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 |  If you don't have a dream, how are you going to make a dream come true? |
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2013 Goals
Write 52 Reviews / current = 27 Read 40 books / current = 9 Enter 12 Contests/Activities / current = 4 Host/Judge 2 Contest/Activity / current = 2 Other goals:  Be patient Let go of anger/negativity Monthly bloggingSome other places you can find me: http://www.twitter.com/spidergirl502 http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1792019-tonia http://365project.org/spidergirl/365
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I know there is an unofficial rule to blogging that you're supposed to write everyday, or at least as close to that as possible. That's not going to happen in this blog. I just don't work often enough to make me write each day. I have another assignment tonight - a check presentation to a fire company. It came with a press release. I love press releases! They usually give me all or almost all of the information I'll need to write up the caption/story. This way I have half the assignment done before I even get to the event! I also just like knowing what I'm getting into before I arrive. I'm not sure how it happens, but there are a number of times that I'll go to an event to find out that it's something completely different than what I was expecting. I'm actually hoping for a slow weekend this week. My assignments rarely interfere with any other plans that I have, but I actually have two jobs. My other job is writing for and maintaining an online magazine that supports local bands and musicians. I tend to go to shows over the weekend and stay out quite late. Sometimes I get very little sleep between my two jobs, but it always works out in the end.  |
| Friday night was the Fire Police Induction ceremony, which was just a quick photo. One older gentleman asked me my age. A lot of people ask me this when I'm working. They tend to think I'm a teenager, and I supposed they wonder how a teenager began working for a newspaper. They're always shocked to learn I'm 26. When getting names, it's important to get titles. Often people will forget to tell you their title. With this assignment, there were lieutenants and sergeants. The rest started joking that others' titles were "private." The other photographer and I jotted this down, until they told us not to write it down. The thing is, we don't question what we're told. We assume people are telling us the truth, and what they want printed in the paper! I'm glad they let us know they were joking! This morning I went to an elementary school where they were holding a free throw competition. Luckily, I arrived at the end and didn't have to stay long. The town's police chief (and the guy I wrote my first story for the paper on when he won an award) calls me Lois Lane. The other reporter is Clark Kent, of course. (There are actually three local newspapers. That's why I mention other reporters and photographers.) I had enough information for the event to write up a story on it instead of just submitting one photo caption. I just got back from the Elks, where it was a fairly quick photo. The state representative, though, informed me that my newspaper has been spelling his first name wrong. I double-checked my assignments, and I've always spelled his name right. I'm in the middle of editing my photos and writing up my captions. Next, I'll email them to the newspaper office (to the night editor). The deadline for something to run in the next day's paper is 10pm. On Monday, I'll visit the regional office to turn in my work report. As a stringer, I charge the newspaper for the work that I do - $15 for a photo with a caption (photo caption) and $33 for a story. So, I did about 2.5 total hours of work for three assignments in two days, and I'll make $78. Not bad! |
To start with, I never planned to be a journalist. When I was in college, studying for my Liberal Arts degree with a concentration in English, people would ask if I was planning on being A. a teacher or B. a journalist. I didn't want to be either of those. I assumed that journalism involved writing dry, non-fiction, a basic report of something that happened. I didn't want any part of that, as I felt it stifled creativity. A few years after college, I found myself working in a deli. That's what I got for getting a BLA, really. One day, though, my co-worker's husband contacted me. He was a stringer for a local newspaper, and they needed more people to cover his area. He knew I had an English background and told his editor who was thrilled. We met, and I had my first assignment. Boy was I wrong about journlism! My very first assignment was taking a photo during a check presentation - a strict line-up, pose and shoot kind of deal. My second assignment was a big deal. A local police officer was receiving a prestigous award. He was also a good friend of my editor's, and she was supposed to do the assignment. She couldn't make it, though, and neither could anyone else. It was passed down to me. I got to write up a full "story," as they're called, not "article." (Strange that journalists call articles stories.) I realized right away how much creativity goes into being a journalist. Sure, I get my assignment, I go to the event, and have to write about it. But they don't tell you what to write. They don't tell you what angle they're looking for. It's all up to the writer. There's much room for creativity and good writing. I cover community events, ranging from dress rehearsals for high school plays to installation of officers for local organizations. It may sound boring, but I get to meet the most interesting people. It really has started to give me more faith in my community, because I get to meet the people that really care about it. I suppose it has its drawbacks, just like every other job. (I got yelled at by someone once who felt I was in the way of spectators taking photos. Excuse me, I'm just the professional photographer...) Overall, though, my experience being a stringer has been a great one. I have a bit of a busy weekend ahead: Tonight I'll be covering the swearing in of Fire Police. Saturday morning I'm covering a "Hoop Shoot" at an elementary school. I have no idea what that means.  Saturday evening I'll be taking a photo of "Elk of the Year" in a nearby town. That'll be a quick one. The Elks are pretty secretive. I usually snap the photo, and they kick me out. They're really nice about it, though. Here's to a weekend of surprises! Another thing I love about this job - every assignment is different, and I never know what to expect. Some may draw back in fear at the thought of their workday being full of surprises, but I love it. |
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