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rayvyn's Blog

Female, 26, CA

I'm a multimedia journalism graduate from Humber College with a focus on magazine writing and production. I'm currently the online editor for Gardening Life magazine in Toronto. On the side, I freelance in writing, web, and graphic design for artists, bands, filmmakers, musicians, and other small publications. This Canadian Pagan magazine has been a goal of mine for quite a few years now.

http://www.delirious-enigma.net
Member For: 1 year, 9 months
Posts: 5
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Our sections

April 14, 2008 by rayvyn

These are our regular sections that will appear in each issue of our magazine. We'll need writers willing to do stories that fall into these categories (around four-five pieces per, except for the first four) and a savvy and dedicated editor to oversee each section. Interested? Let's discuss.

1. News

What's happening in Canada that our readers would need to know about? Cover the who, what, where, when, why, and how of the situation. And then what's happening around the world?

2. Op/Ed

Got an opinion? Air it here. If there's something you are itching to sound off about, here's where you can. Part of this, we're hoping, will also be a debate area so if you can think of a topic that can get opinions flowing, be sure to mention it. We'll choose the best one and use that to spark up a debate.

3. Event Feature

Pub Moots, coffee socials, drum circles, festivals, conferences, the only rule is that it has to be an on-going event. Each issue, we'll pick one and shine a spotlight on it. We'll have the organizers answer the same list of questions about it to get the information out there and stir up more new faces into attending.

4. Cultural myth/story

Rather than a focus on a specific spirituality each issue (as writing too little can leave it too vague and writing too much can go on for volumes), we'll look at a specific story in a culture or spirituality and describe it in detail. A specific ritual or festival that this culture or tradition follows. A holiday, the significance of and how its celebrated. Bringing it back home, each story should end with local practitioners in southern Ontario and how they continue to honor/celebrate/practice this story to this day.

5. Pagan Parenting

Books can and have been written on this topic, numerous books. That means that this is a massive topic that needs to be covered. This is definitely where we can have multiple stories falling into this section per issue. All the trials and tribulations that a Pagan parent must face in every age and stage of their children's lives.

6. Arts & Entertainment

Film, television, music, art. What's happening that our readers would want to get into? New TV show shining more spotlights on Pagans? Is there a great new Pagan band out there that deserves to have their fanbase broadened through be being featured with us? Art exhibits opening up? A new movement in music or art or film or anything that we'd be interested in? Tell us about it.

7. Reviews

Read a new book, listened to a new CD, tried a new product and want everyone to know how great it is or how much it, for lack of a better word, sucked? Give us a review! The editors are in contact with publishing companies with hopes of receiving review copies that we can send out to interested reviewers to read/listen to/test and write about in complete honesty. In return, reviewers keep the product (or use as a coaster, mat for the litter box, kindling for the fire, whatever the case may be).

8. Fiction/Poetry/Art

Let your creativity flow! This section is exactly what the title suggests. We want your poetry, artwork for the artistically inclined, short stories (discuss it with us, we may even be able to feature an ongoing series), anything.

9. Listings

For all the major Pagan centers in Ontario (Toronto, Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, etc. etc. etc.) we'll be listing off covens and groups and their points of contacts, people in those regions that are good points of contact for Pagans new to those regions, media contacts, and then event listings as well. Amanda is in charge of this section but we'll also need people familiar with different regions in Ontario to know who to contact. Also, we'll need representatives living in those regions to collect this data and send it off to us.

Any questions?

Our Basic Magazine Skeleton

April 14, 2008 by rayvyn

Basic Magazine Skeleton

This rough outline makes up the content of most magazines. From Time to Vogue, they’re not the same but they’re quite similar. It works on a “sandwich” structure, starting with the organization and introduction then followed by immediate columns and sections that most people would have a “need to know” (such as news, etc.). The stand alone features follow it, these we can allot two to three, possibly four pages per story (depending on how many pages we have in the issue). These stories, particularly the lead story, would be our cover image and what we tease on the cover, these stories would also revolve around our given theme per issue. Following the features, we finish up with more columns and sections that are a fun to have but what isn’t considered necessary. Read it if you enjoy it, but skip if you want kind of deal (entertainment pieces, poetry/fiction, reviews, etc.). These columns and sections need to be properly defined and something our magazine is recognized for.

- Cover
- Table of contents
- Masthead/contributors (our who does what list)
- Editor’s letter
- Reader’s letters
- Online page
- Front of book columns
1. News
2. Op/Ed (Debate Section)
3. Event feature
4. Cultural myth/story
(No more than 5 columns/sections, no less than 3 is my estimate)
- FEATURES (no more than 3-4, remember, each one takes up a couple of pages)
- Back of book columns
1. Pagan Parenting
2. Arts/Culture/Entertainment
3. Reviews
4. Fiction/Poetry/Art
5. Listings (covens, groups, stores, events, etc.)
(Again, no more than 5, no less than 3, so it balances out)
- Coming next issue
- Considering our Pagan Profile (individual from the community nominated and why) for the last page.

Contributors

April 14, 2008 by rayvyn

Would everyone who is interested in contributing to the magazine be it in writing, artwork/design, advertising, distribution, etc. please reply with your e-mail address so we know how to best contact you? Thanks.

-Samantha

Re: Magazine Content

April 14, 2008 by rayvyn

Hi Phil, Thanks for writing and your offering to help out with the project. I like the idea you have here for material for solitary practitioners as there are plenty out there that fall into this category. This is something we're happy to move forward with but first I want to know what you had in mine for this idea? Can you flesh out your idea a bit? Did you want a regular section for solitary workers, did you want an accompanying sidebar story for solitaries that accompany other features (how you can incorporate these practices or this celebration when working solo), did you want a full feature on this? Please tell me more. Also, could I get your e-mail address so I can add you to our list of contributors, please? Thanks! We'll be in touch.

-Samantha

Re: What type of readers are you reaching out to?

March 3, 2008 by rayvyn

Hey Cathy! Thanks for joining us. There's a whole lot of content that's open to us to incorporate into this magazine and what we include each issue depends on how many pages we're allotted. These topics are great and I'm sure we'll eventually touch onto all of them either as regular sections, features, or even as a general theme. For instance, one theme I would love to incorporate hopefully for an issue coming out around Samhain is a look at cultural and ethnic backgrounds that this community draws from. Looking at our ancestors around the world and how we incorporate their teachings or their native practices into our own lives and spirituality.