Here is the link to my web portfolio
http://community.wvu.edu/~ees011/index.html
I'm not sure why the background images would not load--I had the box "url is relative to page location" checked for each one, but they did not upload when I put them on the server. I had to go back and add color so that the pages were not completely black and white, but Seamonkey doesn't give very many color options.
I was having problems uploading images, but those eventually worked.
It was quite an adventure getting it uploaded, so hopefully it works! Thanks!
Erin S.
Well, that part is over...
The poster presentation was incredibly fun! I greatly enjoyed talking to the public and judges about my work. I had previously only been explaining my work to my roommates and people that knew me, but the presentation allowed me to talk to other supervisors and professors in the English department.
I work in the West Virginia Dialect Project lab during the week with Dr. Kirk Hazen, and was in the lab right before I was to present my poster. Kirk decided that the labbies needed a "field trip" as he called it, so we all went to observe the posters. I was able to practice my explanations about the poster with people, and this proved to be incredibly helpful later.
I enjoyed being able to see everyone else's work from the semester. I was even able to see how diverse being a professional writer is...it is more than just writing up a press release or working as a type of paralegal. Professional writers can do so much for organizations! I look forward to working as a professional writer in a business or freelance.
Dr. Brady came by to discuss my project with me, and she asked me what the most significant item was that I learned from my experience. My answer? That freelance writing is stressful, time-consuming, frustrating, but so incredibly rewarding! It might sound cliche, but I enjoyed every moment of the freelance aspect of my internship (yes, some moments were not pleasant at the time, but in retrospect provided great examples of what I can do to better my work and public relations).
I think that working for the M. T. Pockets Theatre increased the kinds of genres in which I was comfortable writing. I had never worked with press releases before the semester began, and I was able to see a significant improvement in my writing. I'm incredibly grateful for the experience this internship offered. Working for a community theatre is, I'm sure, very different from working for a theatre where the actors' only job is to act. In the community theatre, each person has a job outside of the theatre--even though this could get in the way of the show, the show was always performed well. I think the same can be said for press releases because, this semester at least, I was working two other jobs and going to school full time. I couldn't let my other projects get in the way of my writing for the theatre. The whole process proved to be a rewarding experience with which I know I would love to continue!
I enjoyed being able to see everyone else's work from the semester. I was even able to see how diverse being a professional writer is...it is more than just writing up a press release or working as a type of paralegal. Professional writers can do so much for organizations! I look forward to working as a professional writer in a business or freelance.
Dr. Brady came by to discuss my project with me, and she asked me what the most significant item was that I learned from my experience. My answer? That freelance writing is stressful, time-consuming, frustrating, but so incredibly rewarding! It might sound cliche, but I enjoyed every moment of the freelance aspect of my internship (yes, some moments were not pleasant at the time, but in retrospect provided great examples of what I can do to better my work and public relations).
I think that working for the M. T. Pockets Theatre increased the kinds of genres in which I was comfortable writing. I had never worked with press releases before the semester began, and I was able to see a significant improvement in my writing. I'm incredibly grateful for the experience this internship offered. Working for a community theatre is, I'm sure, very different from working for a theatre where the actors' only job is to act. In the community theatre, each person has a job outside of the theatre--even though this could get in the way of the show, the show was always performed well. I think the same can be said for press releases because, this semester at least, I was working two other jobs and going to school full time. I couldn't let my other projects get in the way of my writing for the theatre. The whole process proved to be a rewarding experience with which I know I would love to continue!
Reflections are helpful for more people than just me
Another aspect of the poster is the reflection. I like being able to include this as part of the poster...I remember the days of high school projects when the reflection was to be part of the oral experience and not the written one. I'm quite glad I get to include it here.
The following is what I am working with now for the reflection:
I have learned and experienced so much during my semester-long internship at the M. T. Pockets Community Theatre. Each press release and article allowed me to practice concise wording and summarizing, as well as work with new topics. Through the freewriting exercises I did, I was able to formulate how to write an article in the most efficient way while not bogging it down with useless information. While waiting for a reply from a director, I would practice my style, focusing on being concise and consistent. I had to continually work on my length, tone, and content when corresponding with directors in order to get pertinent answers to my questions. This was the most frustrating part of my job because I struggled with getting to the point. The most valuable item I learned during my internship is that deadlines are vital and I must abide by them. My internship opened my eyes to the world of freelance writing, and, though it can be stressful and irritating at times, I find it rewarding and full of possibilities.
