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It begins

So, if you’ve been to the website or forums recently you may have noticed something in the way of a facelift. Yes, it’s finally happened. The new design has been fully incorporated. You may also have noted the new design of the blog in one of the fading images, but for some reason it can’t be seen here…there’s a reason for that. Let’s just say, it looked better as a screen shot. But I’m trying to see if I can capture the same gist of color here with this format, so let’s see how this works out.

Our e-zine publication date may see a slight flutter from its original conception, with the deadline being pushed back from Jan 18 to Jan 25. The reasons for this are the resolving of some personal issues of one of our editors. Publication will be one week after the administrator (yours truly) has received all pieces, to take that time to go through each in full and see if I can’t spot a few last minute fixes. So we might be seeing it going live around Feb 1, which if seen in a certain light, might actually work for us being the start of a month instead of the end or middle of it. All’s well that ends well, right?

Moving on, the next stage of our plan kicks forward after all pieces have been edited or at least after some of the editors have been relived of their editing duties. We do indeed plan on going ahead with the posters, fliers and bookmarks that will advertise our website. The reading as such, won’t be advertised since, at least for the first one, we’re limiting it to members and those invited by members. There still do remain certain issues to iron out, however, but it’s very much a part of our agenda.

We do have something else up our sleeves as well, something we’re not going to put up yet but will in all likelihood announce during or after the reading…so all the more reason to attend if you’re in Islamabad sometime in March or April.

In addition to the small announcement put up on the main site, we’d like to remind anyone who’s interested to help out with the marketing aspect of the site, to let us know. We will be distributing posters, fliers and bookmarks to be distributed in bookstores and possibly some “intellectual” cafes, though whether such places exclusively exist…may be debatable. But that’s us! The incurable optimists! For anyone who’s interested, you can email in at comments@desiwriterslounge.net.

Now my friends, is when it really begins…

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What’s This About?

If there was a way to debut the logo before everyone else sees it, I would…but that wouldn’t be right. And we’re all about doing the right thing. So here’s a little adjustment to the colors and template, to allow for a taste of what might be expected.

The electricity’s going to go in a minute and so will my laptop. Details later.

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Be heard. Be inspired. Or…not so much?

Apologize for the lack of updates…realize it’s been seven days since my last progress report. 🙂

So then, what’s going on in the world of the ‘Lounge, you ask? Well, despite thinking that my designing days were over, I have managed to complete a new forum template with our new logo which will see its debut on this blog at the same time it goes on everywhere else. So the forum’s done, thankfully which now just leaves the bulk of the main website’s design which is significant…but it does progress. I am hopeful to have at least the color scheme related side of things, complete by tonight. I’ve started writing again, so unfortunately this also figures into the ‘weekend planning’ side of things.

My presence at the forums has been extremely limited to just signing in occasionally, with a precursor ‘all’s well’ and conveniently disappearing again.

Our editors are hard at work, working with their respective assignees to give you the best e-zine yet. Fingers crossed. The January 18 deadline will in all likelihood, be honored and the week following it will be my domain of going through every piece submitted, reading all the niggly bits and deciding on the end product. Meanwhile, I uphold my end of the deal by administering the site, designing the forums, designing a new template for the main site, receiving progress reports from my editors, and all along hoping that I can somehow bridge it all and have a deliverable by my own personal deadline.

Meanwhile, keeps the forums alive and well. There seems to be a strange tendency of things coming alive when the e-zine submission date comes around. The whole point of the forums is to be heard, to learn from others, be inspired by what you see, and take it from there. How can one expect to improve if you don’t let others rip into your creative process of thought before you even think of putting something solely for e-zine consideration. The polls will no longer, at least not in the foreseeable future, have as much of an impact on selection as before. So be involved, be prepared for a sense of community, help others improve, let us help you. It’s all about writing, working together to improve.

Or at least, that’s always been my perception of what the Desi Writers Lounge is. But I guess, perceptions change…or do they?

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Lanterns All Over The Place

I’ll admit: I was a little worried that the new design and the fact that it may or may not materialize. However, after extensive work on it on both Saturday & Sunday, both new designs are coming along quite well. The forums are done, but of course, have not been uploaded yet. So you’ll just have to wait for both to occur together before you see the new logo and design.

Editors are hard at work with their assignees and the publication date of Jan. 18th seems a likely and largely welcome one.

