Intern Diaries: Cindy at Gainesville

For some, summertime doesn’t mean downtime. It’s just another opportunity to travel, get an internship or otherwise move up in the world. But since you can’t do it all, INsite tracked down several students in places from Thailand to Miami, New York to Paris. Every week, we share their experiences with you. Last week, you read about Bridget at Gainesville Magazine. This week, we bring you our very own online assignment editor, Cindy.

Some folks, like me, aren’t cut for the Big Apple—well, not yet anyway—and I’d know; I was born and raised in Queens, NY, for eight years. The winters are rough, and the people are rougher. Plus, competition is stiff there. And it’s expensive. And I’m broke.

So I opted for a local internship. After freelancing at INsite Magazine for a couple of months, I wanted to apply to be an editorial intern, but Maghan McDowell, INsite’s executive editor, asked me to be the online assignment editor instead, and of course, I obliged, happy to acquire experience as an editor (plus it looks rad on a resume). But little did I know what I’d be in for. . . .

In case you are unaware, editors take on many faces, including editor (of course), writer, photographer, cheerleader, mother (well, sort of), liaison, even advertiser/promoter (this is, as you know, because magazines and newspapers are slicing budgets—thus, relying on a smaller staff to do more—to avoid folding).

So, before you accept that seemingly sweet, painless editor gig, read this list of responsibilities to prep yourself.

Editor: Naturally, as an editor, you will have to edit. (If only that were it.) That is, you’ll be reading tons of copies (fancy journalism word for “stories”), looking for misused punctuation, AP Style errors and muddled sentences to improve, as well as fact-checking cities, names, venues, etc.

Be warned: If you aren’t working at a national magazine, chances are lots of stories you receive will require extensive edits. You’ll come to appreciate the writers who submit nearly flawless copies. Remember their names; they’ll come in handy for future assignments.

Writer: OK, so you know how I said many stories will need to be reworked—like a lot? Well, guess who gets to rewrite them? YOU. Many times, you’ll feel as if your name should—no, deserves to—be in the byline, but fret not; you don’t get that fancy title for no reason.

Photographer: Sometimes, you’ll have to snap some shots at last-minute events or to make deadlines, regardless of your photography skills (or lack thereof). So, it doesn’t hurt to sign up for a photography class (served me well).

Cheerleader: This is the easy, fun part. Basically, never forget to compliment the people you work with (writers, photographers, etc.). Acknowledge their strengths, and help improve their weaknesses. Oh, and thank them. After all, they are oftentimes the ones doing all of the legwork, and that’s tiring/hard/maddening, too.

Mother: Now for the least fun stuff. As an editor, you may also have to assign stories and events to writers and photographers. But more times than not, your e-mails will go unanswered. So, you’ll have to assume the—what I like to call—“mother-hen” role. That is, you’ll have to plea, nag and resort to threats to get your way: “We can’t do this without your help;” “we need you—this is a team effort;” and finally, “If you won’t contribute, then you’ll be removed from the listserv.”

Liaison: As the middle (wo)man, I’ll usually start by e-mailing a writer, then coordinate with, say, a publicist to have that writer interview some band member. Or, when it’s a big event, I’ll coordinate with press contacts to reserve press passes for the editor. There’s a lot of he-said, she-said mumble jumble. Just make sure you organize your e-mails, as you will be getting a lot of those.

Advertiser/Promoter: To be honest, whether you’re the advertising director or a writer, you should be promoting your magazine/website every day. In addition to linking all of INsite’s sites to my Facebook page, I regularly update my statuses with my favorite online stories and tease new issues. Be enthusiastic. Get the word out. Stir up excitement for the next issue. In other words, keep your magazine alive.

One last thing: Stay hungry because, with each gig, your confidence soars along with your knowledge. And confidence is crux, especially if you have your sight set on N.Y.C., the land of the harsh, where I hope to someday end up (but only temporarily). The city may be cut-throat, but it’s full of opportunities, thrills and glam.

—Cindy Taveras

In case you’ve missed any, here’s the complete Intern Diaries series.