The following is what I am working with now for the reflection:
I have learned and experienced so much during my semester-long internship at the M. T. Pockets Community Theatre. Each press release and article allowed me to practice concise wording and summarizing, as well as work with new topics. Through the freewriting exercises I did, I was able to formulate how to write an article in the most efficient way while not bogging it down with useless information. While waiting for a reply from a director, I would practice my style, focusing on being concise and consistent. I had to continually work on my length, tone, and content when corresponding with directors in order to get pertinent answers to my questions. This was the most frustrating part of my job because I struggled with getting to the point. The most valuable item I learned during my internship is that deadlines are vital and I must abide by them. My internship opened my eyes to the world of freelance writing, and, though it can be stressful and irritating at times, I find it rewarding and full of possibilities.
I'd like to use some visual aids for this part...I think that it's a bit too much for the reader to take in when it's still in paragraph form. I might try the same thing I did with the responsibilities/activities part, i.e. underlining, bolding, italicizing the most important aspects.
Fun and now back to writing!
What press release should I use!?
This has proven to be a difficult decision because I've written several during the course of my internship. I don't particularly want to have the Dirty Spelling Bee article on there...it was so difficult to write, mainly because the topic was one I'd never had to write about. The Spelling Bee was a fundraiser for the theatre where adults (18+) were allowed to spell "dirty" words. It was difficult, but I think it turned out to be my best release because I had to be so careful with it. I've already decided to have a notebook with most of my work in it with my project so that there is more to the poster than just the 2D things.
I'd like to use the Romeo & Juliet article because I think that, even though it was my first one, it was one of the best examples of my explaining ability. I had to condense a largely-known text into a press release without giving away the ending that everyone already knows! To say it was difficult doesn't really cut it...
I think that, because I had to work with a well-known item, Romeo & Juliet would be a good representation of the type of work a professional writer will have to do. There are always writings coming out with a synopsis of a well-known item that never cease to impress me by the way the writer handled the text from which they worked.
I would like the whole article to be on the board, but I don't want to overwhelm the reader/viewer. I think I'll highlight one part of the article so that the eye immediately turns there...the one part would most likely be the synopsis of the work.
I know that having a notebook full of my work will demonstrate that I did more than simply write a 350 word article every other week.
Responsibilities and Writing!
The responsibilities section for the poster I think will be the easiest to explain. I have an idea of what I want to put down based on some of the posters we were shown in class.
The following I think works for now:
My responsibilities as the professional writer for the theatre included
· Researching shows and actors
· Contacting & Interviewing directors, actors, and playwrights
· Writing a press release for each show
· Developing new ideas for writing press releases
· Creating articles about fundraisers
· Providing my supervisor with information regarding my projects
· Meeting the deadline
My number one priority was to get the news of an upcoming show to the public. This included supplying them with the correct information, as well as a brief synopsis of what show they would see.
My responsibilities as the professional writer for the theatre included
· Researching shows and actors
· Contacting & Interviewing directors, actors, and playwrights
· Writing a press release for each show
· Developing new ideas for writing press releases
· Creating articles about fundraisers
· Providing my supervisor with information regarding my projects
· Meeting the deadline
My number one priority was to get the news of an upcoming show to the public. This included supplying them with the correct information, as well as a brief synopsis of what show they would see.
I want the list to be bulleted so that the viewer can easily glean the information from the section without having to read every word. I might use underlining and bolding to get the point across better.
Descriptions are helpful little things...
How does one go about concisely explaining a theatre? And a community theatre at that...
This has proven to be a major source of ire through the poster because the theatre is such a vast thing! I'd like to incorporate aspects of the theatre's website explanation in mine because it used vocab that I was not familiar with before this semester.
I'd like to start by saying where the theatre is located because I have not met anyone who knows about it or about the Mon Arts Center. I'd also like to explain the community aspect of the theatre for the viewer. I keep reminding myself that the poster will be on display hours before I am actually there explaining it. Because of this, I need to have all the information for the poster on the poster and not in my head. For those students who pop-in during the day to see the exhibition, I want to show them each aspect.
Here is a current sample of what I have for the description of the organization:
This has proven to be a major source of ire through the poster because the theatre is such a vast thing! I'd like to incorporate aspects of the theatre's website explanation in mine because it used vocab that I was not familiar with before this semester.
I'd like to start by saying where the theatre is located because I have not met anyone who knows about it or about the Mon Arts Center. I'd also like to explain the community aspect of the theatre for the viewer. I keep reminding myself that the poster will be on display hours before I am actually there explaining it. Because of this, I need to have all the information for the poster on the poster and not in my head. For those students who pop-in during the day to see the exhibition, I want to show them each aspect.
Here is a current sample of what I have for the description of the organization:
The M. T. Pockets Theatre Company is located in the Monongalia Arts Center (MAC) on High Street. This community theatre strives to improve the arts in and around the Morgantown area by performing works that promote women and minorities, and by providing aspiring playwrights and directors with a venue to showcase their works.
