Hi!
No recording I’m afraid- I’m a little under the weather.
One of the things offered to you as paid subscribers is the joy and excitement of behind the scenes ‘Scribbles’ news.
DISCLAIMER- Don’t hold me to any of these ideas- there is every likelihood that I will forget a lot of it- or change my mind even if I do remember.
So, read on for a list of prompts that might help you with your submission to issue 12: DISCOVERY, my thoughts on features that we will include and even how the front cover may look, plus a chance for you to have your say, some facts and figures on how we are slowly growing, and more :-)
DISCOVERY prompts…
Look back at previous issues of ‘Scribbles’ here. Themes so far: FLUIDITY, MEMOIR, DISTANCE, MUSIC, CELEBRATING CREATIVITY, THROUGH THE DARK, WINTER, CHAOS, CITIES, PEOPLE and COLOUR. How is DISCOVERY different to previous themes? Create a spider-storm of ideas and cross off any that could have appeared in previous editions; what idea are you left with?
Search online for ‘discoveries in 1860’ or any decade you fancy. Skim and scan until something catches your eye and see where the discovery takes you.
Imagine a time in the distant future when alien life or a new species of animal or plant is discovered- write a first hand account or speculative fiction about your idea.
Write about a mundane, domestic event where something unimaginable is discovered- if you own a Scribbles Journal, the ‘drama’ prompt could be a good place to start.
Research a recent discovery in an area that interests you and write an essay for us- if you are interested in words and how to express new ideas, we will be interested in what you have to say.
Have you made a personal discovery recently? Perhaps an artist or a hobby that you would like to write about or a change in your life that lead you to further understand yourself?
Write a good old-fashioned acrostic or limerick using the word DISCOVERY; make us smile.
Finally, and I hope this goes without saying, please believe me when I say that I feel so honoured that you are even reading this email, never mind considering baring your soul to our lovely community of writers and artists. We really are a friendly lot and I promise you will be looked after if you reach out and want to be involved- see my last post for a few soundbites of people who have enjoyed being part of Scribbles.
Behind the scenes scribbles…
NUMBERS
I can hear my son: “Did I ask?” You didn’t, but, I kind of think it might be helpful for some of you to know the kind of audience we are talking about- we are a small group in comparison to many others, but as I always say, growing slowly with the right people is more important than growing quickly.
935 followers on Instagram
16 followers on wordpress
151 subscribers on Substack- interestingly the most recent 50 ish have mainly come from substack itself- I really feel that those of us who want to create and share with other creatives are here and it is working.
73 contributors to ‘Scribbles’ magazine in total
11 issues of the magazine - the last 6 have been printed- more recently I’ve posted out between 20 and 30 of the last couple of issues- I’m constantly trying to work out how we can reduce the price so that more people might buy them.
26 journals sold
Where next I wonder?
Some polls on recent Scribbles stuff:
#16words
Scribbles Journal
DISCOVERY submission window
Future themes
‘Scribbles’ | issue 11 | August 2023 | DISCOVERY
The graphic that Sid and I created to advertise DISCOVERY as a theme is quite close to the vision I have fro the front cover- I want bright, neon, detailed, crisp, some kind of sciencey vibe.
Looking back, I think that’s what is missing. If you can think of any artists who would like to create an image for our front or back cover, please send them this way.
Submissions have already started to trickle in, and they are brilliant. I want to share as much writing and art as we possibly can, but I also want to produce a really varied, inspiring, usable, enjoyable magazine.
Right, I have just deleted about five versions of the same sentence- time to stop :-)
Cheers,
Rachael xx
I can't see who voted-- I have one journal left- email or DM on insta if you would like to buy iit.