One Down, Many To Go Completion of project means diving right into the next

The Happenings are done. I couldn’t believe it. When Laura (Associate Editor) first gave me the never-ending Excel sheet and the list of tips, I never thought I would finish. And then, as I talked about last week, once I started, I thought I would never even make a dent.

Today was the first day I got onto my computer and didn’t pull up my document to do a couple of the Happenings. It felt awesome!

When Laura gave me the assignment, she told me to make sure to call for photos as I went along in order to prevent the last-minute scrounging around on deadline in order to get them all. I was going to try to do this, and it was constantly in the back of my mind. But what ended up happening? Of course, I ended up hustling at the last minute to get them all.

It’s not that I didn’t try. It’s just that I didn’t know whom to call until the middle of the last week. Since the events had to be organized in the order they occurred, I couldn’t tell who to call till I had them almost done and in order. Of course, I didn’t think of seeing who had events, writing down the date and saving the actual writeup for later so that I could put them in the proper order. Nope, didn’t think of that genius idea till the end.

Now I’m researching ideas for my next assignment, which is on weight loss. It’s not that I’m into weight loss or anything, but I do have a serious interest in this section. Most women who pick up a magazine find themselves flipping to those pages of the magazine. I’m having fun researching and looking for ideas. My roommates help generate some ideas as well since they have an interest too. Any magazine on their desk has articles on health. Weight loss is just a topic that everyone seems to keep their eye on whether they need to lose weight or not.

One would think this would be an easy topic to research, but as I was brainstorming, I had to think about so many different things. Since everyone is interested in it, everyone writes about it. I had to come up with original ideas or fresh spins on the ideas that everyone reads. This is a little harder than it sounds.

And then my family has always paid attention to health in the strangest ways. My mom’s most recent discovery is fermented foods. My roommates make fun of me for my sauerkraut and kefir that I have fermenting on my desk every once in a while. But these fermented foods helped me lose those last couple pounds I gained in Spain. I have to make sure my ideas reflect other people’s interests and aren’t too “out there” and weird.

And finally I struggled majorly in coming up with any ideas that have to do with surgical ways of losing weight. I have no experience or knowledge in this area whatsoever. Liposuction, tummy tucks and whatever else there is out there is just not an area I know much about. Freshest idea I have? Define them.

Let’s see what Rebecca, my managing editor, thinks of my ideas. I just hope I contribute.

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by Morgan Brown

Can’t Beat the Real Thing Classes help, but real-world experience is best

For the next couple weeks, I’m working on writing the Happenings section for Indianapolis Woman. It’s kind of ironic that this section is one of the most boring and tedious jobs I have done here so far and yet it is probably going to be one of the most highly read sections I write. Good practice for getting the facts straight, I guess.

By now, I’ve finished two sections for two issues. I love writing the profiles and learning about all the organizations and opportunities available in the community. I’ve learned so much not only about what’s out there but also about journalism. Mostly I’ve noticed that although my classes have definitely prepared me for the journalism field, they are still not the real-world experience.

I consistently realize two things. First, I’m seeing tactics or lessons that I have learned in my magazine editing or magazine reporting classes and realizing how my professors were teaching me the perfect strategies. For example, one of my professors taught me something as small as looking at the magazine’s writing style. I may have forgotten to do this, but it’s true. In fact, Rebecca pointed out that I need to use “says,” not “said.”

The second thing I’m realizing is that there are some things that class just can’t teach you. My college experience prepares me in many ways, but some things I have to learn from an actual real-world experience, such as this internship. For example, I didn’t realize the differences between writing for one of the feature sections and one of the sections that are more about businesses and advertisers until just last week.

I just went home this previous weekend and my parents pointed out that this is the time to start looking for my next step when I graduate in December. I started to wonder if I’d be ready. I mean I know I won’t be ready in the sense that I don’t want to graduate. I’m accidentally graduating early. Of course I’m not ready. But I’m also wondering if I’m prepared to enter the field. Will I ever write a section without being reminded to not make some of my stupid mistakes?

For now, I’m going to see if I can write the Happenings section without any major or stupid mistakes. Only minor mistakes if I can’t succeed without any at all.

