Reading and Writing

I write a lot, and I read a lot. Mainly it’s for work, my day job. But, in general, I just do a lot of reading and writing. And although I love both, after a while it can get to you. It gets to me. Day in and day out, I’m reading other people’s work, I’m editing other people’s work, and I’m writing my own stuff. So, it’s no wonder that there are times I don’t want to read, let alone look at another word.

One of my favorite things to do is to read, especially before bed. But with all the reading I’ve been doing lately at work, the last thing I want to do is read, even if it’s for pleasure. This doesn’t happen too often, but it happens … to all of us. And it doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy what I do.

Although I chose my career because of my love of the written word, I tend to need a break. Whether staring at a computer screen or at an open book all day, words consume me sometimes. It’s not unusual from what I hear.

It doesn’t matter if I’ve been reading and writing copy or reporting on a story, sometimes I have to take a break and step back. I need to give myself some time and take a breather.

So, basically, no matter what you love, step back and take a break. You can find that when you come back to it, you’ll appreciate it much more.

Copywriting vs. Journalism

Back home in Phoenix, yes here in sunny Arizona, I’m currently writing copy at NextStudent. It’s a lot different from reporting and writing for magazines and newspapers. I needed a change after many years in journalism and turned to copywriting for the student loan funding company.

At NextStudent, I work with a team of highly qualified copywriters from different work backgrounds. Some were journalists and some did work in marketing or advertisting. Bringing us together to form the copywriting team at NextStudent was a great idea. There’s now a combined effort of different types of writing styles that blend well together. We’re all able to brainstorm and bring forth different ideas and ways of creating important copy to bring it to students and parents looking to fund a college education.

Speaking of college education, to me there’s nothing more important. In this day and age a college education helps in so many varied ways. It allows people to open their minds to new ideas, to learn new subjects, and to basically expand their horizons. It also helps people in the job market.

So my work here at NextStudent truly is different from previous writing and editing positions I had in New York. The deadlines are there, but different. The topic is different and geared toward a different audience: people looking to get to college, which is a good thing. And I get to work with others in a cool and oftentimes fun environment. I also don’t have to work until the wee hours of the morning, and that’s a huge plus.

No Respect on the Copy Desk

After working in New York at a publishing company as an editorial assistant for about six months, I finally was promoted to working on the copy desk, sometimes a thankless job. I learned so much though. I was eager to learn and find out the ins and outs of the world of the reporters, writers and editors. But I got more than I bargained for, which was a big plus. I learned how the magazine got put together: from story starts, art and layout to closing each issue and sending it to the printer.

I met everyone in just about every necessary department: editorial, art, production and sales. And by copyediting everyone’s work, I learned what to do and what NOT to do when writing my own stuff. It was a fabulous learning experience.

The problem was, and still is in many instances, that when you worked on the copy desk, oftentimes you were seen as low man on the totem pole. The reason: I’m not quite sure, especially since the people on the copy desk are extremely important for many reasons.

The copy desk employees make sure the stories are readable and make sense. There are great writers who can’t spell, and there are wonderful reporters who can’t put a story together to save their lives. The copy editor oftentimes saves them and their stories.

A good copy editor typically is a whiz at English grammar and can “fix” a train wreck of a story and make it look like great prose. Or that person can take a good story and make it better. This person also can help cut a story or lengthen one to fit the space alloted for it on a page. The people on the copy desk will lay out the story, add some relevant, cool or funky art to go with it, and then write a snappy, catchy headline.

Let’s not forget research. These overworked and underpaid workers also research facts and check to make sure words, people’s names and titles are correct. And they do it all under tight deadline pressure, only to be looked upon as underlings. However, if these people didn’t exist, newspapers and magazines and the like would be filled with a lot of gibberish and unprofessional looking pages.

So, let’s hear it for copy editors and the copy desk. These folks put in a lot of hard work, stay late, and don’t hear enough thank yous for helping all those writers and reporters look good!

Different Types of Writing

When I started my career in New York, I began as an editorial assistant at a trade magazine. I quickly moved onto the copy desk. I found out pretty quickly that trade magazines pay better than the consumer magazines, especially the fashion ones. Although I never worked at a fashion magazine, I heard all the stories through the grapevine and through friends.

