Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Week 16

December 5 - December 11, 2010

Monday 3:30 - 5:30
Tuesday 12:15 - 5:30
Wednesday 3:30 - 5:30
Thursday 1:00 - 5:30

Total Hours: 13.75

Spent the week researching the Mar/Apr Events Guide.

The End!

The end, of my internship, the end of the semester, the end of my college career! I graduate in 1 week. I have never been more proud of myself!

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Week 15

November 29 - December 4, 2010

Monday 3:30 - 6:00
Tuesday 1:00 - 5:30
Wednesday 3:45 - 5:30
Thursday 11:45 - 4:45

Total Hours: 13.75

Well, I'll have my 240 hours in, by the end of the day. I love that, because it means next week is just gravy.

One of the editors asked me if I wanted to work through the Christmas break for extra credit. Lol! I gracefully declined. I think she was kidding. I hope she was kidding.

Actually, I probably would ordinarily for the experience, but I graduate in 2 weeks. Oh my! It was a long time coming, but the hard work finally paid off. I'm very excited to start the next chapter in my life.

The editors have finished layout on the Jan/Feb issue, so we're in a lull again. It's nice really. I'm actually doing homework at work.

Just 1 more week! Wowza!

Monday, November 29, 2010

Week 14

November 21 - November 27, 2010

Monday 3:30-5:30
Tuesday 11:30-5:30
Wednesday 3:30-5:30
Thursday / Thanksgiving

Total hours: 10

I just fact-checked the Dining Guide this week. That and did some last minute research before publication. I think the editors are trying to get everything done early in anticipation of the holidays.

Wednesday evening the office was like a ghost town. It was just me and one other employee on the whole floor.

Even though I like talking to people on the phone and working for the magazine, I'm ready for the semester to be over. I feel like I've grown in this job as much as I'm going to, and it's time to move on to bigger and better things.

Two more weeks!

Monday, November 22, 2010

Week 13

November 14 - November 20, 2010

Monday 3:30 - 5:30
Tuesday 11:30-1:10
Wednesday 3:30-6:15
Thursday 12:00-5:45

Total hours: 13.1

Well, the editors are back on deadline. Where did the time go?

We are getting into serious fact-checking now and preparing for the Jan/Feb issue. Food and drink is the theme, and boy does it make me hungry every single day.

I'm fact-checking the dining guide, and I have to call restaurants and listen to them wax eloquently, as only chefs can do, about exquisite cuisine. I'd get fat, if I did this every day.

Three more weeks!!!!!

Monday, November 15, 2010

Week 12

Monday 3:30-5:30
Tuesday 12:00-5:30
Wednesday 3:30-5:30
Thursday / Veterans Day

Total hours: 9.5

This was my favorite week of working at the magazine so far. I actually got a holiday! Although I spent most of the day doing homework, it was still an unexpected gift to have a day off in the middle of the semester.

The articles for the January/February issue are starting to come in, so I spent the week factchecking stories.

In a couple of weeks the editors will go in deadline mode again, so I feel like I am back where I started in August. It has been a rewarding experience to see an entire cycle for a bimonthly edition of Oklahoma Today magazine.

Just 4 more weeks and I will be out finding a real job for a magazine. Scary! And exciting at the same time!

Monday, November 8, 2010

Week 11

Monday 3:30 - 5:30
Tuesday 12:00 - 5:30
Thursday 12:00 - 5:30

Total hours: 13

After a couple of weeks of calm, articles started pouring in to factcheck this week.

I am still trying to get high resolution photos for some of the stories in the Jan/Feb issue. I think this is the most frustrating assignment I've been given at the magazine.

It would be easier to load up a camera, get in my car, and go take them myself. :)

All in all though, a good week.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Week 10

October 24 - October 30, 2010

Sunday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 11 p.m. - 3 a.m.
Monday 3:30-5:30
Tuesday 11:45-5:30
Wednesday 3:30-5:30
Thursday 11:30-5:30

Total Hours: 22.75

Another long week. I spent most of it calling around for photographs to use in the Events Guide.

I learned that photographs need to be high resolution (300 dpi) for them to be printable in the magazine. I guess that's good information.

The rest of the week I spent interviewing sources for a 250 word story in the Jan/Feb issue. If they publish it, I will have two bylines in this issue. Isn't that exciting? Trouble is, I'll already be in Florida.

Oh well. Maybe someone will send it to me.

In six more weeks, I'll be a college graduate. Who'd have thought it would ever happen?