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by Morgan Brown

Make a Note of It Even the most organized system can’t eliminate story-related stress

Another deadline down and another collection of sticky notes off my desk.

I’ve developed a system now. Each story has a sticky note dedicated to it. On the sticky note I write down the story’s temporary title, the sources I have to contact and each of the source’s contact information. I then stick them to my hutch so that they hang right in front of my face. As I contact the sources, I cross off their names, and as I complete the stories, I draw a huge checkmark across the sticky note.

This week I had one sticky note that I made me more nervous than I had been in a long time. It wasn’t because I was nervous about the story, like one last week, but because I couldn’t contact my most important source: the lady I was profiling.

After several days and several e-mails, we had decided on a phone interview Friday morning at either 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. What I didn’t know was what time was best for her and also what her phone number was. She had yet to give it to me.

It was just hours before my article was due and I still hadn’t heard from her. My roommate kept asking me if I was alright, as I constantly clicked refresh to check for an e-mail. I clicked it so much that I was able to delete the spam messages one by one as it entered my inbox. I checked the time on my phone so often that I had to plug it in so that it wouldn’t die from my abuse.

Finally, at 11 a.m., I received an incoming call from that fancy 317 area code. First thing I thought of was that it was a phone call asking where my story was; instead, it was her!

I have no idea how she had my number, but I sure was overjoyed to hear from her. After a chat on the phone and a little food while I calmed my nerves, I wrote the story. I checked off that last sticky note just in time.

Now my desk is clean of the old notes and ready for new ones.

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by Morgan Brown

Talent or Treasure –– With or Without Time Ways of giving back seemingly are endless

Deadline! Yes, it’s deadline week for me. I lucked out. Last week was crazy with homework, quizzes and even a test. This week, however, is just for the magazine. Homework happens to be pretty light!

As my next deadline approaches, I am learning so much on philanthropy. Granted, I knew most of it already, I just didn’t realize how much there is to know. Sure, part of being in my sorority is philanthropy. My sorority has several that it supports, especially when the spring comes and we are organizing our 5K run. And then every other sorority and fraternity supports a cause or more as well. What I didn’t really realize is how much more there is out there.

In the midst of a busy schedule, people can find so many different ways to volunteer. There is practically no limit.

It also made me think about what I do. I mean, I’m taking classes and I am working with this internship, which is great, but where does my contribution to the community lie? I’m not helping girl’s club or at church events anymore, so what am I doing?

Thank goodness I do live in a sorority. Sometimes it gets hectic. Girls screaming, constant chatter and let’s not forget the meetings, but in the end, not only do I have great friends, but through our philanthropy events, we have so many ways that we give back to the community that really suit our interests and current lifestyle.

I’m sure as I get older, my contribution will change, but amid the craziness of college, I might actually have my head on straight.

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by Morgan Brown

Job Hazards A little excitement before even getting to the office

My class schedule this semester has been amazing.

Not only do I not have any Friday classes, but I also don’t have Tuesday classes. As a result, I get to drive to Indianapolis and go into the office on Tuesdays. Up until last week, I have corresponded via e-mail and phone, so last Tuesday was my first time actually entering the office since my interview last spring.

Tuesday, when I left, I had no idea what to expect. I woke up early, looked up directions and dressed professionally but also comfortably since I had to drive for an hour. And then, as I walked out of my room, my roommates wished me luck. Little did I know I would need that luck before I even entered the office.

I was just driving along State Road 37 in the left lane passing several semis that were required to go five miles an hour slower than me, when a car came off the ramp and merged right in between two of the semis. Instead of looking in the left lane to see if anyone was passing the large roadblock of semis, he simply just moved right over into my lane. I had nowhere to go but simply into the wall of the bridge we were on. It’s a miracle he didn’t hit me as he continued to ignore my horn and sped up to move in front of me.

Great! I thought. This was going to be a great way to start my Tuesday mornings: scared of driving there.

