Surviving the painful lessons of youth Intern Diaries

by Breyanna Knoll

Though youth certainly has its benefits, I learned about one of its uglier pitfalls this week.

I worked on a section where several sources came from one entity. Thus, the entity connected me with a public relations representative to provide me with sources. This was obviously not a problem. I have worked with public relations people before for sources at St. Louis Woman Magazine, and part of my job at the environmental magazine was contacting media outlets for approval to use their art materials. Public relations people never challenged me before.

Notice that I said “before” because this time was totally different.
From the outset, the woman with whom I worked was very difficult. She had very little regard for my deadline and cared little that things needed to be balanced from an editorial standpoint. I know, as P.R. person, balanced may seem the opposite of her job.
The whole process became slightly frustrating, and I felt as if she was writing me off. I did everything she asked in a timely manner, and I provided all of the information she requested. Still, she never returned my calls and always emailed back with more questions.

The day of my deadline, I still had no sources or scheduled interviews. Apparently things were souring for reasons beyond my control, and the principals contacted my editor with additional concerns about my integrity. They disliked my intern status. They felt it showed a lack of regard for their section. It did not matter to them I had editorial experience at an award-winning newspaper, that I completed a prior internship or I graduated early. They wanted me off the project.

In youth, you have the benefit of your entire future ahead of you. Your life is an adventure waiting to happen, but some people refuse to take you seriously.

This whole episode hurt my feelings immensely, and I am not sure if I have a thick enough skin to work in the magazine world. I wonder whether age, experience and a little bit of wisdom will thicken that skin. I wonder if that’s something I even want. To feel less would certainly mean less pain, but it also might mean less recognition of injustices. I hope I always remember what it is like to be young, and I never write some one off because of it.

Variety is the spice of lifeThe Intern Diaries

by Breyanna Knoll

I enjoy knowing a little about a lot of things rather than a lot about a little. Researching and writing stories at a magazine allows me to do that without very much repetition. Sure, magazines have a regular monthly routine, just like a daily newspaper does. But the stories are so different that I am constantly learning something new.

I noticed this problem at my part-time jobs throughout college. In the retail store where I worked, there were always items to be organized, clothes to put away and customers to check out. Pretty soon, it was always the same aisles, clothes and people. I never felt I accomplished anything because everything kept coming.

This feels different. Even though I write stories every month, I can actually say I finished a story. And then I get to walk away from it. Even if I’m in the middle of writing a story and it becomes particularly frustrating, I can walk away from it. I just work on something else until I’m ready to go back.

Thus far, my routine for the month has gone something as follows: I do some research based on a general topic and come up with ideas for my next month’s stories. Almost all of these usually get rejected. I think as I learn more about the magazine and it’s style, I can sneak in more of my ideas.

The managing editor sends me a list of stories to work on. Sometimes I wonder if she already had this ready before I sent her my ideas, but it does not really make a difference. I come up with contacts, research the topics, write out interview questions and call the sources. Then I write the stories. This seems like a very organized and neat way to do it. Which is why I like my system.

It really becomes much more complicated when sources refuse to speak with me. Or when a source calls at 8:00 in the morning and says, “I’m returning your call about the breast cancer story.” I’m doing 10 different stories about breast cancer right now, and they’re all either done, half-written, interviewed or have no leads whatsoever. You are going to have to give me more than that.

The easiest sources to talk to are the ones that are expecting you. Otherwise, it can be tough. This job changes pretty fluidly, but I like it that way.

Reaching doctors raises some challengesThe Intern Diaries

by Breyanna Knoll

This week challenged me. As much as everything fell in place with my first set of stories, the opposite happened as I worked through the stories for the “Breast Cancer Handbook.” I was excited to have more responsibility and more stories, and I worked hard. But things just didn’t fall in place like they needed to.

It differed slightly this time because there were particular people I need to call. With “Enhancing You,” I had a few options. If someone didn’t want to talk to me, I just moved down the list. This time there were profiles of specific people that I had to talk to in coordination with their schedules and mine.

And I had to contact doctors who had media representatives. The media representatives were actually very helpful. I would suggest we talk the next day, and they suggested we talk next week. The doctors I wanted to speak with were mostly gynecologists or oncologists. They don’t work on the smooth schedules I got used to when talking to dentists and plastic surgeons.

Luckily, everyone was so friendly this time and no one said, “I’m not interested.” Yes, that happened when I wrote a laser-surgery story.

I learned a lot about chasing down sources, though. My editor gave me a Web site for one source, but there was no email or contact number. So I tried tracking her down online. That didn’t pan out, and I left a message on some the answering machine of some poor woman who never called me back. I’m guessing it wasn’t her. But I eventually got creative and figured it out. It was challenging, but I learned from it.

Writing these stories has really piqued my interest in Race for The Cure. I volunteered before, but I never joined a team. I run marathons, so I am hoping to join a team this year for the 5K.

Getting a foot in the door - The Intern Diaries

by Breyanna Knoll

After rounding out my first two weeks at St. Louis Woman Magazine, I really love it here. The atmosphere is great, and I wrote seven small stories for the March issue! This works well because I research, write, and receive feedback constantly. This only improves my writing only as writing constantly can.

I already added little plastic cover pages to my clip book in preparation for the March issue!. You bring a clip book to an interview to show all your published pieces. The more clips you have, the better. They show your skills and that you did more than provide coffee and copies at those internships — your editor actually trusted you enough to write for the magazine.

Your student publications department is a great place to start for clips. As a freshman, you can report for the newspaper or yearbook staff. Consider the elements of a yearbook. Good ones resemble magazines. If you work on the newspaper staff, write as many features as possible. Edit like crazy for both.

A little student publications experience goes a long way, but it will not land you the job. Your competitor will have notched several internships in her belt, so I suggest you do the same.

Start with a regional magazine — somewhere that specifically focuses on a geographical area. A smaller staff allows more clips and more responsibilities. Because these magazines are spread all over the country, unlike nationals in New York City, you can complete one during the school year.

Then move on to an internship with a small national magazine and then a large national. After those, your resume will have diversity, experience and a recognizable name in it.

I actually flipped it around a little. I interned first at a small national, and I write a lot more here than I did there. I had a friend who interned with a regional magazine, freelanced for it, and took a job there after graduation. So some cases are different.
But if you want to work for a large national — like the ones you see in the checkout line at the grocery store — start small, do lots of internships and most importantly — work your butt off at every single one. You never know to whom editors are talking.