From the editor's desk

Eleven issues down, one to go - I'm in the final days of editing/producing the newsletter for Contemporary Quilt and then must step down and hand over the reins. 

At this stage, with almost every page filled and most proofs of their articles sent to authors, I resort to lots of little lists. Things can get lost in the files, and I can easily forget that some vital information hasn't arrived yet. 

And - more than a week after "copy date", people are still sending in articles: "Hope it's not too late..." No, it's never too late - at worst, the article can be held over till the next issue. If it's time-sensitive, someone else's article gets bumped, with an apologetic email and sincere regret (I want everyone to be happy!).

At this stage, my desk starts to fill up with lists on tiny bits of paper, in ever tinier writing - as if the tidiness entailed in making the writing legible would somehow make me feel more organised ... maybe that does work at some subconscious level. I do have A List on the computer, a very primitive content management system - it's not a huge publication, after all - but at this stage I like to review the issue, and my (hopefully) carefully tagged emails, and "get it all together". So that nothing gets lost or forgotten.

(The silent helpers are Donky Hohti, who was once part of Tony's "yet another animal that Margaret gave me (why?)" collection, and Sailor Whale - an offcut of a toy (now lost) that I made for my infant son from a scrap of wood, using a jigsaw to cut out a sailor who could climb up a rope - how to make an easier, though less durable, version of that toy is here.)

To get back to the intricacies of newsletter production, I've compiled a "how I do it" list for my successors, who may be using different software. Here are the bare bones:

- without contributions from the members, there can be no newsletter - the editor must encourage them to write articles, and it's helpful to suggest topics both to the group and to individuals

- simplicity is the key to a "contemporary" look for the magazine 

- we don't republish articles or information that people will get in The Quilter or their regional newsletter, unless it is very important to CQ members to know about something

-  the aim is to present the contributor's work in the best way possible, so it's ok to shorten articles and to edit photos. Show the contributor the article before publication, ie as a proof, so they can check if anything important has been left out and that no gremlins/typos have got in during the editing process

- proofreading - ask around for volunteers. The coordinator reads the issue but her main job is to make sure that nothing is being published that shouldn't be, eg libel or copyright violation

- adverts are not accepted - they take up space better used for articles - and reviews of exhibitions go on the website, not in the magazine (more photos are possible that way)

- Guild logo needs to be on front cover, its address/charity info must be given in each issue

- keep pages to 40 max so it can be mailed at lowest postage rate [though 44 is possible]

- issue should be with mailers before the end of the month, so it can reach CQ members at the start of the month of publication (Dec, Mar, Jun, Sep) - the printers need 10 working days so it should be with them around the 10th of the month

Next up

People have been asking, "What will you do with your spare time?" Well, the newsletter doesn't take all that much time - it's just that it's concentrated into a couple of weeks and tends to take over my mind and life. Which is why I'm so eager to get out of the house every day ... call it avoidance or call it creative procrastination, I call it "healthy activity".

So, I'll be continuing the walking in my "spare time", and if I can get past the Procrastination Barrier there are a few corners of the studio that need reclamation. I have a plan to take a different book off my well-stocked shelves every day, blow off the dust, and just dip into it - let's call that The Serendipity Project. I aim to continue blogging daily, hopefully more thoughtfully as there will(?) be more time to research. I'm toying with studying Spanish, as a way to motivate myself to travel there (or anywhere). Oh, and art - seeing lots of art, blogging about art, talking art with friends, doing more drawing, reading about art. Reading, ah yes - listening to podcasts has rather taken over from reading, especially science podcasts. And there are ever so many interesting talks, at the RI and the Wellcome, and at Gresham College, and elsewhere.

There's a lot to do, and I'm very excited about all the possibilities. But I will miss using those editing skills that took so long to amass - "what will you be editing next?", I was asked. Hmmm......