Luckily, the rest of the day went fantastic. I walked into an office full of a friendly staff. Everyone was happy to meet me. I had to complete some basics first since I hadn’t been in the office yet. I filled out my paperwork, posed for a picture and was led to my computer. I have a computer in a magazine office!
OK, it’s not in a fancy cubicle, and I will still write most of my articles and e-mails from my own laptop in Bloomington but still... it’s exciting. I may just be an intern, but I am going somewhere with my career, and I haven’t even graduated yet.

Evidently, my first staff meeting was extra special. There were bagels! After we smeared our bagels and introductions were made, we proceeded with the meeting. Since deadline had just passed, the meeting wasn’t too crazy, and my work afterward was pretty calm as well. After a few hours I drove back home.

Don’t worry; no accidents. And by that evening I had my new assignment. Time for my next mission and my next proof that I am actually advancing in my life!

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by Morgan Brown

In the Beginning New intern ready to tackle work/school responsibilities

During “welcome week” of my senior year, one of the last things I would have expected to do would be to wake up at 9 a.m. on a Saturday morning and interview a source for an article I was writing. As the lady and I laughed about how it would be so nice to be sitting on the couch again as a child watching cartoons, I realized that I am finally growing up.

At one point in high school, my professor called us adults, and I argued that although most of us had turned 18, none of us were yet adults. We lived with our parents, we didn’t pay our bills, we didn’t have real jobs and we most certainly didn’t act mature, although sometimes we thought we did. I told him that I personally wouldn’t be an adult until I graduated college.

I think I may have grown up faster than I thought I would. Instead of waking up on a Saturday, rolling out of bed at noon and eventually maybe doing some of my homework before Sunday arrived, I am waking up to interviews and writing. Instead of “creeping” on Facebook as soon as I venture out of my bed, I check my e-mail to be sure that my source didn’t cancel on me or to see if I have any new assignments.

By now, you have probably realized that I’m the new fall intern for Indianapolis Woman and St. Louis Woman. Although I just started I can already tell that I am going to love this semester. It’s my final semester at Indiana University and my busiest yet, but even my friends are making comments like, “You really do love to write don’t you?” And I answer with a smile and a nod. I just hope everyone else loves my writing as well.

With my first deadline coming up, I am quite terrified. So many people are relying on me: Rebecca, the managing editor; my sources and, most importantly, the loyal magazine readers. I’m not worried about my classes –– I’ve made it this far. I’m used to them. I’ll do fine. I’m not worried about having time for the internship either. I already love it! In between classes, instead of doing last-minute reading or just wasting time surfing the Web, I’m trying to squeeze in a phone interview. I’m just hoping that I can meet –– if not exceed -- everyone’s expectations. I don’t want to let anyone down.

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Not Quite the End of the Road Internship is over, but the future shines bright

So I just finished the Fall Home section for September (which ended up being a bit easier than what I had imagined), and I sat back in my computer chair and realized I had no more assignments on my plate. You know what that means? My internship has come to an end. What a bittersweet feeling.

Although I am relieved to have a little more time to myself before starting school again at the end of August, I am going to miss being involved in the magazine industry. From being handed assignments and giving phone interviews to writing 300-word stories and editing them, the internship has been a journalistic cycle that I have enjoyed thoroughly. Like I mentioned before, I have learned so much that I never would have learned in a college class. It has made me realize that in the future I could possibly dip into the magazine world again, and I’ll have knowledge that others may not have.

Looking back, I must give myself a little bit of props. From the time summer began until now, I have divulged myself into Indianapolis Woman, giving every free moment to finishing assignments. With no pay and most summer days spent inside, I am proud to say that I finished and now have the experience under my belt.

I also want to give Indianapolis Woman props for the opportunity in hopes that they realize how much they have assisted me. In comparison to summer classes, the magazine has been like a school for me with Rebecca and Laura being my teachers. They have guided me on how to start/finish projects, taught me what to do in certain situations and have been great leaders for me to follow. I want to thank them for that.

Now for the future? Well, I still have a bundle of ideas on I want to do. I just know for sure that I want to finish the school semester with good grades, work more hours to save money and see where life takes me. Maybe one day I will be writing for a magazine again.

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Until then, wish me luck for what’s ahead!