So far, I think I've been pretty successful as a writer. I have over 50 clips in my portfolio; I have written a two columns, covered a beat, written reviews of everything from film to literature, and blogged about relationships. Sure, I'm having trouble breaking into the big glossies -- Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, and ELLE are magazines I would love to write for -- but most people do and I'm not out of college yet. The one thing I can say, however, is that I have a resume to rival most college juniors and I'm pretty proud.
Lately, I've writen articles for College Magazine's Career/Success section, and I've writen about my journalism experiences on this blog for a while. I'm going to start doing so more regularly.
I'm not sure how many journalism students read my blog, but here are my tips for getting those internships and other writing opportunities. Some of this I know from experience and the rest is what I wish I'd thought to do.
1. Maintain a blog.
I started blogging here before I finished high school and have continued to write about various topics here. One mistake I continue to make and which you should learn from is not posting regularly enough. It's definitely a good idea to plan out an editorial schedule. Also, you'd do well to focus on a specific subject or small range of subjects. Or, you should cover a wider range of topics with the same tone and perspective carried through, which is more the approach I've taken.
2. Build a blogging network.
Reach out to other bloggers who cover a similar topic or use the same tone/perspective. Link up and offer them the chance to write a guest post or ask to interview them. Either way, when you give them space in your corner of the World Wide Web, they'll link back to your blog on their own and their readers will likely become your readers. If nothing more, comment on other blogs and include a link to your own -- just be sure you're contributing something unique to the discussion. This is something I'm only beginning to do, but which I believe can never be done too early.
3. Expect to write for nothing.
At least for a while, you should expect very little compensation for your writing. Professional freelancers have a hard time finding well-paying markets in which to publish their work. As a journalist still in college, you'll have an even tougher time. The most I get paid is $50 an article for my neighborhood newspaper and I've been paid by only one other market.
4. Start small (local).
The best places to begin writing are your school paper or neighborhood paper. I got my start editing my high school paper (which had been defunct before my reign), and once I got to Temple, I started writing for The Temple News and my neighborhood newspaper The Juniata News. And actually, these are the only two markets that have paid me for my work so far.
5. Branch out. In other words: network, network, network!
Attend journalism workshops and conferences if you can. These are great places to begin networking. Attending the Philadelphia Daily News' Urban Journalism Workshop before my senior year of high school is how I got involved with Motivos magazine and when I learned about two.one.five magazine, where I'm now the books editor.
Also, befriend older journalism students. These are people who, if you're nice to, can bring you into the fold at their internships, etc. I got involved with Fourteenth Street magazine, an insert published in The Temple News twice every spring semester, because I had made friends with some of the juniors and seniors who were involved as writers and editors. Out of this, I got one of my favorite clips, an essay on the endangered status of chivalry.
6. Don't be ashamed to be a whore.
This is what I jokingly refer to myself as. By this I mean that I will write for anyone about anything. This doesn't mean I get paid for everything I do, but until you earn your way into a high paying market, you ought to think like this: If I have no paid assignments on my plate, then there's no harm in taking on a few unpaid ones. Clips are the name of the game.
An aside: One thing I've been told by several journalism professors and professionals is that your GPA isn't the most important thing. As long as you're doing well enough to graduate, you're okay. What matters most is getting your name out there and getting on-the-job experience.
7. Actively seek out new opportunities.
You can't just rely on referrals from older friends. You must actively seek out internships and writing positions. Here's how I do it: I regularly scope out magazines' websites and check their contact pages. Some magazines have pages dedicated to submission guidelines. I bookmark all of these.
I check the blogs of freelance writers whose work I enjoy reading to see where they submit their work and then check those publication's websites for contact info. I read the job and internship postings on ED2010's website; this is how I got a position blogging about relationships for HOSTAGE Magazine. Other good places to look for these opportunities: craigslist's writing / editing job listings, JournalismJobs.com, MediaBistro.com, and Freelance Writing Jobs.
8. Double-check your resume every time you send it out.
If you follow my advice and end up like me, always writing something new or taking on a new writing position, it's wise to make a rule that you'll double-check your resume every time you send it out. (I'll write a post exclusively about resumes soon.)
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