Week three had me back in my cubicle, mostly editing and battling with Drupal, the software platform Bonnier uses for their online content. I am usually quite good with technology, and I caught on pretty quickly, but glitches in the system tested my patience a bit… I ended up spending the entire day on a post that I thought would take me two hours. But it turned out looking great, and I learned a lot. Shout out to Alex Bean for the awesome crash course in HTML and CS5!
First priority all week were the “Epsons,” which are basically the final copies we ship to print. They need to be perfect. Scuba Diving’s Oct/Nov issue was shipped to print on Wednesday, and with Mary Frances gone and Patricia in the sales meetings all week, the pace was fast and furious.
I loved it.
I really felt a part of the team—after all, it really does take a team to get the content from word documents à fact-checking à edit à copy edit à design à proof à Epson à print. Everyone plays a key role, even the interns. Every extra set of eyes helps.
I also had my first encounter with rewriting. Sometimes the facts you find out while writing and researching change the arc of the story—I needed to focus on a different, more relevant and worthwhile angle on a marine conservation, and I had to completely rewrite it.
It is true that constructive criticism makes you better. One of the most valuable opportunities this internship has given me so far—besides the obviously phenomenal experience as a whole—is having my writing edited. Not graded, but edited.
We are always learning, always changing, and we always have the opportunity to improve. Being around better writers has pushed me to hold myself to their standards and to try to get better at my craft.
There is nothing better than coming home after a busy day at your internship and realizing that you wouldn’t rather be doing anything else.
Next up: My first press trip—Adventuring in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea!
