Progress. It is the evolution of everything in a forward direction. We all progress towards the end of our lives, which is a scary thought, but true. However, not all progress is a bad thing.

This short editorial will show you the progress of the MDV Newsletter, and possibly the future, as I will set the long term goals of the Eye of the Vortex.

Read on to find out more on the next evolution of MDV.

My original vision of the MDV Newsletter was to simply be a four-paged little guy that would be a fast hitting information package and would give you updates on the MSS. While constructing the first installment, I remembered a little tidbit about Beebles that I thought you guys would like to know; he made the Dean's list in college. As I included it into the newsletter, I realized that I could do something like this in each issue, making you guys feel a little closer to each other and highlighting a particular forum member at the same time.

While thinking more about this after it was released, I started to see just how deep the rabbit hole really went. I could really embrace the idea of highlighting not just the MSS, but also the MDV forums as well.

Who do you want to read about more than yourself?

As I began calculating in my mind, I realized a few things. First, this thing could get pretty big... pages wise. Immediately you can tell that four pages is not enough. Second, I need help. I don't have time to write 20 pages of material, construct the entire thing, find art for the pages, and get it all done in a month. Third, I have to begin relying on more than myself for the project, which always scares me.

After lots of thought, I have decided to push forward. Four pages is not enough and so we are going to slowly expand the binding of the newsletter and eventually we can stop calling it the MDV Newsletter and call it... the MDV Magazine!

However, here comes the point where you click the back button and find something else to read:

I need help.

I need writers to contribute articles, I need people to create images for the pages, I need more fleshy bodies to assist in the project.

I know, I know... some of you are thinking to yourself, "He tried this before and look where it went."

True. I tried before, and I failed before. However, I think that the problem I had last time was that I didn't have a good plan, nor the true desire to do this. I wanted to do it, but I was scared at the same time. Scared? What was I scared of? Success. It has always been my downfall. No matter how many times I take up a task, my first thought is, "What happens if it doesn't work out?"

I figured out the answer to that.

BAH!

Why worry about what could happen? Just get out there and do it. If I make a mistake, the I'll make it aggressively. If I am going to go down, then I'm going to go down in a ball of flames the size of which no one has ever seen before. On the other hand, if I am going to do it, then I'm going to do it on a scale that no one has ever seen before.

I'll just start small for now though. I am pushing the April issue up to eight pages. I also am sending it out to the 25 people on the mailing list, but in addition, I am working with Streetz to get a page made where anyone can find a link and download the newsletter at their leisure. [Editor's Note: It will be up soon. ~Streetz~]

What are my goals? Who knows. I mean, how big could we take this? We could increase it to fifty pages, and have 200 people downloading it. We could even start covering other things of interest to us. I'd like to think that we could at least get five people submitting articles and five people submitting artwork.

With those numbers, we could probably increase to 12 pages. Maybe I can find some sponsors along the way and sell advertisement space, which would increase it a few pages. In time, we could get more prestigious and more people would want to be a part of it.

Or maybe... just maybe... we could replace the fallen Inquest...? [Editor's Note: Inquest Editors of Yore: If you are reading this, send Streetz an email! streetz(at)magicdeckvortex.com.  Thanks. ~Streetz~]

Stay tuned to find out....

I would like to make a small committee of people who want to be involved in this project. If you are interested in joining the committee, then send me a PM in the forums or email me at inocote@yahoo.com.

Are you interested in just writing for the Eye of the Vortex? Then submit your article to me at the above email. I am not limiting your topics except to be relevant to Magic in general. This is also not just for the Writer's Guild. This project is completely separate from the Guild. I am accepting submissions from anyone.

Do you want to supply artwork for the pages? Then send me your designs to the same email address above.

Finally, as with the art contest in the forums, I will reward each published article and piece of art with 10 points in the MSS. You can continue to compete in the contests, while getting bonus points here to pad your score; what a great way to catch up in the standings!

-cpn

You can discuss this article in the MDV forums here.
Find other articles by this author here.
Find other articles from this series here.

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