I think this works as a stand-in description because it highlights aspects of the theatre that the general public won't know without consulting the theatre website reflection and such. I'll keep working on it, though!
Rhetoricalness is importanness...
One of the components for the poster is the rhetorical decision aspect.
For the press releases, I have a very rigid set of rules that I have to abide by in order to write one correctly. By "correctly" I mean in a way so that my supervisor doesn't have to rewrite them. I have not yet run into a situation where this occurred, but it almost happened with my first release because it was almost 50 words over the maximum required. Oh, the joys! My supervisor had one legacy document that I could check my work by, and this one was three years old. I asked several questions about whether or not the release could be more than that and such, but I never received a straight answer regarding it. I was able to piece together information from the legacy release so that I could write mine. The following are the rules that I realized pertained to each press release:
For the press releases, I have a very rigid set of rules that I have to abide by in order to write one correctly. By "correctly" I mean in a way so that my supervisor doesn't have to rewrite them. I have not yet run into a situation where this occurred, but it almost happened with my first release because it was almost 50 words over the maximum required. Oh, the joys! My supervisor had one legacy document that I could check my work by, and this one was three years old. I asked several questions about whether or not the release could be more than that and such, but I never received a straight answer regarding it. I was able to piece together information from the legacy release so that I could write mine. The following are the rules that I realized pertained to each press release:
· Write no more than 350 words
· Include only the necessary information (when, where, cost, plot)
· Ensure that formatting is standard and font is TNR size 12 pt.
· Use clear spelling with no complex phrases or clichés
· Do NOT give away the ending
· Leave enough room for an entire cast list
· Insert comments if there is anything needing to be added by the supervisor, like the last name of an actor
· Meet the deadline
I would like to place these in a central location on the poster board so that the viewer can easily see that these applied to everything I wrote for the theatre.
From my understanding, these would be the "rhetorical decisions" part of the poster because I had to keep them in mind and not blatantly express them in my writing.
Planning the Poster
One of the main reasons I was incredibly excited for this semester was because I'd get to put together a poster about my internship experience. I think that the posters are an excellent way to explain the semester-long process because it forces the students to concisely explain their work to an audience that both understands the writing process and the work required by a professional writer in an organization. I look forward to being critiqued by my peers and the Masters students because both groups know what being a professional writer takes. I think that the whole process works well to help the students with their explanations.
For my poster, I want to show the side of the theatre in which I worked. I was not in an office environment as many of my peers were, but rather I worked freelance from my residence. Living in a dorm, I soon realized, is not very conducive to writing press releases (or much else, for that matter). I would like to walk the viewer through my writing process so that he/she can better understand what I did and how.
I greatly appreciate the fact that the syllabus clearly explains the various parts of the poster. By looking through the syllabus I was able to make a checklist of everything I needed to meet the requirements.
The requirements are as follows: Title, Brief description of the organization, Brief description of your internship experience where you interned, 2-3 professional writing documents that illustrate your internship experience, Your analysis of each document, Visuals.
I think that each component is vital to the success of the poster because each aspect builds off the previous and helps to connect the dots for the viewer. I think the hardest part for me will be coming up with a clever title! Current ideas: Seven Days 'til Tuesday (which would confuse the viewer because the presentation is on a Thursday...), Six Days 'til Curtain Time (eh...doesn't sound too professional...), Six Days 'til Showtime!!! (I like this one the best because it incorporates the jargon of the theatre into the poster immediately...it also brings to mind the idea that the deadline is incredibly important.)
I'll keep working on each component of the poster...I love putting together posters and haven't had the chance to do so since high school. Yay posters!
For my poster, I want to show the side of the theatre in which I worked. I was not in an office environment as many of my peers were, but rather I worked freelance from my residence. Living in a dorm, I soon realized, is not very conducive to writing press releases (or much else, for that matter). I would like to walk the viewer through my writing process so that he/she can better understand what I did and how.
I greatly appreciate the fact that the syllabus clearly explains the various parts of the poster. By looking through the syllabus I was able to make a checklist of everything I needed to meet the requirements.
The requirements are as follows: Title, Brief description of the organization, Brief description of your internship experience where you interned, 2-3 professional writing documents that illustrate your internship experience, Your analysis of each document, Visuals.
I think that each component is vital to the success of the poster because each aspect builds off the previous and helps to connect the dots for the viewer. I think the hardest part for me will be coming up with a clever title! Current ideas: Seven Days 'til Tuesday (which would confuse the viewer because the presentation is on a Thursday...), Six Days 'til Curtain Time (eh...doesn't sound too professional...), Six Days 'til Showtime!!! (I like this one the best because it incorporates the jargon of the theatre into the poster immediately...it also brings to mind the idea that the deadline is incredibly important.)
