I'm an Editor! (sort of)

It would appear as though I have failed in maintaining my blog...again.
However I didn't fail my second year of university- Yay! I completed the year with two A's, four B's and a C, not bad if I do say so myself.

Although I've still had no luck on the work experience front, I've even applied for a few paid freelance writing jobs but to no avail. It might not be so frustrating if prospective employers would just let me know that I've been unsuccessful, rather than just leaving me hanging in this limbo-land of uncertainty.

Never one to sit around twiddling my thumbs between shelf-stacking shifts, I have made the most of my time off over the summer. Aside from spring cleaning and sorting out my household junk into eBay listings, I have become involved the student newspaper.

As mentioned in my previous posts, I wrote a couple of features for Cry Wolf before, but due to students being unaware of its existence, the new Student Union President has decided to relaunch it with a new name and team.  The previous editor Gema, was managing the whole thing on her own and the lack of support added to its demise.
But this time, we have five section editors and we're currently on the look out for an Editor in Chief.  I am the co-editor of the Culture section alongside another student, Lucy. Our section covers Food & Drink, Literature, Theatre and Art & Fashion.

My experience in these areas is covered in the following ways; I eat and drink daily, I read...a lot. I went to the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre (to see Aladdin) and I wear clothes.
Thus far, its been a challenge, but I'm thoroughly enjoying it and I can't wait for it to be launched.

I've recently had feedback from my Journalism project, which I received a B for. The comments from my lecturer were fair and constructive, and are really going to help me in my new role. I'm still assembling my team of writers and  photographers and this Saturday I am attending my first Asian Arts event in Wolverhampton which is the subject of my first feature.

I'm really excited to see it published on the finished website and be part of a project that will hopefully continue for many years after I graduate. I'll stop now before I start singing and dancing about it, I think I've spent too much time listening to the SU President, our self-proclaimed 'Dreamer.'

Fingers crossed it will be successful and toes crossed that the President will let us have T-Shirts!

Answers on a Postcard please?

A few months ago, when the editor of Cry Wolf entered our journalism classroom and blew me away with enthusiasm and grand ideas, I thought "This is exactly the kind of motivation I needed! I must be more proactive in choosing my career when I graduate"

Since then, I've tried to read more news, have more of an opinion on current affairs and to generally write more, even if its just emotional wafflings in my journal.
I decided to apply for work experience at Tindal Street Press in Birmginham, raved about by lecturers as the big dogs in publishing outside of London. I think this is mainly because most of my lecturers have been published by Tindal Street Press and trying to plug their own work while they're teaching.

Anyway I was rejected. Rejected. I dont think I have ever been rejected by something I really, really wanted before, I was devastated. I may have even cried a little bit.
It may sound a little bit arrogant but I'm 24 years old, I've worked in a variety of jobs, I very rarely get turned down for jobs and when I do its for jobs I didnt particuarly want in the first place.  I've worked in management, I'm brilliant at interviews, my experience usually speaks for itself.

I thought in order to build a portfolio and gain experience in the industry, the first thing to do would be to get some valuable work experience in a reputable company. But it turns out, my application wasnt strong enough and I didn't show enough specific interest in the company or a particuarly literary strand. But...I dont know which literary strand I want to work in, thats why I want to do work experience, so I can learn about it from the inside.
I understand that being the only big publishers in the Midlands, they are overwhelmed with applications so they have to be selective but still doesnt make it any less disappointing.

I've written a couple of articles for Cry Wolf recently but the majority of people just arent aware of its existence, so I'm not sure whether I'm wasting my time or not.

On Friday I attended a Journalism lecture about Gonzo journalism which was fashioned by Hunter S. Thompson, author of  'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.'
In all honesty the lecture just baffled me, I spent the whole 2 hours thinking of Gonzo from the muppets because the lecturer failed to give a definition of the term.  Then she asked us to write a feature article in the style of Gonzo about two candidates in the Student Union elections.

Today I decided to go over my lecture notes and read some of my fellow students interpretations of the assignment to see if I had the right idea in mind and I was bowled over.
Jasmine and Sam were the only students so far to have posted their articles in the Journalism forum and they were both brilliant. Jasmine's was funny and insightful and she wasnt afraid to let her vulnerability shine through in her writing.
Sam's was also funny but in a more Middle-Class, intellectual way with references to politics and apparently well-known journalists who I've never heard of. Both were well contstructed, flowed well and got to the point.

They have put me to shame, I'm now doubting my abilities, my style, my talent (if I actually have any) and I thought "No wonder Tindal Street rejected me, I'm no good."

I don't know what I'm going to do now. Do I carry on writing at this mediocre, average level, always knowing that these are the people I'm going to have to cope with? Do I try harder and fail in the process? Should I simply resign myself to the fact that I will work at Asda, stacking shelves for the rest of my natural life?
My husband, much as I love him doesn't understand my problem. He rarely reads and when he does its usually a book about species of birds or plants or a gamekeeping/ shooting magazine. I wish I could talk to someone who could give me an answer, who could say "This is the job for you, you'll be brilliant at it so now just do XYZ and you'll be eternally happy with a decent amount of money."

Charmian Hussey

This is an article assigned to me by the editor of CryWolf about an author called Charmian Hussey.

http://www.wolvesunion.org/news/article/6911/Hussey-A-Howling-Success-and-Inspiration/?skin=newspaper&template=newspaper-article

Thoroughly Marvellous Millican

This is a review that I wrote of a Sarah Millican gig I attended with my husband on 4th February at Wolverhampton Civic Hall:

http://www.wolvesunion.org/news/article/6911/Thoroughly-Marvellous-Millican/?skin=newspaper&template=newspaper-article

Not at all Marvellous

A book review of "A Tiny Bit Marvellous" by Dawn French.

This is the story of Mo Battle, a child psychologist approaching fifty who doesn’t understand her own teenagers.  The story is told in the format of a diary with the entries being written in turn from the perspective of Mo, her eighteen year old daughter Dora, and her sixteen year old son Peter.  The storyline and general character base are an interesting depiction of modern family life and have the potential to be developed into an insightful and enjoyable read.

However poor character development, prose and narrative are the biggest let downs here. I didn’t expect the next great British novel from Dawn French, but I did expect some humour. 

Dora, I imagine is based on Harry Enfield’s exaggerated teenager Kevin, Peter who is supposed to be obsessed with Oscar Wilde came across as arrogant and irritating and Mo, for a child psychologist, she seems to have absolutely no awareness of anyone around her.  The only characters who had any depth and interest to them were the overlooked and neglected Husband and Grandmother, not just by the co-protagonists but by the author too.

The diary format, I personally felt was lazy.  It failed to show any interaction between the characters, which when writing about the relationships in a family, should have been considered an important factor.  An omnipotent, third person narrator would have suited this story much better.

Overall this was a boring, lazy use of cliché with an ending that could have saved the novel but was finished in too much of a hurry.  Dawn French should either quit while she’s ahead or take some writing classes.