Knowing that not everyone here receives the NJZAG newsletter, I'll make
the description brief: A newsletter (to some, a zine) that goes out to
zine makers and distros in/around the fair state of NJ, here in the US
o' A. Content in the past has included interviews with some zine
writers, as well as a distro owner or two, as well as zine events
in/around NJ.

What I'm looking for from you all are suggestions as to what you'd
think would make interesting reading for zinesters -- keeping in mind,
it still needs to be "about" zinesters, or indy publishing, at the very
least.

I'm currently writing and article entitled "Taxes for Dummies... er,
Zinesters", and that's self-explanatory. I was also going to write
something on copyright law (have you guessed yet that I recently
attended an all-day writer's workshop, yet?).

If you have any ideas, fire away. If you feel so moved by your idea
that you want to write the article and submit it - please have at it,
my good ladies and gentlemen! I'd welcome the help.

Thanks,
Bob
www.njghost.com/njzag/

But I probably won't write the article. I haven't been
'involved' long enough for it not to be written off by others.

AL

I've come to the realization that I'm not all that supportive of what
most "insiders" would consider zines -- I'm more of a "free press" type
of person. My stomach turns at the thought of pouring over another
per-zine or fan-zine, but give me someone actually doing some
substantiated research on an interesting subject (fiction or not) and
I'm all for it.

I was talking to a "published" writer recently, and as I've never
actually taken a "writing class" what he was telling me was somewhat
startling. (This may be an off-topic rant, so for those of you who
really aren't interested, I'm sure Tom has posted something about
another quiz...) He was trying to tell me about how to spot beginning
writers and how to spot more advanced writers, and he was describing
how beginning writers write. Basically the message is "pay attention to
me, I have something to say" -- which is the main focus of most new
zines. It's basic and amateurish and all writers do it.

Then, the writer develops, and he/she starts experimenting, and gets
out of the comfort zone of what they've created for themselves. On the
rare occasion I've actually seen a zine writer do this -- myself
included.

So, I think that what you're describing can be attributed to the
mentality of immature writers. The "comfort zone" that zinedom has
always fostered is the same thing that stops it from growing and
reaching other readers. Instead of trying to bring others around to our
point of view, we'd rather take our toys and play somewhere else.

As for being around long enough to have an opinion, it seems that the
people who have the most experience with zines either know enough not
to share their opinion at all, or know enough to get out of zinedom all
together.

I guess my response -- and not necessarily its content -- speaks
volumes about my own experience in this community.

Bob
www.njghost.com