I'll keep working on each component of the poster...I love putting together posters and haven't had the chance to do so since high school. Yay posters!
A Midterm Reflection, in Blog Style
Because it is midterm month, I will take this moment to explain the areas in which I have improved so far in my writing and communications with others. I will also look at the places I have trouble, and how I think I can improve.
I realize that this internship is quite unlike other internships in that I do most of my work away from an "office". This job can easily be explained as a freelance position, and it is important for me to remember this. There are times when I think that I need to be in a corporate setting in order to actually be performing a job; as long as I am free to write (whether with pen and paper or computer), I can carry out my job.
The main area I have improved in is my actual writing. Coming in to this internship, I had no idea how to write a press-release. This was intimidating at first because that was going to be a main job. Through free writings and practice, practice, practice, I have been able to improve my style of writing. I am also able to finalize an article faster than at the beginning of the semester. For the first two articles, I struggled with word count and content in such a way that I could think of little else. Having due dates has improved the amount of time it takes me because I know when I must be done.
Another area I notice an improvement is in email communication. Before my internship, I rarely performed work-related communication through email because I did not trust the systems I used. I have found that Gmail is an excellent provider because it catalogues and houses thousands of emails. Just having an email account that is not MIX has helped--I have lost so many hours of my life fighting with the school mail system to be comfortable with using it for this internship. Gmail makes the email portion of the job easy and rather effortless, so that I can focus on the actual content of the email itself.
The main area in which I need to improve is my time management. All of my previous jobs have been in an office-type setting, and it has taken lots of adjustment to see this as an actual job. I have put aside specific hours of the day and week to work only on job-related material, but I struggle with staying on this schedule. I believe the way to combat this is to move around the distractions that I face. I live in Stalnaker with three roommates, so working alone in the room is next to impossible. There is a lounge right around the corner to my room, and I think that this area would be conducive to my time management because this is the place where I tutor on Thursdays. If I only use the lounge as a work-space, I think it will "program" my head into only looking at it as such.
The second major area that I need to improve is my hours. At this point in the semester, I have completed around 40 hours of work. Since it is midterm, I know I need to step on it in terms of getting 100 more hours, but I am unsure of how to do this. Am I allowed to count free-writings into my hour, even though it doesn't directly reflect on my job? I will easily have the page requirement completed by the end of the semester (I'm at around 11 pages now), but I'm worried about the hours. Any ideas?
Another area in which growth should come is my blog postings. I have given my blog address to my job supervisor so that she can check to see what I am saying and what problems I am encountering. It's rather difficult for her, I'm sure, to come to the site when it has not been updated since I began it. I realize that this does not reflect well on my time management skills, but it has helped me realize that if I say I will use a site for a supervisor to check-in on, I should stand by what I say.
I'm looking forward to the continuation of this internship, and I'm encouraged by knowing what I can do to finish the semester strong!
I realize that this internship is quite unlike other internships in that I do most of my work away from an "office". This job can easily be explained as a freelance position, and it is important for me to remember this. There are times when I think that I need to be in a corporate setting in order to actually be performing a job; as long as I am free to write (whether with pen and paper or computer), I can carry out my job.
The main area I have improved in is my actual writing. Coming in to this internship, I had no idea how to write a press-release. This was intimidating at first because that was going to be a main job. Through free writings and practice, practice, practice, I have been able to improve my style of writing. I am also able to finalize an article faster than at the beginning of the semester. For the first two articles, I struggled with word count and content in such a way that I could think of little else. Having due dates has improved the amount of time it takes me because I know when I must be done.
Another area I notice an improvement is in email communication. Before my internship, I rarely performed work-related communication through email because I did not trust the systems I used. I have found that Gmail is an excellent provider because it catalogues and houses thousands of emails. Just having an email account that is not MIX has helped--I have lost so many hours of my life fighting with the school mail system to be comfortable with using it for this internship. Gmail makes the email portion of the job easy and rather effortless, so that I can focus on the actual content of the email itself.
The main area in which I need to improve is my time management. All of my previous jobs have been in an office-type setting, and it has taken lots of adjustment to see this as an actual job. I have put aside specific hours of the day and week to work only on job-related material, but I struggle with staying on this schedule. I believe the way to combat this is to move around the distractions that I face. I live in Stalnaker with three roommates, so working alone in the room is next to impossible. There is a lounge right around the corner to my room, and I think that this area would be conducive to my time management because this is the place where I tutor on Thursdays. If I only use the lounge as a work-space, I think it will "program" my head into only looking at it as such.
