N gauge society story

Bealman · March 21, 2014, 09:58:05 AM

Oh, for Heavens sake. If a person is proud enough and enthusiastic enough to go to the trouble to write about it and send it in...all those details are (or should be) sorted by the publisher!

No person contributing to the Journal should have to worry about this!

ParkeNd · March 21, 2014, 10:20:37 AM

Quote from: Bealman on March 21, 2014, 09:58:05 AM
Oh, for Heavens sake. If a person is proud enough and enthusiastic enough to go to the trouble to write about it and send it in...all those details are (or should be) sorted by the publisher!

No person contributing to the Journal should have to worry about this!

Presumably George you have read the new guidelines that the new editor of the NGS Journal has written? Are you suggesting they are irrelevant and should be discounted? Has the man wasted his time?

1936ace · March 21, 2014, 10:42:29 AM

Sorry did not mean to cause an issue, I will submit my story and see how it goes after all I'm just a fireman with a electrical trade who likes playing trains not a photo journalist
And as always keen for the next journal to hit the mailbox
Bart

ParkeNd · March 21, 2014, 10:58:33 AM

Quote from: 1936ace on March 21, 2014, 10:42:29 AM
Sorry did not mean to cause an issue, I will submit my story and see how it goes after all I'm just a fireman with a electrical trade who likes playing trains not a photo journalist
And as always keen for the next journal to hit the mailbox
Bart

No issue here Bart. The new editor says he has brought the graphic design in-house to reduce costs and I guess is just asking for a bit of help to ease the DTP work that an outside publisher might have waded through.

George must have his own reasons for his own views.

red_death · March 21, 2014, 11:11:33 AM

Quote from: Bealman on March 21, 2014, 09:58:05 AM
Oh, for Heavens sake. If a person is proud enough and enthusiastic enough to go to the trouble to write about it and send it in...all those details are (or should be) sorted by the publisher!

Completely disagree - there is a limit to what any editor can do with poor photos.

The point about lighting is under "tips for taking photographs" ie it is there to help people.

Cheers, Mike

Chatty · March 21, 2014, 11:12:44 AM

Bart

I am with George on this one. Just go for it. Its up to the editor to knock into shape.

Regardless, of who or what we are we all have capabilities.

If you need someone go through the draft I am always available.

Kind regards

Geoff

1936ace · March 21, 2014, 11:14:04 AM

I best do some reading up then as I must admit I have only read the bit in the journey where it mentions who to send it too. I think the net issue will/may have new info maybe
Bart

Ben A · March 21, 2014, 11:24:52 AM

Hi Bart,

Many years ago, while still at school, I was lucky enough to be allowed to spend a day at my then local paper (Northampton Chronicle and Echo) and I accompanied one of the reporters to a police briefing and then back to the office. Used to school lessons, I was expected some kind of long and earnest discussion about how the story would be told, what the key points were, etc etc. But he sat down and just started writing. No preamble - just getting words onto paper. Once it was written he then switched around a few paragraphs and marked a few typos and that was it.

What I learned from this, and what I still do in my own career, is that if you're going to write something, just start writing.

It's nerve-wracking looking at an empty sheet of paper, but the quicker you start filling it the easier it'll be. Worrying about the exact wording, or how to layout the content, is totally understandable but deep down is just displacement activity to put off actually starting writing.

Go for it, and I am sure you'll be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is!

cheers

Ben A.
(model Railway enthusiast and jobbing reporter for 26 years)

Newportnobby · March 21, 2014, 11:35:58 AM

Hey Ben,
As an ex Northamptonian I used to frequent the Bat & Wickets pub, where a few reporters for the Chronicle & Echo used to visit. They seemed to have a collective name of 'Scoop!' which was always shouted out as they do in the TV comedy 'Cheers' whenever one walked in.
Happy Days................and completely

Michael Shillabeer · March 21, 2014, 11:47:43 AM

Quote from: ParkeNd on March 21, 2014, 10:58:33 AM
The new editor says he has brought the graphic design in-house to reduce costs and I guess is just asking for a bit of help to ease the DTP work that an outside publisher might have waded through.

Its interesting how things go full-circle.

Roger Pearson used DTP to produce the Journal 20+ years ago, I continued this from 1993.

Back then, articles would come hand written! I still have one of Andy Calverts' originals.

Best regards
Michael

Bealman · March 22, 2014, 01:38:36 AM

Quote from: ParkeNd on March 21, 2014, 10:20:37 AM
Presumably George you have read the new guidelines that the new editor of the NGS Journal has written? Are you suggesting they are irrelevant and should be discounted? Has the man wasted his time?

I have read the new guidelines (Bart: they are on the NGS website).

They are relevant. The new editor has not wasted his time.