Tag Archives: ezine

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Making the Cut

It seems I might have to upgrade one of our website’s more important, if not the most important, component since a newer version seems to have hit the market. Really, I just upgraded the damn thing a few months ago. Technology! What else can I say?

In other news, however, pieces for the e-zine have been finalized although I might not necessarily deliver on my Feb 1 publication date. I will try, undoubtedly, but my work schedule seems to have thrown itself into a bit of a loop…an absurdly hectic one, unfortunately. And I’ll confess: I haven’t been to the site in days, as in properly gone through the plethora of new pieces that seem to have hit the forums.

I do have something to say, however, and I should take the opportunity of saying it here rather than people finding out later and being all “wha? But-but I thought…”

Remember how I’ve been mentioning for several entries now, that not all pieces that have been edited will make it into the finalized list? Out of the 20 or so pieces we narrowed down, only 15 of them have made the cut. Three were cut because the writers failed to make the deadline, and three were additionally cut from the edited work I received about a week ago. Do not doubt that I went through each piece with the utmost precision and caution, but the three that I did strike from the list didn’t, I feel, represent this issue as appropriately as was necessary. I ask the writers who will be contacted accordingly, to accept this decision and honor it. It isn’t personal, I assure you. It’s just the business of being an editor, I suppose, and it was especially difficult in the case of one piece I felt had tremendous potential if given enough time. Unfortunately, it had to be cut.

This is the first time I’ve really exercised my power as being editor of the magazine, primarily because I never felt I had the right, but now it seems, “the board” feels I’m something of “The Editor”…I, more than anyone, know what we’re looking for. And it seems this issue has given me somewhat of total control. Again, not something that’s particularly pleasing but it does allow me to control the outcome and to focus on that elusive term: quality.

Because a written piece is so very subjective, I ask the writers again to not think they’ve been rejected for publication, just that it didn’t agree with my particular brand of digestion. As it is, you will receive your letters. I think it’s only fair, especially after having been contacted by the editors. This is something I feel I should explain: making it to the editing stage doesn’t mean you necessarily have made it into the e-zine, it means you’ve got a chance because often an editor decides to take a particular piece (and writer) under his/her wing arguing that so-and-so can be totally transformed. Whether the end result is indeed all that was asked for, is entirely open to interpretation. My interpretation, unfortunately.

As it is, what’s done is done and there’s no going back on things now. For those who weren’t contacted for the editing stage, and are eager to find out just who did make it in, you’ll have to see when Vol 3 hits the presses.

And remember to leave your thoughts here, on what you thought.

Till then, au revoir my little children!

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Ch-ch-changes

The development work began a few days ago–on October 27th to be exact, but my “official” starting date was Nov 01, which as you might have noticed–has arrived. Development on the book club of things has started, and each new step is drilling more clearly my own vision for the site. So it’s a good feeling.

Of course, I need to have a time line, an accurate representation of what’s going to happen when to better assess how long it’s going to take. They always quote you a time which might end up being a placeholder for how long it’s actually going to take. Considering I was once in the field myself, I know the common mentality. So there’s that. Dun-dun.

The second thing I’m interested in is getting this blog aggregated with Bloggers.pk–a blog aggregator for all Pakistan related blogs. So here’s hoping we get selected. I had to answer a question on what a ‘lotta’ is. Never thought there’d ever be a day.

Anyway, T2F for those of you who aren’t like me and don’t subscribe to newsletters of events in other cities, and ones that you’ll probably never attend: is hosting a poetry reading. It’s in Karachi, but since some of our readers are from the city by the sea, here’s a heads up.

Obi’s play is still playing at the Islamabad Club and it will continue doing so for the next week–it ends, as mentioned earlier–on Nov 08. And be prepared, it isn’t your usual play. For someone whose known, seen Obi’s growth on the forums, the play will be seen as very much in character. So do go there.

Our Book Club lags, and it’s a very, very sad fact and I suddenly realized earlier today that I would need to paraphrase all our discussion on the Club (for which I am paying an additional sum) for week-to-week or two weekly, or however we’re going to arrange it. This will mean of course, that we’ll all need to be more involved and with our current dormant member base I don’t see that happening in the near future. There is, as mentioned earlier, only so much that I alone can do. I’ll need some support. Putting that theory to test, my abstinence from the Book Club seems only to throw everyone else off of it too. It’s a little disheartening, actually. However, I am optimistic.

Anyway, there’s still a lot more development planned including most importantly, a new look which would be nice. I’m thinking we might eventually give our issues ‘covers’ of some sort. Something to let people know what’s inside. Make it more like a magazine on the internet, so to speak. Yes, there are changes galore.

Ah well, we’ll see.

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Finding the center of gravity

Interesting conversation at the dinner table, today. Apparently, according to my mother, two sisters shouldn’t sleep with each other (no, not like that – head out of. Gutter. Now.) on the same bed, because of the parentheses. I said the brother-sister union is one of the usual cases of incest, and then of course, the most common one came up – father-daughter. That started a further discussion how in some shows (most notably, Law and Order: SVU) they’ve shown twisted cases of each, including mother-daughter relationships. Yes, we often talk about incest on the dinner table.

But sarcasm notwithstanding, it brought up an interesting side issue: my mother and sister feel such insane, psychotic events shouldn’t be depicted on TV for common, public viewing because it fills your mind up with things you wouldn’t think of, otherwise. I disagree. I think it’s an excellent way to create awareness – to let you know about the shit in this world – and the fact that you need to be wary of the realities of these situations, and the possibilities that they can and do happen in thousands of cases across the world. After all, if we hide them, how will we help get rid of the social depravities?

This kind of thinking has permeated through to our culture at large – hide it, subjugate the hidden truths – and yet, we turn our noses up in disgust about incidents similar to these when they happen in our vicinity. It’s hypocritical.

I have a cause, and I firmly believe in this and it’s among the reasons I write. Sure, in the beginning it was all about the story, but my recent pieces have been fueled by something else entirely.

Numb has restarted, thankfully although the style I’m writing it in is completely foreign. If I was worried about falling into the same snarkalicious one of yesterday, looks like I won’t have anything to worry about. Or well, hopefully.

So just to clear the air: I’m not one who just talks and talks about writing on different subjects, and doesn’t tackle them in an effort to better understand. I do, and I plan to continue doing it.

And if there are people out there, most notably members of my family, who think things like these shouldn’t be addressed, I’m here to say: Tough. I owe something to society, or it owes something to me. In either case, I feel it incumbent on me to write the humanity of things, even if it isn’t as pretty as we’d like to think it is. Or…well, I’ll admit: Especially then. Some members of my conservative family don’t like my tendencies on the Shi’a-Sunni-sectarian issue. If people ask what I am, I prefer to say I’m just a Muslim without classifying. Some people actually think this is a dangerous way of thinking and needs to be corrected, asap – I kid you not.

Yes, the fire of activism burns in my soul once again, alive and well. Nice to know.

As for DesiWritersLounge.net, it is my sincerest wish that it launches itself to become among the best independent desi magazines this country has to offer, gives the upcoming writers a place to flex their muscles and encourages thinking. Challenging, always – a place for independent judgments. Because if we’re just going to create another breed of intellectual slackers, we’ve failed and my vision for the site and forums is lost.

Back at the dinner table, conversation’s end found me locating the center of gravity of a fork on my finger. An appropriate end to the story, don’t you think?