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Week 9

October 17-October 23, 2010

Monday 3:30-5:30
Tuesday 12:00-7:00
Wendnesday 3:30-5:30
Thursday 11:30-6:00, 8:00-3:00 a.m.
Friday 11:30-3:00 a.m.

Total Hours: 28

Yes, you read that correctly-3 a.m.

I finished writing the events guide this week. My deadline was Thursday, but I only sent a draft to my editor on Thursday night. The finished product didn't get there until 3:00 on Monday morning. What a weekend!

I do feel it was pretty decent, and I am proud of my work.

I'm a little concerned with the time it took me. I think I'm a little slow at researching and writing. I have gotten faster in the last 2 years. In the summer of 2008 I worked for The Oklahoma Daily. I had never written for a publication before, and I was freaked. My first story took 10 hours to write. Is that not crazy? The same type of story would take me about 3 hours to finish now, so that's an improvement. :)

I was given two weeks to complete the Events Guide. My editor requested 140-150 events. I think that would have been enough time, plus some change, if I worked fulltime. But, since I only work 15-20 hours a week, it was a struggle to complete the events guide by deadline. And in the end, I didn't.

The editor was very understanding. She said it was only the second time she's assigned the Events Guide, so her timing of how long it should take to complete might have been a little off. I was relieved that she was so cool about it. In J school, we learn that deadlines are non-negotiable. That might not be the case in the real world.

Needless to say, I'm glad it's done. And as a bonus, I got an assignment to write another story. I love it when a plan starts coming together!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Week 8

October 10 - October 16, 2010

Monday 3:30-5:30
Tuesday 11:30-5:30
Wednesday 3:30-5:30
Thursday 11:30-5:30

Total Hours: 16

I spent all week researching the Events Guide for the Jan/Feb issue. I had no idea there was so much work involved. Sometimes, I have to get up and walk around the office, because it gets frustrating. I don't know what that means, except it's pretty tedious work.

We try to come up with 140 to 150 events. Thankfully, Oklahoma's a big state. There's actually more going on than I thought.

That's it. That's all I worked on this week, but I feel like I've worked exceptionally hard.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Week 7

October 3 - October 9, 2010

Monday 3:30 - 5:30
Tuesday 11:30 - 5:30
Wednesday 3:30 - 5:30
Thursday 11:30 - 5:30

Total Hours: 16

There's a much lighter mood in the office this week. The deadline pressures are off, and people are more relaxed. We had celebratory cupcakes from Cuppies and Joe, and we even left a little early on Friday.

It's always a good feeling. When you've worked so hard at something and the payoff finally comes, the soul commands that you revel in your victory. I suspect this is how I'll feel when I finally graduate too. After more than 10 years of college, I will undboubtedly want to shout from the highest mountain top. Most people will think I'm crazy. But, who cares? I'll probably do it anyway!

I was asked to do some research this week, so I believe we will waste no time getting started on the next issue. I suppose that's good. I don't do very well when I'm bored.

And, just when I thought I would do nothing but research and factchecking in this internship, the assistant editor asked me to put together the Events Guide for the Jan/Feb issue.

Isn't that exciting? I will have my very first byline in a magazine that people actually pay cash money for. My mom will be so proud. :)

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Week 6

September 26 - October 2, 2010

Monday 3:30-5:30
Tuesday 11:30 - 6:00
Wednesday 3:30-6:00
Thursday 11:30-6:00

Total Hours: 17.5

Things are getting really intense, since the magazine has to be done at the end of October.

I went to the creative offices this week, to give one of the editors some updated information. It was a very nice downtown OKC office in an old building, and it was very casual. I wouldn't mind working in a laidback atmosphere like that, as opposed to the corporate world of cubicles. So blah, so dehumanizing!

Plus it was very near the McNellie's in OKC. Next time I have to drop off something at the end of the day, I will stop off for a pint or porter. That's how they order beer in Ireland. "I'll have a pint of porter." I'm not sure if Guiness is porter, but it looks very similar to the porter I drank in Ireland-dark and rich.

The work is the same. I'm just researching and factchecking, - a lot! On Thursday I didn't even have time to go down to "The Buzz" for a latte. No worries, though. We'll get through it. And probably in the next week or two, things will slow way down.

