How to Choose a Zine Topic

A useful zine topic gives you something specific to say and a sensible place to stop. You do not have to choose the most unusual idea. A familiar subject can be interesting when the details come from your own attention.

The exercises below are suggestions for developing an idea, rather than rules about what zines should contain.

Begin with material, not just a theme

Write three short lists: things you notice, things you know, and things you want to understand.

Next to each idea, note what you already have. That could be photographs, memories, objects, research notes or questions for an interview. “Local cafés” is a subject. Six sketches of the cups you use in them are the beginning of a zine.

Starting with available material makes it easier to judge the work involved.

Narrow the idea in one direction

Choose a limit of place, time, object or question. “My neighbourhood” might become “The signs on one street.” “Music” might become “Three songs I listened to during one move.”

The limit should help you choose between possible pages. If almost anything fits, make it more specific.

For a research topic, try phrasing it as a question. “How did this community garden begin?” tells you what to investigate. You can then look for records and people who were involved instead of collecting unrelated facts about gardening.

Check whether the topic can fill your format

Sketch a rough contents list. An eight-page zine with two covers has six inside pages. Can you name what will happen on each one without repeating yourself?

If you have two strong pages, make a shorter piece or give the material more visual space. If you have twenty, narrow this issue or choose a larger format.

A page count is useful here because it turns “Is this a good idea?” into the more practical question “Can I make this particular version?”

Decide whose experience you are describing

You can write about your own experience without presenting it as everyone's. “What helped me learn to cook” is a different promise from “The best way to learn to cook.”

When the topic involves other people, decide what you need to ask them and what should stay private. If the zine depends on an interview that has not happened, have a backup idea you can complete independently.

Try the hardest page first

Make a rough version of the page you are least sure about. That might be explaining a complicated fact, choosing between photographs or writing about something personal.

This small test often shows what the project needs. You might discover a better angle, a missing source or a reason to simplify. Adjust the topic before polishing the cover.

Next, use How to Plan an 8-Page Zine to turn the idea into a sequence.