The quicker and better looking our website becomes, the larger chance we have of retaining our audience as well as keeping our existing members happy. Layout still remains a concern, and there will be a lot of testing in the two weeks ahead. Two weeks. What a ridiculously short period of time! However, I am also confident enough in my own abilities…another weekend is all I’ll need. But you won’t see anything tangible until the e-zine hits our virtual shelves. Sorry! All updates must occur together…a little thing I like to call homogeneity.

Then of course, there’s bringing the audience to our website…which is where the marketing (posters, fliers, bookmarks) comes in. Still have to locate a suitable designer for the work, and the budget is naturally not fixed although given the logo considerations, I think it’ll need to be substantially high to cover both design and printing costs.

Once these things are out of the way, I can turn my attentions to planning the reading. We have yet to set a workable date, but I suppose it all depends on coordination and a ton of hardcore planning.

And that’s a wrap for tonight. You’ll forgive me for not writing more, primarily because a) there isn’t much else happening 🙂 and b) my shoulders are killing me!

G’night!

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Officially 12 AM

What an eventful year it’s been, not just politically in Pakistan and other countries as a whole, but for the ‘Lounge in particular. We have successfully released 2 issues and planned for the third. We have done what we set out to do, and this new year will see the ends of other beginnings, hopefully, culminating in the fulfillment of the various dreams of our different founding members.

I’ll admit to being a little tired with having received no less than four happy new years when 2007 wasn’t over yet. I prefer bestowing my wishes when we’ve actually successfully ended an old one…call me picky, but there it is.

A very happy new year to all members, writers, readers, critics, whatever your role in DesiWritersLounge.net may be or for that matter, if you haven’t read us yet; from the DWL.net Team as a collective.

For those of you wondering why we haven’t brought out Vol 3 yet, please see the posts below. You will be seeing it, however, some time late January. We are entering, what we like to call the Editing Stage. Things were a lot rosier when pieces were up for selection…the real clash of egos begins now…

Ahh…2008!

Happy, happy 2008!

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Going forth into the Tunnels of Darkness

I must thank Clarice, below, for writing in my absence. Though the internet did fail us for a little less than 24 hours, it has returned in full force. So things, are in that sphere at least, well.

There have been no changes in the e-zine publication plans–we will be moving forward with publishing it sometime at the end of January–the interim month will be, as per our now established Editorial Policy, devoted to editing pieces. The reason that it has already been pushed back several times, is because of the search for quality and the understanding that it needn’t be rushed.

The editors will shortly notify the finalized set of writers under their respective categories, although The Poets will be notified a little later. Reasons for this diversion needn’t be discussed, here. Suffice to say, there’s a reason for everything we do.

One thing must be noted absolutely, however: protocol must be followed. Currently, the deadline for which all editors must have their respective finalized pieces is January 18th, 2008. Anyone who doesn’t follow this to the dot, will have their piece(s) struck from the final published list. I need to make this absolutely clear now. We’re all on a schedule here, and allowances for everyone have been made with the rather accommodating date. So to all the finalists out there: ensure that you’ve got an approved and complete piece by then. There are some pieces that require severe, heavy edits before they have a chance to make it in. To these writers, especially, you must follow the guidance of your assigned editor until he/she is satisfied. I will, however, make the last judgment call if there is one to be made.

I am well aware that I am no professional writer, but as Editor and Administrator, someone has to do it. I apologize in advance.

The E-Zine’s publication date has been set for sometime in the last week of January.

A new design inclusive of new logo might be instituted some time before then, or it may make its debut with the new volume. That remains to be seen based on my own time and planning. Suffice to say, it is in the works.

I can only hope Vol 3 is a roaring success, and jump starts our reputation outside of the web as a literary magazine to be reckoned with, hopefully cemented with the reading planned for March. The posters, fliers, bookmarks etc will be promoting the website more than the reading itself, although we’ll probably have a separate batch for that as well, distribution limited naturally, to Islamabad only.

The material for marketing the website, however, will be distributed as noted earlier, in the three main cities where our members reside: Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi as well as a special package mailed to our international member in Washington D.C.

This is all in the pipelines, which I’m hoping doesn’t mean it never materializes! 🙂

Wish us luck, everyone!

