Hello there,
So this week at least was rather slow since it was the end of the July publishing cycle for us. Therefore, I did some out of the office work, which is on freelance time. Probably the biggest news I have is the cover story I asked to write up for one of our magazines. It's rare that interns do the cover stories, so I was pretty souped. Anywhoo, it is on urban agriculture and East Side community gardens.
My favorite part of the story was when I got to converse with people at Brown University on their community garden. They have some pretty awesome technology over there, so they sort of stood out. Obviously the part that was difficult was being able to get in contact with all these different places, given that it isn't a full time commitment with everyone. However, I got the story in a full week before the deadline, so I guess I did okay.
Besides that, a-okay. I am currently watching Arrested Development as I am doing this and contemplating the potential of terrific or shitty TV storytelling that is made possible by the lack of ratings pressure that comes with Netflix. Wowy-zowy.
Fin.
Sarah
Congrats on getting the cover story! That's really impressive. You should be souped. If ever there were an indication of what they think of your abilities, that's it! And you made deadline a week early. Did you take the pics for it, too?
ReplyDeleteTell us when it will appear.
When I worked at a community weekly, which I edited and published for five years, I loved being out in the thick of it, meeting and talking to people and finding out what really made the community tick.
Hello, Sarah,
ReplyDeleteGood to see you got the cover story. Make sure you save that magazine! I actually made the front page of the news publication I'm interning for as well, so I can understand how your feeling. It's definitely surreal to suddenly see your name on a publication you've only noticed from afar.
How do you make sure you make deadline? Did you make a schedule that helps you get work done in a timely, efficient manner? I'm just interested in knowing your methods, especially since you finished your work a week before deadline.
All the best,
Cameron
Warren-
ReplyDeleteSuper souped! We leave the pictures up to the art department to schedule. Which honestly, is probably best, because our magazines have a strict policy on high-resolution specs for the photography. I have been wondering if photography is a skill I should invest in. It is just so expensive! If anyone reads this and cares enough let me know if the pros outweigh the money grubbing cons, type away.
Cam-
I have the time-luxury of working for monthly magazines, so time crunch is less of an issue. Uncharacteristically, I am pretty anal about getting things in before deadline from some fear of the universe ending.
The first thing I do is identify the people that are essential to get quotes from for my story - especially if there is a lack of available information on the subject (aka, Goggle doesn't solve everything). Research time and interviews take longer, so I make sure to allot time for that. Writing is probably the least time consuming - if it seems to be taking longer, it's probably because you need more research. This may be a universal truth: Everybody always has an easier time saying things if they think they know what they are talking about.
That's about it!
Sarah
Congratulations on the cover story! That's really impressive considering you are an intern. Out of curiosity, were any of the other seasoned writer pissed that you were given the assignment? I I could see them getting upset, even if it was a fantastic opportunity for you- I'm learning that journalists can be a bit selfish sometimes.
ReplyDeleteWere all your contacts relatively good about getting back to you? It sounds like they were since you beat your deadline by such a significant amount of time, which is great. You must have made a great impression however you contacted them!