and, exhale.

It's done, kids. We finished the first issue of our new magazine. It will be out January 14; for now, you can get a sneak peek here.

There was a time after college where I actually missed the all-nighters we pulled at Drake Magazine. I thought I'd never have that experience again; the commraderie, the creative collaboration, the feeling of really putting your own personal stamp on a publication. Well, let me tell you: launching a magazine is like that college stuff times 842. It was the late nights, the bad food, the pressure to be creative, plus the stress of trying to also have a life. (My dishwasher still isn't emptied and I haven't done laundry in weeks.)

However hard it was, though, I can say that I learned more still about magazine industry--stuff I didn't realize I didn't know: little nuances of the break of the book, budget issues (even more than we learned in J119!), things of that nature. I refreshed my copy-editing, proofreading, and fact-checking skills (yes, you WILL need this knowledge past your internships! And keep that copy of Strunk & White's "The Elements of Style." Seriously. Speaking of, have you seen Maira Kalman's illustrated version? That's a book after my own heart.) On the flip side, I realized I do know a hell of a lot about the business of magazines--my previous jobs have given me at least a working knowledge of what makes a good cover, how to include more service in the magazine, how to keep the reader top of mind, and that, really, 2,000 words about paint colors is TOO MANY WORDS.

As a staff, I'm hoping we learned a lot about what we're not going to do for the second issue. We're not going to wait until a week before we go to the printer to entirely switch out a department for another story. We're not going to start fact-checking two weeks out. And we're definitely not going to work until 10 p.m. without coffee or food (that makes for crabby associate editors ... me). And we may--I hope--re-introduce the serial comma (I miss it).

But I know all the hard work will pay off. After the new year, we're having a launch party, then it's all hands of deck for our second issue. (Secretly, I had a dream that I quit the magazine, and I was only sad because I couldn't go to the launch party. We all see where my priorities are, huh? Ha. I told my boss that; he didn't really find it funny.)

I wish I could send everyone I know at Drake a copy of the mag; you'll just have to watch the website and order a copy if you're interested. Oh, and check out the website for my blog! It'll be DesignSponge meets UltraPDX with a little Rachel thrown in there for good measure.