All the Answers

I may be the one in charge of the answer book, but Erin has all the answers in the newsroom. In addition to answering the phone and questions from walk-ins and other staff members, she took the time to answer a lot of questions I had about my portfolio--questions that have thwarted the minds of my professors and advisers--like what to submit for an editing sample and whether to use the actual newsprint or printer copy.

I've still got a lot of questions that need answers before I'm ready to become a writer. But I feel more experienced and educated after three days at the Tribune than I did after four years of college. My level of confidence has risen faster than a teenager's hormones at puberty. I can even hear the confidence and self importance echoing in my clunky, swaggering footsteps.

Fun first day

My first day, I didn't know what to expect. I had a job shadow with Erin in the fall where I observed the daily task of a writer, which involved eating bratwurst at the downtown festival and interviewing a drunk man. I was pleasantly surprised when she got me started right away. Soon after she saw me enter she set me to work on the Best Bets for Friday's paper. She didn't think I would enjoy them, but I wrote short pieces about upcoming events all the time for the Correspondent, so this was something that I had experience with. It was just the sort of task I needed to build my confidence.

Erin is my mentor and supervisor, but I'm eager to learn from everyone in the newsroom. I went to Flora with Ken Bastide to interview people about the fire that killed three people. I learned a lot about interviewing ethics and tracking down leads, not to mention deer whistles.
The first day was pretty busy, but it was fun. I was really nervous the night before, but all that vanished within moments of working with Erin.