So this is a continuation of that post I wrote yesterday which is sort of a grand departure from my normal time, flow, format, way. Call it what you wan’t, it’s just different.

Speaking of different, I’m starting up a new online lit mag. That’s pretty cool news eh? Turns out, when you start something new you have never done before, you have a lot to learn and inevitably fuck things up. We learn from our mistakes yes? So why am I having such a doozie of a time getting to the point where I am making mistakes?

Here’s what I know: We need format, content, organization, mission/vision/identity. People are excited and rooting for us, but who exactly is “us” is unclear. Because “we” are not officially affiliated to any organization in particular (the university, cough cough) we have the creative license to do whatever we want to do.

I’m excited about the possibilities but hung up on the hum drum of every other online lit mag in the universe that has some clever name, tag line, images, and a standard look and feel->Issues, Submissions, About, Blog, Contact. Yada-yada, you name it and it all starts looking the same after a while.

One of the tasks on my to-do list is to develop the site and consequently look at a bunch of other sites and see what we like. Model it after that. There it is again, did you catch it? “We.” What “we” really need is a collective meeting to brainstorm and make decisions. It’s not a dictatorship and I don’t want to operate in a bubble. I’ve looked at dozens of sites. I have ideas. But I’m just one person.

What we did decide was to Run quarterly issues and open up for submissions on like June 1 with the first issue being in the fall. That’s a goal right. Goals are good. We also decided to have open submissions year round. Read, filter up the chain, decide, produce a beautiful issue. Same story, different site.

Someone might submit, someone might read, what’s the point. We have to have a team that has core values man. A team, I tell you. Not a few people in bubbles.

I want to make something like the Taco Bell lit mag or the identity crisis lit mag or the other one that’s been stewing in my brain anonymously for about 3 years. An idea I had before I knew what it was (don’t you just love that?).

I want to create something crazy and interesting written by crazy for crazy to help people feel a little less crazy on this damn plannet. Why is doing something so off the wall feel appealing? If we do that, all those people who are excited and rooting for us might not approve. But, what is the worst that can happen. They yank their support? Ummmmm, what support?

See… this is just one giant pile of shit. I need a giant white board and a room full of cool people to brainstorm this bitch out. I want a website that pops and is different from the rest. I want to have a mixed media category and a regular blog post with something you might hear at BarCamp Omaha. I need to create a spreadsheet for tracking expenses and documents where we brainstorm about pages and content and submission guidelines and oh yeah, our Brand.

I can do the tech stuff, provide starter funding, manage operations, and possibly even serve as a poetry editor (or mixed media editor would be even more better).

I currently have 3 or 4 people who are down for participating and recruiting is not in my A game bag. I’m going to start a document for notes we took at our last meeting and set up agenda items for the next meeting with assignments listed and names attached. That’s Mario kicking into gear on this pile of shit. If we just want to go for it and do it, we have to let Mario drive the bus. Luigi can hang out on the seat above the wheel well and go “weeeeee” when we hit a bump and then say something completely brilliant to make all of us stare at him in wonderment.

Yeah, Mario drives and Luigi is doing his thing making it interesting.

We need a meeting and an agenda and an invitee list and logistics of how to meet (cuz coronavirus— ugh!). We need to be open to the ideas of all and know that no idea or suggestion is too strange to be kept quiet. It has to be friendly and inviting.

Oh good gawd I think the meds are finally kicking in and the words on my screen are going blurry and I think that means I have to git.

All that to describe one pile of shit. Wow. I can’t imagine how the rest of this series will go.

***

I did literally write all that at midnight and then fell asleep. Just read it myself.

I’m totally down for taking one day for the rest of this week to describe all my piles of shit. I’ll call it the SugarCookie Shit Series. Cuz that’s just the kind of mood I’m in this week.

I’m gonna go section off my time and spend an hour on today’s shit pile before I transition over to work work. That will probably be tomorrow’s shit pile. First week back on the job and I’m already balls deep in the weeds. Nature of the beast. 🤷‍♀️ But my how I’m getting ahead of myself.

Cheers to Talking things One Damn Day at a time,

~Miss SugarCookie

PS. Today’s featured image asks the question, “who me?” And also, why.