The second major area that I need to improve is my hours. At this point in the semester, I have completed around 40 hours of work. Since it is midterm, I know I need to step on it in terms of getting 100 more hours, but I am unsure of how to do this. Am I allowed to count free-writings into my hour, even though it doesn't directly reflect on my job? I will easily have the page requirement completed by the end of the semester (I'm at around 11 pages now), but I'm worried about the hours. Any ideas?
Another area in which growth should come is my blog postings. I have given my blog address to my job supervisor so that she can check to see what I am saying and what problems I am encountering. It's rather difficult for her, I'm sure, to come to the site when it has not been updated since I began it. I realize that this does not reflect well on my time management skills, but it has helped me realize that if I say I will use a site for a supervisor to check-in on, I should stand by what I say.
I'm looking forward to the continuation of this internship, and I'm encouraged by knowing what I can do to finish the semester strong!
E-mail, the communication of the future
errr...and the communication of the now! Email is a quick way to get in touch with someone to talk to them. For my internship, though, email is how I communicate with my supervisor, directors, actors, and writers. Without email, I would not be able to do my job because of the variety of people and schedules with which I'm working. Even though email can be quickly worded and quickly sent, I take great care in how I word and send my emails. I read them through at least three times so that I know exactly what I'm saying. If I don't know what I'm saying, I don't expect the other person to know what I'm saying. I follow a certain method when it comes to emailing a director about a show. Because I am knew to the M.T. Pockets community, I do not know any of the people I am contacting. The formula I use helps me establish a connection with them without taking a huge chunk out of their schedule.
1) The most important part of establishing communication is to email the right person. Because I do not know the people I am writing, I need to know that the address I have is the correct one and not someone entirely unrelated to the theatre. This first email contains who I am, who my supervisor is (as a point of contact for them to relate to), and what I am going to be emailing about.
2) The second email I send (after they have replied to mine) is the one where I ask the questions. I preface it with a restatement of who I am and what my job is, and then I let them know when I would like their information back. Then, I ask the questions.
3) The questions can range from the general to the very specific, depending on what Vickie has told me about the show already. I try to find out before the first email what job the person holds in the production of the play, i.e. director, actor, choreographer, etc. This helps me know what kinds of questions to ask. I don't want to be asking a set-designer what choreography is necessary for a duel sequence! The questions are specific to the person and pertain to the article I write. I try not to ask unnecessary questions. This saves them time, as well as lets them see that I can be to the point.
4) As soon as I have gotten a reply, I email the person letting him/her know when I will be done with the article and where they will be able to see it. I also send them a link to the article once it has been published. I want them to be proud of being in the newspaper for all the hard work they have done for the show!
This formula has worked two out of three times. The one time it did not work is the time when the snow caused the power-outage and I had to submit the article without hearing back from the director. Currently, I am awaiting a reply from the organizer of a fundraiser the theatre is putting on. She, my supervisor, and the company of "Poe" traveled to the SETC competition this weekend. She has not been able to reply because of workshops and performances she is attending. For this reason, email is the best way to handle this interview. Without email, I would have to further press her for time so that I could get my article written.
I emailed my supervisor letting her know that I would not have the article at the specific time due to the competition. Because my supervisor is also there, the entire situation was resolved through email.
Because I want to go into editing and possibly branch-off into freelance, email will continue to be helpful to my job. This internship has already helped me realize exactly what needs to happen to get effective responses to queries.
1) The most important part of establishing communication is to email the right person. Because I do not know the people I am writing, I need to know that the address I have is the correct one and not someone entirely unrelated to the theatre. This first email contains who I am, who my supervisor is (as a point of contact for them to relate to), and what I am going to be emailing about.
2) The second email I send (after they have replied to mine) is the one where I ask the questions. I preface it with a restatement of who I am and what my job is, and then I let them know when I would like their information back. Then, I ask the questions.
3) The questions can range from the general to the very specific, depending on what Vickie has told me about the show already. I try to find out before the first email what job the person holds in the production of the play, i.e. director, actor, choreographer, etc. This helps me know what kinds of questions to ask. I don't want to be asking a set-designer what choreography is necessary for a duel sequence! The questions are specific to the person and pertain to the article I write. I try not to ask unnecessary questions. This saves them time, as well as lets them see that I can be to the point.
4) As soon as I have gotten a reply, I email the person letting him/her know when I will be done with the article and where they will be able to see it. I also send them a link to the article once it has been published. I want them to be proud of being in the newspaper for all the hard work they have done for the show!
