three strips of bacon per person (unless you’re using non-American bacon, in which case use two)
buns cut in half or lightly toasted bread
one overtly ripe tomato, washed and sliced. Remember to smell your tomatoes at the market. The more they smell like tomato, the better it will taste. No smell = no taste.
rocket (arugula) lettuce
sliced onion
four tablespoons of good mayo
1 clove garlic
half a lemon
salt & pepper
Slice your onions and tomatoes.
Turn a pan to medium and fry up the bacon until it’s brown and crispy. Leave to drain on absorbent paper.
Dice the clove of garlic very finely. When you think it can’t get any smaller, add a sprinkle of salt (which draws out the moisture) and dice until it’s practically smooth.
In a small bowl, mix half the garlic clove, four tablespoons of mayo and salt and pepper. Add a quick squeeze of lemon juice. Adjust to taste.
Smooth some of the garlic mayo onto the bottom of your sandwich, add the salad, then tomatoes, onions and bacon. Add some garlic mayo on the top of your bun and bob’s your uncle. Eat promptly.
I love it when someone takes a piece of art and changes it to their own expertise, not copying something, but completely changing by adding a part of yourself.
Björk is one of my top five most creative people in the world and I adore her vocal adaptation of an e. e. cummings poem, Sonnets/Unrealities XI.
it may not always be so; and i say
that if your lips, which i have loved, should touch
another’s, and your dear strong fingers clutch
his heart, as mine in time not far away;
if on another’s face your sweet hair lay
in such silence as i know, or such
great writhing words as, uttering overmuch,
stand helplessly before the spirit at bay;
if this should be, i say if this should be–
you of my heart, send me a little word;
that i may go unto him, and take his hands,
saying, Accept all happiness from me.
Then shall i turn my face and hear one bird
sing terribly afar in the lost lands
Tamia Stinson from Cincinnati, Ohia, is a double agent. By day, she’s a marketing and branding specialist, by night an online magazine publisher.
“I got my “real job” through a temp agency and I’ve been there for about five years. The blog and magazine came from an almost physical need for a tangible creative expression, I had to let it out; my lifetime love of fashion magazines.”
29-year-old Stinson, created an online magazine as a vehicle for her love of fashion. She just hit publish on her second issue. “This is sort of embarrassing, but originally the magazine was going to be a promotional vehicle for me and my blog, sort of a monthly digest of posts with a little behind-the-scenes information, unpublished photos, design tips, that sort of thing. Then I decided maybe I’d include one or two other bloggers, the idea just snowballed from there.
“One of the things that always pushes me along is the fear that I’ll regret not at least trying to make a go of doing things I enjoy. I would rather try and fail than not try at all.”
Three tips for creating a magazine:
You need to really commit to publishing something you can be proud of. I gave that a lot of thought before deciding to create Style Sample Magazine.
Make sure you know and understand your target audience and give them what they want.
Do some research so you know what resources you have at your disposal because that will have a big impact on the quality of the publication.
Work flow
“Once all is said and done–reviewing submissions, communicating with contributors, proofreading and editing articles, photo editing, design and layout, marketing, etc, I’d say each magazine is about a 30-hour project. The lovely bloggers who contribute are my saving grace when it comes to producing amazing content and promoting the magazine on their own blogs. I do need help, though, so I’m starting to work with another local blogger on design and layout.
“I’ve always loved fashion magazines and the web has made it possible to do so much for so little money, so I figured I’d start my own.”
How Stinson targets to her audience
“I participate on fashion and style-related message boards, social networks like Facebook and Twitter as well as several fashion-related networks, join communities where other fashion bloggers hang out, add the blog site to various listings, write press releases, comment on other blogs and more. Plus, the bloggers who contribute are kind enough to post it on their own blogs, so it gains traction that way as well.
Tech stuff
“I draw inspiration from other more established magazines, websites, and print graphics when designing the layout. As far as software, I use OpenOffice to lay out the pages, Photoshop Elements and Inkscape for graphics, and Google Docs for editing text. I’d love to be able to buy a professional page layout program in the future, but for now everything I use has been free. All it costs is a lot of time and love!
Is self-publishing better than traditional publishing?
I’ve only experienced the do-it-yourself side, but I’d have to assume self-publishers have more control over their content and distribution. It’s also much more accessible and depends not on who you know, but what you know, which is the way things should be.
I’ve always loved magazines–my apartment is full of them, and some date all the way back to 1993! Producing an online magazine is obviously less expensive than producing a print magazine, though you can buy print copies of Style Sample online, too. The proliferation of software as a service providers and the ability to put your content online for free has really democratized the publishing industry.
I’m not sure if blogging itself is the end of the line for journalism, though I do think that online and mobile/portable content are the way of the future.
However, blogging is a great medium for both true journalists and people like myself who use it as a form of self expression.
Next on Tamia Stinson’s list is professional dancer. “I love to dance, always have–everything from Baroque ballet to shaking booty at random in the club.” Visit her magazine and blog.
Sub-editing can be challenging and intimidating. How can one be constructive and critical at the same time? Here’s a walk through of how to edit a story, piece, article, even if it’s your own work.
Spend 15 – 20 minutes on each page.
Quickly read the first two paragraphs to get a sense of the content. If a headline pops into your head, put it in even if it doesn’t fit.
Start subbing, sentence by sentence.
Keep an eye out for:
Spelling mistakes. If you’re in America, use American spelling. If you’re in the rest of the world, add more “u”s in your words. Double check if you’re unsure. In Australia, if you use American spelling, it’s a mark against your name.
Style mistakes. If you’re working for a big newspaper/magazine, chances are they have their own style guide. I once created a style guide for a company that had eight staff, so always ask.
Keep your eye out for mixed tense. It’s a slippery slope of past and present tense.
Double check every fact with books,the reporter or a (reputable) source from the internet. Since the www, there’s been countless cases where a rushed sub-editor put in the wrong picture/fact about two people with the same name.
Make sure there isn’t too much white space or split words. The text should flow. For example, see if you can see the excess white space on the right hand side column. This isn’t too important for online content, if anything, online, the more sparse an article seems, the better.
Poorly written copy is a mistake. Correct it. On the other hand, don’t re-write it to your own style. Only correct structural errors or glaring mistakes. As a sub-editor once said to me “let the writer’s work breathe, even if it deserves suffocation.”
Check names. Make sure the spelling is consistent.
Never rely on spell check.
Don’t forget to sub captions.
Once done, focus on the headline. If you could fit a verb, some kind of action or colourful word, great!
If you’ve got your own tips, don’t forget to add them.
Next on Tamia Stinson’s list is professional dancer. “I love to dance, always have–everything from Baroque ballet to shaking booty at random in the club.” Visit her 