Before landing my first real editorial job, I had a handful of interviews. A couple were at fashion magazines. From what I saw and heard, it’s extremely competitive. Hey, there’s nothing wrong with being competitive, but we’re talking cutthroat. Lots of fashion stuff going on and who wears what and how you look. Hey, that’s great for some people. I’m not knocking it; it just wasn’t for me.

It’s hard enough to live in New York if you don’t make tons of money, so working in trade magazines was a much better choice. I learned a lot and made more money. Not tons of money, but more than I would have made somewhere else.

Remember in the trades, you’re writing for a particular audience, say the CEOs, presidents, general managers of companies. So writing and editing are different from more mainstreams magazines.

After a while I took a job as a reporter for a local newspaper. After editing people’s work for so many years, it was much easier to write. Through my work as an editor, I learned to be a better writer and learned what not to do. I also learned how to put together a story, what’s necessary, research, all that. I wrote about everything: from politics and education to human interest stories and play reviews. I also did a stint as a restaurant reviewer. Problem was, the newspaper sent me mainly to these great restaurants. Way too much good food.

When I finally moved home to Arizona, I did some reporting and writing at some local newspapers and magazines. I like the human interest stories and preferred to stay away from anything political. Just not my thing.

Then I ended up as a copywriter at NextStudent. The company provides student loans for college students. I had never been a copywriter before, so it was a nice change. The audience is different; therefore, the writing style has to be different. It didn’t take me long to settle into my new position.

So, now, I have all different types of experiences as a writer and editor. From working on the copy desk at trade magazines in New York and reporting and writing about local news, to a reporting position in Arizona and as a copywriter at NextStudent, you can’t say my words haven’t gotten around, so to speak.

By Day, Writers and Editors; By Night, Punk Rockers

Maybe we were not exactly punk rockers, but rockers, nonetheless.

We traveled in an interesting crowd back then. It was the early ’80s, and lots of ’70s and late ’70s influences were still upon us, thank goodness.

During the day it was work, work, work. Lots of the work was stressful. Remember, when you’re in publishing and a writer or editor, you live your life on deadline, at least your daytime life. Some of that flows over into other parts of life too. Everything has to be done at a certain time. That can be good and bad. However, that topic is for another time.

After working full, long, difficult days on a magazine, it’s great to be able to have an outlet after work, especially on the weekends. And New York, especially in the late ’70s and early ’80s, was the place with THE night life. And night life that didn’t end until 4 a.m. and then some.

At the time I first moved to New York City punk rock was still hanging on and was in fashion. Greenwich Village was the “in” spot for it all, not the tourist mecca it has become of late.

So, by day, we dressed in our little blue suits or more corporate wear for work. In those days you really had to dress for success. There were no “dress down” days. And, by night, we would get loose and get into our punk rocker mode, or rock ‘n’ roll mode.

New York City at the time had some of the best clubs for punk and rock. There also were dance clubs, but my crowd wasn’t really into that.

Many of the top-notch bands would play at a variety of clubs. There also were a lot of underground bands playing at underground clubs situated in the “bad” sections of the city. But these typically were the best places to go. Seedy clubs hidden in dark alleys. The dangerous atmosphere added to the mystique of New York at the time. Not to mention many of the strange characters we met.

It’s Raining Again. What is This, New York?

I’m going off on a bit of a tangent today. Nowadays, as I mentioned somewhere, I am a copywriter at NextStudent, a student loan funding company. Typically, I can look out the window at my desk and see the sun shining. One of the many reasons I moved back home from New York to the Phoenix area is because of the lack of sun in the Big Apple.

Can’t tell you how many days of sun I missed when I lived in New York. There would be periods of three weeks in a row of rain, dreary and dark days, and the depression that followed. Not to mention the biting cold that went with it. Sure, there were some sunny days, but not as many as I would have liked. Those sunny days usually came with 90 degree temps and 200 percent humidity.

So, I move home, where the weather typically is beautiful, especially during the winter months. Yes, to me even 120 degrees is beautiful, but with low humidity. We get rain in Arizona, just not much of it. And once in a blue moon, we get hit, especially during monsoon season in the summer.