This formula has worked two out of three times. The one time it did not work is the time when the snow caused the power-outage and I had to submit the article without hearing back from the director. Currently, I am awaiting a reply from the organizer of a fundraiser the theatre is putting on. She, my supervisor, and the company of "Poe" traveled to the SETC competition this weekend. She has not been able to reply because of workshops and performances she is attending. For this reason, email is the best way to handle this interview. Without email, I would have to further press her for time so that I could get my article written.
I emailed my supervisor letting her know that I would not have the article at the specific time due to the competition. Because my supervisor is also there, the entire situation was resolved through email.
Because I want to go into editing and possibly branch-off into freelance, email will continue to be helpful to my job. This internship has already helped me realize exactly what needs to happen to get effective responses to queries.
The Interim: What to do when there is no work to do
I find that I work the best when I have work coming out my ears. So it can be quite frustrating when there is no work to be done for the theatre. (This opening reminded me of the blog examples we read in class and the person mentioned that there had been nothing to do...) I think that, even though there was not an article to write or a program to be proofed, there was plenty of work to be done. This kind of work, though, does not have a due date. What is this work? Free writing!
I first used free writing as a helpful tool in English 301--I had actually never had to use it before. Free writing for me is a type of brainstorming. Instead of brainstorming ideas for how to finish something, I brainstormed ideas about how to improve something--my articles. My first article was featured in the Dominion Post. This was a treat, but I realized that the amount of time it took me to write the article did not reflect in the quality present. To put it plainly, it didn't measure up to my standards. I felt that the only way to improve my writing was to write press releases and articles for movies and plays I already know and to make them new and interesting. This is how I used free writing.
I used notebook paper to write these, so I'll need to make print copies of them at a later point. But I did articles promoting such plays as "Kiss Me Kate", "High Society", and "Gigi". I decided to start with these because I already knew the subject matter--my would these have been helpful beforehand on "Romeo & Juliet"! Oh, the things you learn! Then, I used plays and movies that I have heard a bit about but have never seen--i.e. "Pulp Fiction" and "Fargo". I tried to explain these in fewer than 500 words because a usual article/press release is around 350-450 words.
The best thing about free writing like this is that it is fun! It's discouraging when people remark that writing isn't fun--it can be, and they can make it fun! As soon as I finished writing the actual article and before I started free writing, I thought that there was no way I could do anything productive for my internship without something being due. I learned, though, that even doing something as simple and entertaining as explaining a movie in paper form can help one create new ways to better their own writing. I'm definitely going to be free writing when I don't have an article to do, and I look forward to being able to revamp old ideas!
I first used free writing as a helpful tool in English 301--I had actually never had to use it before. Free writing for me is a type of brainstorming. Instead of brainstorming ideas for how to finish something, I brainstormed ideas about how to improve something--my articles. My first article was featured in the Dominion Post. This was a treat, but I realized that the amount of time it took me to write the article did not reflect in the quality present. To put it plainly, it didn't measure up to my standards. I felt that the only way to improve my writing was to write press releases and articles for movies and plays I already know and to make them new and interesting. This is how I used free writing.
I used notebook paper to write these, so I'll need to make print copies of them at a later point. But I did articles promoting such plays as "Kiss Me Kate", "High Society", and "Gigi". I decided to start with these because I already knew the subject matter--my would these have been helpful beforehand on "Romeo & Juliet"! Oh, the things you learn! Then, I used plays and movies that I have heard a bit about but have never seen--i.e. "Pulp Fiction" and "Fargo". I tried to explain these in fewer than 500 words because a usual article/press release is around 350-450 words.
The best thing about free writing like this is that it is fun! It's discouraging when people remark that writing isn't fun--it can be, and they can make it fun! As soon as I finished writing the actual article and before I started free writing, I thought that there was no way I could do anything productive for my internship without something being due. I learned, though, that even doing something as simple and entertaining as explaining a movie in paper form can help one create new ways to better their own writing. I'm definitely going to be free writing when I don't have an article to do, and I look forward to being able to revamp old ideas!
Proofreading=The Job I Love the Most
Ever since I learned how a sentence should be properly constructed, I have loved grammar and proofing. I think that I am a constructive proofreader because I provide examples and explanations for how an article or pamphlet can be improved. After I finished the article for "Romeo & Juliet", I proofed the program for the play.
This program was different from many that I have proofed in the past because it included more than just a cast list. Because the M.T. Pockets Theatre is a community theatre for the Morgantown area, businesses here contribute and market themselves through the programs for each production. I have not asked yet, but I believe that if I were to find an error in one of the advertisements that it would have to be corrected on their end and resubmitted to our program. Thankfully, though, I did not find any errors in the ads.
