NQ half empty/full?

With two weeks to copy deadline, and maybe 40% of our content already filed, this is the moment in our production cycle when we, and by "we" I mean "I", start trying to gauge the level of content. Do we have enough? How much is enough? Do we have too much? Forgetting about an entire section of the magazine is one thing (it has happened), but ideally the issue is a beautiful balance of words and images, ideas and space.

(Image, from smart-kit.com; how many blue faces are needed to balance scale #3?)

A little Shakespeare for your park?

We're past the official midsummer's night (which is around the solstice), which shouldn't stop anyone from sitting in a sunny park and reading the play, should they wish - in fact what a lovely complement to a summer working day. We all have our to-do lists; we're working through our submissions here; but there's nothing wrong with a like-to-do list, considering the rare and lovely weather.

(Image: The Quarrel of Oberon and Titania, blogspot.)

Blue skies, and nothing but...

It can be hard to concentrate when it's all sun and breeze and let's-sit-in-the-shade-and-have-a-cool-one outside. But, rest assured, here at the NQ we have not lost our focus, and are working hard towards...was that a butterfly? is someone drinking sangria? what?...well, maybe we are having a few seasonal distractions. But honestly we're getting tons of stuff done, as you'll see in September.

(Image: blogto.com.)

1 month 1 day to copy deadline

Our fall issue is already coming together - here's a teaser on the theme...

(Image: flickr.com.)

NQ in style

We've been working on our first ever styleguide, an engrossing and exciting task. We'll be posting it on our website in the next while . It's a living document, it will evolve - but make a note to check out Bert Riggs's special section on Newfoundland-and-Labrador-specific terms (with its particular attention to dates and rankings for WWI). This blog will be quiet for the next few weeks, but we'll still be posting to Facebook, and if you check back here in early July we'll pick up our conversation! (Image: a few other styleguides of some reputation, winepressofwords.com.)

MagNet & Mary Pratt

And we're back from four days of seminars and sessions, meet and greets and exchanging business cards. Lots of energy and ideas out there in magazine-land, which is, of course, more and more synced to social media-land. Also had the lovely opportunity to see Mary Pratt's new Toronto show, and we'll have imagery and a review in the Fall Issue (publishing September 5). And note this exhibition comes in advance of her major retrospective at The Rooms next Spring. (Image: Poppyseed Cake, Glazed for Calypso, collectionscanada.gc.ca.)

Heads up Toronto

Tomorrow we hit town for the Magazines Canada Conference - a fine organization we belong to, as you can see. We'll also have a chance to hobnob with MUN Alumni at the Irish Embassy tomorrow evening, so if you're in the vicinity of Yonge & Wellington, stop by. (I'll be sending some photos to our Facebook page, snappy updates through the week.) (Image: chuckmantorontonostalgia.files.wordpress.)