But today, what’s going on today and these past few weeks? It’s raining with that biting cold. It must be the New Yorkers on vacation. They brought that weather here and it won’t leave. I can’t stand it.

Many of us Arizonans like the rain. Most people here like it because we hardly ever get it. But me, I can’t stand the rain. After living in New York for too many years and living too many days of rain and bad weather, I’ve had enough.

I want the sun, I need the sun. If it’s below 80 degrees I’m cold and have to wear a jacket. Mind you, I’m not a sun worshiper, just someone who smiles more and is more productive when the sun shines.

Sales vs. Editorial

I found out early about the differences between sales and editorial with regard to the publishing world. There sometimes were problems and sometimes not. Things sometimes even got heated.

Obviously the world of sales in publishing means selling the ads, which brings in the money. And the bottom line always is the money in just about every business. On the other hand, editorial typically is about journalists striving to report on and write the best stories they can. Pitching editorial sells ads. But when it comes down to it, sales usually wins. If the ad space isn’t sold, then there’s no magazine. If there’s no magazine, everyone on staff has a big problem.

Things actually can get held up because of advertisers. That oftentimes doesn’t sit well with editorial. Writers, reporters, copy editors, managing editors and editors work on “deadline.” With these people, and I’m one of them, deadline is “king.” Our lives revolve around deadline, and most of us hate to miss a deadline. Many of us live our entire lives, personal and professional, with the word “deadline” hanging over our heads. It’s ingrained in our souls, like a sickness.

I found out pretty early on in my career that deadlines would be missed — not due to errors on my part, but mostly due to sales. Didn’t like that at all. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know our magazine had to make money. But you can’t tell me to be “deadline-oriented,” which I accomplish, then tell me to forget the deadline! That drove me absolutely bonkers.

There were never any actual knock-down, drag-out fights. But we sometimes came close. I think there were quite a few times when I sat at my desk at 10:12 p.m. clenching my teeth in anger. The stress level certainly was high. I guess many of us in the business thrive on that type of stress.

After a lot of late nights, the editorial team closing the issue easily got “punchy.” Laughing for no reason. Typing in a headline after your fingers are on the wrong keys can bring about some funny stuff. Maybe not that funny, but when you’re going on two hours of sleep, you sometimes laugh at just about anything. Heck, you’ll even laugh with the salespeople.

In the end, after an issue closes, everyone makes friends. Then it starts all over again for the next issue.

The Big Move to New York

As a young, “green” and ambitious writer who moved from the surrounding Phoenix area to New York in the 80s, I encountered many different things. First of all, Phoenix was not such a “big town” back then, and moving to the Big Apple was a big deal.

Before I even got to New York, my parents had some reservations about the move. They feared me leaving and going it alone to the big bad city. But go alone I did. I had things to do, places to see, and fun to have.

Phoenix at the time was not the big city it is today. Back then, the way I saw things, it was boring in Arizona. I previously had been to New York on various occasions to visit with family and that is where I wanted to be, wanted to write and wanted to have experiences.

Having graduated from college, I decided to get out of my hum-drum home town and take off on a wild adventure. As my parents bit their fingernails and worried for my safety, I couldn’t be happier. New York, here I come. That’s all I knew and all I wanted.

I wanted to be a writer, a journalist, and New York was the place. There didn’t seem to be many writing opportunities in Phoenix at the time. And didn’t all the great writers start in New York? Weren’t all the big publishing houses in New York? The great newspapers, the best magazines? Everything seemed to be based in New York. So that’s where I had to be. Plus, I knew there were many exciting experiences of which I would get to be a part.

My friends were excited for me. Maybe some were envious. And I was doing this alone. Some of my friends also thought I was brave because of this. Maybe I was, and maybe I was young,  naive and even somewhat stupid. Time would tell.

Well, there were experiences, that’s for sure. Let’s put it this way, when I first got there it was like the farm girl goes to New York. Lots of things I saw…well, some I wish I never encountered, others are great memories. I had to learn not to be so naive, and that would come for sure.