to leave your head. Here is my advice:
First, do your research. Find out what the idea entails and try to talk yourself out of it. If you can't shake the idea, no matter how much you think you should, then you have to decide what must happen in order to make the idea possible. Are you willing to learn how to do it? What are the circumstances under which you think the idea is most feasible? For me this meant asking myself if I was willing to learn how to edit a magazine, run a business, manage a website, and wear all the other hats necessary for running an ezine. It also meant setting those parameters I mentioned in my If I did it post.
Second, be clear about what you want. One website I read suggested that even an elevator pitch was too nebulous. The site advised using only three to five words. The entire magazine's concept should fit within only three to five words. This is the origin of Plunge's slogan, "queer. women. genre." Those three words described exactly what I wanted from the ezine. Define the essence of your idea in only three to five words and those words can guide you later on. Beyond the three to five words, though, you need to know what it is you want to create. Have a clear vision so that you know what does and does not fit.
Third, make a plan. Write SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals*. Then decide what you'll do when and if you fail. Decide the point at which you will give the idea up. Set up a back-up plan so that you have clear steps to take. Set a release point so that you can tell yourself "I can't quit yet, I'm not there yet." Then, of course, when you get there, decide if it is really worth quitting and wasting all the effort you put in.
I did not start 2012 expecting, or even wanting to create an ezine, but here I am. You can learn more about Plunge at its website: www.plungemagazine.com. Be sure to sign up for the newsletter so that you can keep up-to-date throughout Year Zero. Submissions for the ezine open in July. The first issue will launch February 2013. Plunge publishes short stories (1-5k), short nonfiction (500-2.5k), and poems (3 to 50 lines) focusing on lesbian, bisexual, asexual, pansexual/etc people who identify as female.
*Since several people have remarked on the SMART goals, I just wanted to add that these are not my invention. A quick google search will show how widely used they are (education, business, any kind of project management, etc).
Any questions? I'll answer as best I can, but I am still figuring everything out myself.
If you peeked into my web history for January 3rd through the 5th, you'll find dozens of sites regarding literary journals and online magazines. I read, partially to figure out how an ezine began and partially to discourage myself from really doing it. An ezine, at its most basic, is easy. All you need is a subscriber list and a newsletter. A literary magazine is a bit more complicated. Most fail within the first one to three years. Most don't even break even until the third issue at the earliest. The ones that succeed are often affiliated with a university or press.
The ones that fail do so for similar reasons. They may expect too much or go too fast (such as one publication I found that tried offering pro level payments to writers before the site had even established any kind of web presence). They may have an unclear vision of their content focus or ezine form. They may be indistinguishable from their competition. They may be unreliable in their posting schedule or quality expectations. But I knew I could avoid these pitfalls.
Instead of discouraging me, my research filled with a rush of brash confidence. If I did it—I posted on the fifth, still not expecting to actually follow-through—I would release the first publication in February 2013. I started by envisioning a long timeline. While I did this primarily to keep myself from balking, I also didn't want to create something quick and simple. My vision of online literary journals was shaped by publications like Goblin Fruit, Strange Horizons, and Endicott's no-longer-published Journal of Mythic Arts. If I was going to make one, I wanted to do it right. The rest of that post set parameters—token payments for writers, website-based, quarterly schedule except for year one, and a content focus. Within twelve hours I moved from If I did to So I'm going to do it. I asked people to poke holes in the idea, but instead ysabetwordsmith gave me a check list of things to do, consider, and make. She's the other person you can thank/blame for Plunge's existence.
My commitment to Plunge occurred in three stages. First was that post on the fifth when I decided to make the ezine. The second occurred when I decided to hire ysabetwordsmith as an editor. About a day passed between her offer and my acceptance. During that space of time, I panicked. I paced my small studio apartment wondering aloud, "What the hell am I doing?" and "Am I really going to do this?" Plunge had grown bigger and faster than I'd expected. I needed a moment to step back, panic, and evaluate what I was doing. I needed a moment to make sure I knew what I was doing, that I wasn't still just riding on that initial rush of confidence.
The third stage came about three-quarters of the way through the Kickstarter campaign when I thought that the fundraising would fail. I had to decide whether I would continue or quit if the funding did not come through. I had a chance to give myself an out, but instead I decided that Plunge would happen no matter what. I made a plan. Funding or no, Plunge would start accepting submissions in July and would publish in February 2013.
I share all of this, not only to explain the origins of an ezine to which I hope all of you submit poems (and stories and nonfiction) in July, but also to show that origins don't matter. An idea may be born of your heart's desire or forged in the heat of frustration, a long-time wish or a sudden whim. The starting point doesn't matter. What matters is what you do once the idea refuses to leave your head. Here is my advice:
First, do your research. Find out what the idea entails and try to talk yourself out of it. If you can't shake the idea, no matter how much you think you should, then you have to decide what must happen in order to make the idea possible. Are you willing to learn how to do it? What are the circumstances under which you think the idea is most feasible? For me this meant asking myself if I was willing to learn how to edit a magazine, run a business, manage a website, and wear all the other hats necessary for running an ezine. It also meant setting those parameters I mentioned in my If I did it post.
