Stop your navel gazing, get out your notebook, there’s a world exploding out there.
—Tom Wolfe
I'm often told that I should consider a specific college student or a recent graduate as a potential candidate for a reporter, usually from a well-meaning relative of that person. Upon further investigation, I find that while they are a good writer, they have only written about themselves – their own opinions, their own devotional thoughts, their own worship essays, things about history that interest them, a mission trip they went on, their own first triathlon, me, me, me, etc.
—Tom Wolfe
I'm often told that I should consider a specific college student or a recent graduate as a potential candidate for a reporter, usually from a well-meaning relative of that person. Upon further investigation, I find that while they are a good writer, they have only written about themselves – their own opinions, their own devotional thoughts, their own worship essays, things about history that interest them, a mission trip they went on, their own first triathlon, me, me, me, etc.
Journalism is about OTHER PEOPLE. Tell the reader someone else’s story. Ask 10 people what you should write about and then choose one of those topics.
Show me some published clips of news and features that a small city newspaper could run.
I remember an editor explaining to me why she only advertised employment openings for reporters on journalismjobs.com and not in her own newspaper. “If I do that, we’ll get people calling up, ‘oh I’ve always wanted to be a reporter, and I write poetry, I journal daily...’”
If you’re in college, then do what you can to dominate your campus newspaper. Make yourself the “go-to” reporter. Become the best you can there. Serve others and your editor.
Then find the nearest small-town paper, go in and show them a bunch of your clips and offer your services as a freelance writer. Don’t worry about the pitiful payment. What you’re after are published clips. If you’re good, the money will come later.
Do you see where this is heading? Once you can dominate larger and larger newsrooms, you just might find yourself at a major market daily. You work your way up. As you seek to step up to each new level, your goal is to get published clips – initially they’re worth more than money.
So to summarize, serve your editor by making yourself the go-to person. Write stories so that people in the community (campus) will recognize themselves and others they know.
None of this will happen if you only write about yourself.
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