One area of writing that I find poses a problem for me is that of continuity. When working with groups of people, I tend to call each person a different name instead of keeping their name the same. Since I have to carefully pick up on each instance where I do this, I notice it quickly in another's work. The director for the play is named Ariel Elizabeth Barnhart. In the program, she was listed twice as her full name, once as Ariel E. Barnhart, and once as Ariel Barnhart. I suggested that she be referred to as Ariel Elizabeth Barnhart because that is was appears on the website, and her previous press releases.
I did have to look up the correct form of a word used in the program because I was unsure if it could be used in the particular form and mean the same thing. The word was "Shakespearean" as opposed to "Shakespeare" when both are used to explain the type of performance this specific actor was portraying. The exact quote was, "this is her first Shakespeare portrayal". Once I had concluded my research on the differences in the words, I marked it with a note stating that they could be used interchangeably for this specific instance. "Shakespearean" is the preferred form of the word, but both are correct in this instance. In order to check the grammaticality of the words, I used Google searches and the OED (Oxford English Dictionary) online. I found both immensely helpful.
I have not as of yet been able to proofread another program. But there is a show being performed this next weekend, and I should be getting the program for that at the beginning of the week.
I find proofreading one of the most important parts of the writing process because it allows someone else to read your work without knowing what you went through to write it. The longer one looks at a text, the more caution slips--errors begin to creep up, and a good way to guard against that is for a proofer to catch them and help them be corrected.
This program was different from many that I have proofed in the past because it included more than just a cast list. Because the M.T. Pockets Theatre is a community theatre for the Morgantown area, businesses here contribute and market themselves through the programs for each production. I have not asked yet, but I believe that if I were to find an error in one of the advertisements that it would have to be corrected on their end and resubmitted to our program. Thankfully, though, I did not find any errors in the ads.
One area of writing that I find poses a problem for me is that of continuity. When working with groups of people, I tend to call each person a different name instead of keeping their name the same. Since I have to carefully pick up on each instance where I do this, I notice it quickly in another's work. The director for the play is named Ariel Elizabeth Barnhart. In the program, she was listed twice as her full name, once as Ariel E. Barnhart, and once as Ariel Barnhart. I suggested that she be referred to as Ariel Elizabeth Barnhart because that is was appears on the website, and her previous press releases.
I did have to look up the correct form of a word used in the program because I was unsure if it could be used in the particular form and mean the same thing. The word was "Shakespearean" as opposed to "Shakespeare" when both are used to explain the type of performance this specific actor was portraying. The exact quote was, "this is her first Shakespeare portrayal". Once I had concluded my research on the differences in the words, I marked it with a note stating that they could be used interchangeably for this specific instance. "Shakespearean" is the preferred form of the word, but both are correct in this instance. In order to check the grammaticality of the words, I used Google searches and the OED (Oxford English Dictionary) online. I found both immensely helpful.
I have not as of yet been able to proofread another program. But there is a show being performed this next weekend, and I should be getting the program for that at the beginning of the week.
I find proofreading one of the most important parts of the writing process because it allows someone else to read your work without knowing what you went through to write it. The longer one looks at a text, the more caution slips--errors begin to creep up, and a good way to guard against that is for a proofer to catch them and help them be corrected.
"Romeo & Juliet"--The Internship Begins
When I met with Vickie for the first meeting, she mentioned that "Romeo & Juliet" was the play for the month of February. She said that I could write the article for it. As soon as she mentioned me writing it, I remembered the all-important phrase I learned from Dr. Gouge's Editing class: "do you have any previous documents that I could look at to find out the normal format?" Vickie directed me to the section of the main website that houses the past articles that have been featured in the Dominion Post during the last theatre season. I asked her to get me contacts for each show so that I would be able to start as soon as I got them. She jotted down the note, and we concluded the meeting.
Leaving her office, I knew that I wouldn't be able to start writing the article until I had an understanding of what a press release entailed. I had a general understanding, of course, but I had never actually written one. I Googled the term and found lots of examples. The structure seemed to be quite strict, which I had already gathered from Vickie--she said that she wants my articles to be articles and not just press releases. She wants them to be creative and fun to read. I then went on the M.T. Pockets' website and found the previous releases. The format for this one seemed pretty rigorous, too, but I used it as my example to begin writing.
I took notes on the format of the example; and I noticed that, like any good newspaper article, it explained the show concisely to the reader. I began to get worried--how does one explain the plot of "Romeo & Juliet" without giving away the ending to the world-renowned play? I used several websites dedicated to the play in order to get an idea of the basics of the show. I played around with several renditions of the plot, and quickly came up with a way to explain it without giving it completely away.
