#seamagic

On the weekend of 14th -16th September I went to the CWIG conference at Reading. One of the many good ideas I took home was the concept of the collaborative blog. (I am indebted to Susan Price and The History Girls for this.)

‘Goose’ illustration by super-talented CWIG committee member Nicola Smee.

What are the advantages of shared bloggery?

  • more variety for the reader
  • more frequent posts for the reader
  • less taxing for each individual contributor
  • more readers will come – the followers of the various contributors
I decided I would start one up based on my shared love of the sea and the magic it evokes in writers and artists. I have already put some feelers out and have a small select band of interested parties ( you know who you are!)

I wonder what you’d hear from this?

What might it involve?

Ideally we would want 28 contributors to do one post a month ( as do the History Girls) – the extra days could be covered by guest posts. We could start with one post a week and review in the New Year – or we could trial one-a-day on a rolling basis and see how that turns out.

Nautical bookshelves thrive in my house.

Who takes charge /  takes the flak?

I am offering myself as curator in the first instance. I read and research voraciously about the sea and I am willing to edit and post on a simple site.

Creative Commons - you are free to use & adapt

I don’t want to be Gully-no-mates…

MANIFESTO

  • all posts will reflect delight in the sea
  • all posts will be suitable for fluent readers – no swearing, no talking down
  • writing and artwork in the widest variety of forms will be welcomed – poetry, reminiscences, jewellery, photography, folklore, flash fiction, stained glass…
  • concise and attractive posts will be preferred
  • all images will be licensed, Public Domain or copyright to the poster – Creative Commons are encouraged

Who wouldn’t vote for this?

How can I get involved?
  • follow & use the Twitter hashtag #seamagic
  • ask to join the seamagic facebook group
  • email me:  kmlockwood AT hotmail.co.uk
  • tell anyone you think just might be interested

Pay attention at the back!

Three important points:
  • NO commitment yet
  • your thoughts are very welcome
  • it’s not about direct sales – but contributors can link to their own sites/ books/artwork

 

11 thoughts on “#seamagic

    • You already are a contributor by being interested! Thanks, Amanda. You never know – you might manage a one-off mini-post with encouragement.

  1. A wonderful idea – with real breadth. I was at the CWIG conference, too, and have joined another joint blogging site mentioned there. I haven’t written any books that could creep into the ‘sea’ category, even by stretching the imagination to its limits, but I’ll certainly be a reader. Good luck with it.

    • Delighted to read this – you are contributing by taking an interest! I should also point out that photo-essays, holiday recollections, & reviews of appropriate books would be welcome – and of course, anything you can do to spread the word would be brilliant.
      Thanks, Rosemary.

  2. The last sea subject I had to do was for a Bayard game and boy did I struggle with fish faces and fins! Ashamed to confess I’m a landlubber, more specifically a city lover. That’s why I forwarded your FB message to a couple of writer-illustrators who I believe have real sea legs.
    That said, I look forward to reading – and commenting too – from dry land!

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