Staff Page Revision

[Mistress of Darkness]

Hey, really good ideas. Does this mean that Jeffe will be Movie's Dept Head? Just wondering who I should kiss up too

I've offered before, and I will offer again. I graduated in English with an emphasis in Editing, and I have a passable knowledge of html. So if anyone needs/wants help in that area, I am available.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

I don't think that's what he's bucking for

[stacer]

Okay, since you guys are discussing magazines, I'll chime in to tell you how it worked at my magazine as far as staff goes. We were "entirely staff-written," which means that the editors and the writers were usually one and the same, but we had "special correspondents" who were also listed on the masthead as part of the staff, who wrote occasional pieces. So, as the editor, I both edited others' works and wrote my own departments. Now, this is not always the case for every magazine. If you'd like to see an example of a current masthead (in which I'm now listed as a Special Correspondent, because I write occasional pieces now that I'm no longer an editor), go to http://www.eamagazine.com and click on Staff. There is no direct link to it, sorry.

[EUOL]

I like the idea of tacking 'editor' onto the end of the department heads.  It sounds better profesionaly. "Movie Department Editor."   Of course, that would imply that we're giving them editorial power.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

well, we kinda do have it. We can make edits to articles and suggestions.

[JP Dogberry]

SE, I also have a bunch of RPG articles I'm working on.  With me in addition to you and Jeffe, I think at least one article a week is pretty much guarenteed.

While I don't want any big positions, if you want to call me an "RPG Department Writer" or something and expect X number of articles that's fine - in fact, having a little bit of pressure makes me work better. Or whatever. Basically, I don't care about my official status, but if you want me to write soemthing in particular, I'm more than happy.

I also like Spriggan's idea about non-review articles. I had an  idea this morning which I'm still thinking about, but the main thing stopping me from writing them is a lack of ideas/topics to write on.

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

Well we could start an article pool, we did it on a University paper I was on...
Everyone contributes at least 5 ideas a month in the various depts even if they're just plain silly, and then you pick out the best ones and go with em. (if its really slow you go back to the file and pull out and older one and dust it off.
RPG's are just chocked full of ideas, Do an article on grump older gamers, dice fetishes, or mini painting. Go hang out at a con for a day as a reporter and write down what you see. Or try and interview an industry great, Gary Gygax,Marc Miller, Monte Cook or Robin Laws.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

/me sits back and lets his staff do the work.
(just kidding!)

[Lieutenant Kije]

I'm assuming that EUOL is the Lord o' Books, and I have a question about a submission.  I didn't want to start a whole new thread just to ask.

I recently read (or reread in some cases) all of the Earthsea books and was thinking instead of doing a big review on each of them, doing kind of an overview, using the specific criticisms you emply in your reviews and a much shorter 'review' section for each.  I could do it in two parts, because there's a definite division (chronological and stylistic) between the first three and the last three.  Does that sound ok?

[stacer]

First three and last one (Tehanu, right?)? or last three? I thought there were only 4 total.

BTW, Kije, have you ever read LeGuin's speech about the reasons why she changed the last one so drastically? I'm not sure of the ref right now but can give you it later. She said that the reason is that she realized that with the first three she was writing in a kind of honorary-man mode--that even though she had changed around the race of all the good guys, they were still all guys. Very interesting.

[Lieutenant Kije]

She wrote a collection of stories called Tales of Earthsea, and another novel called The Other Wind.  I saw the gender thing, definitely, although The Tombs of Atuan (one of her earlier works) was mostly about Tenar (female,) not Ged (male.)  But I suppose that can be debated.  But the last books are written differently.  Very different plotwise and stylewise.  Maybe the gender thing demanded/precipitated those other changes, I don't know.  I'm very interested in reading that speech if you remember where it is.

[Spriggan]

careful, mention LeGuin and EUOL starts to rant.  I know she's one of the author's he can't stand (Mercadies Lacky is the other).

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

again, just because an editor/dept head doesn't like an author or game or whatever, does NOT mean he should not accept a well-written review on the subject. I think EUOL knows that.

Kije, I already did a review of an entire series: so I don't see why there would be any problem doing it again. Even breaking it up (I also did an article just to explain the next 4-6 reviews i was going to do: Forgotten Realms, Kalamar, Kalamr Player's guide, Silver Marches, and Pekal Gazeteer were meant to be read all together -- I think that I did the same with City of the Spider Queen and STar Wars Tempest Feud). We're not really in the habit of rejecting content just because it looks a little different than the other content.

[Spriggan]

I wasn't suggesting the EUOL would try and block a review of one of thier books.    He just use to like ranting about them.

[EUOL]

Woah, wait a sec.  Who said I don't like LeGuin?  You're right about Lackey, Sprig--can't stand her.  LeGuin, however, is pretty good.  You must be thinking of someone esle.

And, I think doing Earthsea in two chunks is a good idea, Kije.  Go for it.