The next step in the writing process was to talk to the director. It took a while to get the actual contact info for her from Vickie. I quickly emailed the director, Ariel, asking to attend a rehearsal to interview her and observe what she was currently doing with the play. After the interview and rehearsal, I still had questions for Ariel about the play. Because there was a week in which to put together the article, I emailed her and waited for her response. Ariel, unfortunately, lived in a part of Morgantown that lost power during the large snowstorm. She had no way to get back to me with the queries until the night after I had to submit the article. Working with what I had, I finished the article and submitted it to Vickie.
She had asked for it by noon that Monday, and I had it to her by 1:30 pm--I was rather frustrated with the entire process because I did not know until that Saturday that I was supposed to submit the article on Monday. I need to be able to have a due date for each article, and I did not have that for this first one.
Because some time has passed since this occurred, I have since gotten a list of articles and due dates that includes contact information. That is for another blog post, though.
Leaving her office, I knew that I wouldn't be able to start writing the article until I had an understanding of what a press release entailed. I had a general understanding, of course, but I had never actually written one. I Googled the term and found lots of examples. The structure seemed to be quite strict, which I had already gathered from Vickie--she said that she wants my articles to be articles and not just press releases. She wants them to be creative and fun to read. I then went on the M.T. Pockets' website and found the previous releases. The format for this one seemed pretty rigorous, too, but I used it as my example to begin writing.
I took notes on the format of the example; and I noticed that, like any good newspaper article, it explained the show concisely to the reader. I began to get worried--how does one explain the plot of "Romeo & Juliet" without giving away the ending to the world-renowned play? I used several websites dedicated to the play in order to get an idea of the basics of the show. I played around with several renditions of the plot, and quickly came up with a way to explain it without giving it completely away.
The next step in the writing process was to talk to the director. It took a while to get the actual contact info for her from Vickie. I quickly emailed the director, Ariel, asking to attend a rehearsal to interview her and observe what she was currently doing with the play. After the interview and rehearsal, I still had questions for Ariel about the play. Because there was a week in which to put together the article, I emailed her and waited for her response. Ariel, unfortunately, lived in a part of Morgantown that lost power during the large snowstorm. She had no way to get back to me with the queries until the night after I had to submit the article. Working with what I had, I finished the article and submitted it to Vickie.
She had asked for it by noon that Monday, and I had it to her by 1:30 pm--I was rather frustrated with the entire process because I did not know until that Saturday that I was supposed to submit the article on Monday. I need to be able to have a due date for each article, and I did not have that for this first one.
Because some time has passed since this occurred, I have since gotten a list of articles and due dates that includes contact information. That is for another blog post, though.
Welcome to the world!
This blog has been a long time in the making. It began as a blog for my English 301 class and slowly morphed into this trendy-looking, thought-housing palate for my English 491A Capstone. This Capstone is my final English class--I'm graduating this May with two Bachelor's of Arts degrees in English: Professional Writing and Technical Editing, and Foreign Languages: Spanish. I plan on going into freelance editing in the Charleston, South Carolina, area. This English Capstone provides me with the chance to use my skills in editing, writing, and communication in a job.
My job for this semester is as the Professional Writer for the M.T. Pockets Theatre on High Street in Morgantown, West Virginia. For this job, I am writing articles and press releases for shows such as "Romeo & Juliet" and "Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean", editing and proofreading programs for each show, and helping write grants for the theatre. I met with Vickie Trickett, the secretary of the M.T. Pockets Theatre who also works in the B&E College and owns her own business (talk about being busy!), after she replied to my email only thirty minutes after I sent it.
When we met to discuss the internship, Vickie mentioned certain shows that she wanted me to cover. She explained that, since not all the shows have the same actors and directors, I would be corresponding with several different people. She also mentioned that she wants finalized biographies and pictures for the current members of the theatre company. Before the meeting, I spent a few moments looking at the website for the theatre; this turned out to be an excellent idea because she also wants my input on how to improve the site. We filled out the Internship Agreement Form while she explained the grant process the theatre goes through to receive funding. Because I mentioned possibly working on grant applications to find out the format and such, Vickie said that I would be able to observe and help her create one of the applications.
I'm really looking forward to working with the entire company of the M.T. Pockets Theatre. I'll be able to attend shows and rehearsals, and meet with directors and actors for interviews. I see this entire internship as giving me important experience for a future career in writing. Since I want to go into freelance writing, I am using this internship to gain knowledge about how to succeed in a freelance job. I've already begun looking up how to write press releases using the Legacy articles from the website. I've found several online resources for these write-ups, and intend to practice writing these so that I will be able to produce a release in a timely fashion. This internship will help me get my foot in the door for possible freelancer jobs in the Charleston area, specifically with theatre companies. This makes me quite excited because I love the theatre!
