More Magazine Titles

Intracut (a play on intricate)

Captitude

Addison

Comment

Beckon

Exploited

Sources, Contacts, Interview Subjects

Jerr: old-school mountain-biker

Michael Moore: convicted trail builder

Scribb: mtbr blogger

Marin County Sheriffs Dept.

Lisa at A4B

“McMonologue”

MMWD

Selected Night Riders

MCBC

Magazine Titles

Comsong

Galactic Interlude or Galactitude

Spanky

Divided Collective

Dispersed

High Concept

Illegal mountain biking and the battle for access to public lands.

Success as a Writer

To suck, or not to suck. This is a word that one of my high school  teachers specifically forbade us from using in our work. She didn’t think it was descriptive enough. Or maybe that it was slang. But I think it has moved to a status where we all know what it means and few words have the same impact, so I will use it in my definition. Success as a writer is the absence of sucking at writing. This, however, is such a subjective judgment that it does need some clarifying. And like all judgments, specific criteria are needed to establish an outcome. But I don’t want to do that, so I’ll just say that I will consider myself a successful writer if I actually complete a body (collection) of work that I can look at and determine for myself if I like it. Though, I think even if I don’t like it and I can make some money at it, I would consider it a success. It all depends on what I want to get out of if. If my goal is to make a living from writing and I don’t make enough money, then I’m a failed writer. If I want to write for personal satisfaction but I don’t satisfy myself, then I’m a failed writer. But if I have no expectations of my writing, then I’m a success (assuming I write something). So I have yet to determine what goals I have as a writer, and that is something I will establish as I write more.

Webzines

I found the webzine from the Artists’ Television Access (ATA) called Exposure. It is a very simple and plain but I find it interesting because of the content. The managing editor writes, “Most of the authors in this issue consider their respective topics as mediated through a camera lens—which helps to frame their subject both visually and conceptually.” But what got my attention was an article that had a video attached to it, just like a typical magazine article with accompanying pictures, this video showed what the author was communicating. But there was also little redundancy, the video supported the article and the article supported the video. Neither one was self-supportive, yet put together they are powerful. I think this is known as synergistic. I do prefer print magazines in general but, so far, they lack video player capabilities.

A much different webzine I found is called The Pushrod, and it too is ultra niche. They, the parts supply company that produces it, actually call it a newsletter and is geared toward the classic Volvo enthusiast. The name, The Pushrod, refers to the type of engine that the older Volvos use, in contrast to the more modern overhead cam design which all the boxy looking Volvos use. There is a mix of articles but what I really like is the way it entices the reader to participate. For example, there is a photo contest where you can take a picture of you cool old Volvo and send it in to be judged (and possibly win prizes). Or, if you happen to have a Volvo project of your own, they offer the opportunity to publish your story of it.

Print Magazines

I picked up a recent copy of Sunset magazine because it had a beautiful cover. A picture of a trailer parked near the coast at a campground. It sounds simple, almost boring, but I engaged with it. I wished I was there. And if cover art makes an onlooker wish they were in that picture, then chances are they’ll pick it up. So I picked it up and enthusiastically--now I can’t say that I really do anything enthusiastically anymore, so this is a big deal--flipped through it enough to find another picture of the trailer, a 23 foot long fully equipped Airstream. I have a thing for Airstreams, and so do a lot of people because they are still being made to look the way they did fifty years ago. With their bright aluminum skin and rounded corners, they have achieved iconic status and people want them. I want one. So I read the article about a couple who goes on a road trip with a brand new Airstream and visits some of California’s best campgrounds. I liked it, so I examined the rest of the magazine and found other great pictures of food dishes with easy to follow recipes, and some home improvements. Stuff that interests me so I think I’ll read Sunset again.

Another magazine that I liked, Dwell, has (as the name implies) information on home improvement. They showcase some pretty remarkable examples of serious remodels that I find intriguing. Often times they seem unrealistic, but that may be part of why they are so interesting. I can’t say that I really like the writing, and I find that I will only read an article if I like the pictures. But they do have some pretty great pictures.

Summary

Hunter and Brandon after 25-hour race

Sometimes I think of myself as a writer. Not because I write, but because I think of writing. For me, writing is not easy. Nor is it fun. Though it can be satisfying, but not satisfying enough for me to do any significant writing outside of the requirements for school and such. So my writing experience has been mainly in the form of essays, a few short stories, and some screenwriting exercises. I usually procrastinate until the night before the assignment is due and stay up all night to jam it out. This has been an effective way of accomplishing the task at hand and I can trace this habit back to my first college writing class. It was at the College of Marin and I had tested into the advanced writing class for my first semester there. My teacher, Paul Miller--who had authored one of our required texts entitled First Aid Guide for Writers (which I still use to this day)--expected us to write seven or eight essays including a research paper for our final assignment. Well, I didn’t write every paper--I just couldn’t seem to fit Buddha’s Eightfold Path into essay form-- but I did do some research on the old rock quarry on San Rafael Hill. I started the paper twelve hours before it was due. Luckily, I had a mini coffee-maker in my room and was able to write a pretty decent essay that night. I ended up failing the class because of incomplete work, but I did get an “A” on my research paper. Mr. Miller had written something very nice on the front of it that read, “...you have the natural ability of a professional writer.” This was a blessing to receive and inspired me to think about writing more, however, it reinforced the idea that I could always write great papers the night before. I have written quite a few papers since then, most the night before, some fairly decent and earning good grades, but none that I am especially proud of. So now when I think of writing, I associate it with stress--and coffee, and numb legs from sitting motionless through the coldest hours of the night--even though it is the most creative thing I know how to do. Anyway, I would like to learn a less painful way to write, as well as improve my abilities. Eventually, I would like to submit my work for publication and get paid for it. I always thought that I would be an automotive journalist at some point in my life. I have always been into cars and have a strong background with them. After attending a two-year associates program in Automotive Repair Technology I became an ASE Master Certified auto technician and specialized in European cars: Porsche, Audi, Alfa Romeo. I worked at a world-famous Porsche race shop at Sears Point Raceway (now Infineon) and also had my own club-racing team with two of my best friends; the Alfa we raced took second-in-class at NASA’s first 25-hour endurance race. So given my experience with the automotive world, I might have something to draw from. However, I am in the process of changing my career to filmmaker, as I have a strong visual inclination, but who knows, maybe I’ll write after all.