What up, rain city!

The whole team at Midnight Sun is super hyped to get this project off the ground. We've got a crack squad of movers and shakers all bringing the best of their knowledge to the table, and things are shaping up reeaalll slick.

As psyched as we might be, as Carma mentioned, we're not without needs. Content for this and future issues is a little slack right now, and as far as I'm concerned the broader the range of perspectives we have for this project, the better.

We want your submissions. We want 'em short, long, real or fictional, and we want 'em now. Photos, art, short stories, interviews, you name it.

I'm sure you're as interested as we are in establishing a good name for this magazine that can get your good name out there, though, so here are a couple guidelines (not rules) to help you along your way:

Originality:
We want to stand out. We want to be taken seriously. We want to be wanted. These are all good reasons to think hard about whether you can read what you're about to write somewhere else. There are a couple of solid focused magazines based out of this city, and many of them are known for catering to certain niche markets or filling perceived gaps. If you read about your subject in another magazine or paper, you might consider trying to find a fresh angle on this story, or just trying something else.

Relevance:
It sounds basic, I know, but try to think about whether or not your piece is going to be truly interesting to a wide variety of people. For example, a concert review that you wrote 6 months ago about a now-defunct band wouldn't be terribly interesting to anyone who wasn't there, and even then it's a stretch.

Substance:
Does this piece reflect a greater message, offer up new information, or pose questions to the reader? Conversely, is this something my friends are going to think is totally hilarious, but nobody else will get? These questions obviously represent ends of a spectrum, but it would be kinda neat if your work leaned toward the former end.

Anyways, enough of my sanctimonious bullshit. Send me what you got.

Also, If you're interested in becoming a staff writer but lack previous experience and technical knowledge, let me know with the article you submit. If you show promise and motivation, I'd like to get some of you more comitted cats together for a writing workshop. I'll cover basics of journalism and writing for print media, as well as basic points of style, common ground rules, and anything else your greedy little brains are prepared to lap up.

Submit finished work to justin.k.hughes@gmail.com

Take it easy!

-J