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Special Update

If you’ve been wondering about the recent lack of activity on the forums, please know that it might have something to do with the situation in the country. I know that some members in Islamabad have lost access to the internet in the aftermath of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination. We can’t say at the moment if this will affect the vol 3 publication date in any way. Hopefully, once the three day mourning period is over, life will slowly inch its way back to normalcy.

Hope everyone is staying safe!

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The Jury’s In: Hold On to Your Seats!

After a near three hour discussion over finalizing all e-zine related pieces, earlier tonight, out of an overwhelming 60+ pieces polled, the list has been narrowed down to all of 20. It is, conceded, a little more than I would have liked, but these are all, or mostly all, solid pieces.

Lists will be put up tomorrow evening, with the appropriate writers being contacted and directed according to protocol. Because of my own unavailability for editorial duties, work will be redivided with the four sub-editors. I will, as always, comb through each piece before sending it in to the e-zine.

Protocol must be noted, and followed: we, the editors will be working with selected writers according to a predetermined deadline. No piece will be allowed final entry until and unless the assigned editor has approved. If, supposing, the writer of a specific piece doesn’t respond to his/her editor, the piece will be struck from the list. So if you’ve been selected, and are among those contacted tomorrow evening, you are expected to follow through with protocol. The rules will not be broken, or bent for anyone. After all, if we do it for one person, we have to do it for everyone.

There are a wealth of things planned for the upcoming quarters, including a new issue as well as the reading. If there are things you feel should be added to the site, or any suggestions you have for the reading, please do drop a line either in the comments, or to me personally. I have a knack for writing back, irrespective of anything.

And now, my minions, I bid thee farewell. It’s been a long night, and I should be in bed, snug as a bug in a rug, by midnight.

Adios, and keep your eyes peeled on the forums if you’re a member, and on the e-zine scheduled for release in late Jan, if you’re just a reader. We welcome you in either capacity!

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The Stories No One Tells: Writers’ PMS

Being a website administrator is hard work, because not only are you managing things upfront but everything that goes on behind the scenes falls under your domain, too. Being a forums administrator and a website/e-zine administrator; the dual job becomes managing both private with public to achieve just the right balance. Sometimes, it feels like I’m banging my head against the wall. Repeatedly, in an attempt to elicit a response. Sad, isn’t it? 🙂

From negotiating with bidders, to negotiating the terrains of imagination and coming up with a decent idea of how to represent the concept of our site graphically, for an appropriate logo that defines who we are. Not just our web presence, but the very existence of the Desi Writers community. I’ve been thinking a lot about how we can boost our image, and discussing it over with my entrepreneur brother-in-law, I realized: we’ve only just begun. Something as vast as this needs to be propagated more from an offline perspective, which means more readings than just the one we’re planning for March, more marketing outside, more awareness of who we are and what we do, so that the dream of getting our members published becomes an achievable reality, not a distant dream for the future of maybe’s and someday’s. I’m ambitious for this little project and every second we wait doing nothing or standing still, is, in my opinion, a waste of time.

A month was wasted with working with our web developer who was never ours, another few weeks wasted in trying to locate a replacement, until I realized I was a Computer Scientist, and would have to put that CSS knowledge I had amassed to good use. Again. Forgive me, if, besides being an administrator and editor, I wanted to take a break from being a developer, too. We can’t afford to waste any more time. We need good content, an avidly contributing memberbase, and people who are as enthusiastic about their writing, their message and the community, as we are, and locating that niche will be harder than everything else combined.

But we must pursue this actively; we have to build an adequate presence both online and off, and get people to the site who can contribute to it effectively, otherwise it’s all just noise, and most of the time, not even that. Just an overwhelming amount of silence.

They say, it’s something of a phenomena actually, and I really didn’t have any better example than this: every woman living in the same household for an extended period of time, begins sharing the same menstrual cycle. As in, they all PMS at about the same time, give or take a few days. I wonder, if we at the Desi Writers’ Lounge don’t all have a collective writer’s PMS of sorts at the same time? What else can possibly explain the void when one of the bigwigs don’t post?

So, if you’re reading this and you’ve been a long time reader and writer but haven’t joined the Lounge, write! We have big dreams…and trust me when I say, it’s nice to be part of a community that dreams big and has every intention of accomplishing them.

Happy Eid, everyone! Early, I know…but I don’t think I’ll have a blog update on Eid day.