Second, be clear about what you want. One website I read suggested that even an elevator pitch was too nebulous. The site advised using only three to five words. The entire magazine's concept should fit within only three to five words. This is the origin of Plunge's slogan, "queer. women. genre." Those three words described exactly what I wanted from the ezine. Define the essence of your idea in only three to five words and those words can guide you later on. Beyond the three to five words, though, you need to know what it is you want to create. Have a clear vision so that you know what does and does not fit.
Third, make a plan. Write SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals*. Then decide what you'll do when and if you fail. Decide the point at which you will give the idea up. Set up a back-up plan so that you have clear steps to take. Set a release point so that you can tell yourself "I can't quit yet, I'm not there yet." Then, of course, when you get there, decide if it is really worth quitting and wasting all the effort you put in.
I did not start 2012 expecting, or even wanting to create an ezine, but here I am. You can learn more about Plunge at its website: www.plungemagazine.com. Be sure to sign up for the newsletter so that you can keep up-to-date throughout Year Zero. Submissions for the ezine open in July. The first issue will launch February 2013. Plunge publishes short stories (1-5k), short nonfiction (500-2.5k), and poems (3 to 50 lines) focusing on lesbian, bisexual, asexual, pansexual/etc people who identify as female.
*Since several people have remarked on the SMART goals, I just wanted to add that these are not my invention. A quick google search will show how widely used they are (education, business, any kind of project management, etc).
Any questions? I'll answer as best I can, but I am still figuring everything out myself.
no subject
Date: 2012-03-14 02:45 pm (UTC)Would you feel comfortable linking to your 'If I did it' post & to
no subject
Date: 2012-03-14 02:51 pm (UTC)All my posts on my DW relevant to Plunge: http://ailelie.dreamwidth.org/?tag=ezine
If I did it: http://ailelie.dreamwidth.org/331336.html
ysabetwordsmith's checklist: http://ailelie.dreamwidth.org/331744.html?thread=152544#cmt152544
synecdochic's explanation of being an LLC and taxes: http://ailelie.dreamwidth.org/350314.html?thread=178282#cmt178282
no subject
Date: 2012-03-14 04:04 pm (UTC)By and by, I forgot to ask before - what's the story behind the magazine's name? I like that it's both a noun & a verb of sorts, and not too cutesy.
no subject
Date: 2012-03-14 04:10 pm (UTC)http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaiu/6159561674/in/set-72157626847504012
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaiu/6159571724/in/set-72157626847504012/
When I started Plunge, I didn't have a name, but I got tired of typing [title here] into the various documents I was drafting. So I pulled the title from the stalled project with every intention of actually calling the ezine something else (very nearly bought a domain for gold-sandals even), but I could never find anything else I liked and then I had a website and someone was making a logo using Plunge as the title and, well, it kinda snowballed until changing it was impractical. Not to mention, it'd grown on me. Now I can't imagine calling the ezine anything else.
Try this...
Date: 2012-03-16 07:25 am (UTC)I have discussion questions for all three of my books, and worksheets, and other supporting materials here:
http://penultimateproductions.weebly.com/books-written.html
I love discussing things I've read. I love it when other people talk about my writing, too. One of my readers did this awesome analysis of symbolism in a poem that I wrote:
http://the-vulture.livejournal.com/205402.html
Re: Try this...
Date: 2012-03-16 11:42 am (UTC)Re: Try this...
Date: 2012-03-19 04:01 am (UTC)http://ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com/208593.html
http://about-poetry.livejournal.com/146136.html
http://creativewriter.livejournal.com/993700.html
Feel free to reprint it here if you wish.
no subject
Date: 2012-03-14 05:35 pm (UTC)Thank you also for providing such great insight into how to go about the planning process once an idea moves into that "so I'm going to do it." range. I know that I have often struggled with the questions of "what do I do know" and "how do I make this a reality." Those things are easier to deal with now thanks to the internet (and my improved skills at researching on the net), but your insights into the other things that need to be thought about are very useful. I really love the concept of SMART goals. What a useful tool for so many things.
I think
no subject
Date: 2012-03-14 05:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-14 05:54 pm (UTC)I'm looking forward to seeing Plunge's development!
no subject
Date: 2012-03-15 03:34 am (UTC)Some news will be put on the website, but really the newsletter is the best place to follow along. I should have a second issue out this weekend.
no subject
Date: 2012-03-14 07:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-15 03:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-15 08:13 am (UTC)Yes...
Date: 2012-03-16 07:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-24 08:00 pm (UTC)It's an inspiring post too. I love the sentiment when you talk about how origins don't matter. ^-^ It's a really heartening sentiment. That and the way you've tackled the goals in this project have me wanting to link it to all of my friends in hopes that it'll touch them too. ^-^