I can't wait to see what the theme of Jan/Feb issue will be. This military issue has been very educational. I've learned so much about the military and about military institutions in Oklahoma. I can't wait to learn about something else.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Week 5

September 19 - September 25, 2010

Monday 3:30 - 6:45
Tuesday 11:30 - 5:45
Wednesday 3:30 - 5:30
Thursday 11:30 - 3:30

Total Hours: 15.5

Still on deadline. I hear this process takes a few weeks, so I might not see my boss for a while.

The good thing about email is, my boss can still get work to me. The bad thing about email is, my boss can still get work to me. :)

Email is a major source of communication in this office. I think that's both good and bad. Great because it's quick and efficient, not so great because building strong team relationships requires face to face interaction.

I'm just factchecking articles this week, and they need them all yesterday.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Week 4

September 12 - September 18, 2010

Monday 3:15 - 6:00
Tuesday 11:30 - 5:30
Wednesday 3:30 - 6:30
Thursday 11:30 - 6:45

Total hours: 19

We're on deadline!

I'm not sure what that means exactly, but everybody in the office has said it at least once this week.

Okay, I guess I have some sense of what that means. The editorial staff has started layout for the Nov/Dec issue, and the timelines to have everything completed are getting tighter. As the copy editor told me, "we need everything yesterday."

There were some things I liked about being "on deadline." First, the office was quieter, because the editorial staff was working off site. And second, with the frenetic pace, the week just flew by.

People were a little testier than usual in conversation, but that's to be expected when the pressure is on.

I will be glad when we are "off deadline." Mostly, because I have questions for my boss about how that whole process works. I wanted to ask a million this week, but something tells me now is not the time.

Oh, and something else really cool happened. The copy editor was running short on time and asked for ideas on a story headline and subhead. I learned I'm not very good at subheads yet. This was good to know, because I can start working on this. But, the cool thing was, she used the headline I suggested. It was so fun!

Monday, September 13, 2010

Week 3

September 5 - September 11, 2010

Monday - Labor Day
Tuesday 11:30 - 5:30
Wednesday 3:30 - 5:45
Thursday 11:30 - 5:30

Total Hours: 14.25

For a short week, it was very busy. The holiday made tracking people down tricky, but I managed to finish 4 of the 5 stories I was factchecking.

The magazine is working on a military issue for Veterans Day. Some of the stories are very interesting, which is kind of the neat thing about what I'm doing. I get to read all the stories before anyone else does.

It's heartwarming really, to see how the state of Oklahoma supports veterans. My family has a rich history with the military. Besides a plethora of uncles who served in WWII and Korea, my brother served in Viet Nam with the U.S. Air Force, and my son served in Iraq with the Marine Corps.

Because I know firsthand the challenges veterans face when they come home, I am deeply grateful to those who donate time, money and resources to support the men and women of our military. They sacrifice more than many can imagine in service to our country.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Week 2

August 29 - September 4, 2010

Monday 3:15 - 5:30
Tuesday 11:30 - 5:30
Wednesday 3:30 - 5:45
Thursday 11:30 - 5:30

Total Hours: 16.5

I had forgotten how cold business offices could be! Although it's 95 degrees outside, I have to dress for winter inside. Jackets are a must. Plus, they hide a multitude of sins.

My internship at Oklahoma Today is going very well. I get to talk to many different kinds of people on the phone as part of the factchecking process. It's one of the things about journalism that I love-talking to interesting people and learning about interesting topics.

Since OT is a bi-monthly magazine, the deadlines are not as tight as they would be at a monthly publication. I think this is helpful to someone learning the business.

It is getting busier, though. I was given 5 stories to factcheck this week. But, so far, it's tons of fun.

My editor told me I will make a good journalist this week. She said having real-world experience is helpful in what I'm doing. This was a truly wonderful thing to hear, since I thought being old was a detriment. Interns are supposed to be twenty-something. Right?

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Week 1

August 22 - August 28, 2010

Day Time Hours
Monday 3:15 - 5:30
Tuesday 11:30 - 5:30
Wednesday 3:15 - 5:30
Thursday 11:30 - 5:30

Total Hours 16.75

Rush home from class each day and get ready to drive to the city for my internship.

The rushing part is easy, getting ready is a little sketchier. It's been three years since I've dressed in business clothes-three years and 20 lbs. College has not been good for my health.

During the first week, I learned the flow of the office, and what my major tasks will be. Factchecking and research mostly, and maybe a little writing thrown in.

I don't care really, I'm just excited to have this opportunity to learn how a magazine editorial department operates. I'm a very lucky lady.