Who doesn't like getting paid to work? Obviously, everyone. However, what if you could get college credits for doing that same job, as well as getting paid? Even better! Still, I always found it difficult to find an internship through the Writing Arts department because I always checked the notification board in the communications department for a Writing Arts internship, and they never had anything listed for us.
Apparently, though, there is a separate place for Writing Arts students to go in order to find internships. Not only can we find information on the College of Communication and Creative Arts page, but many Writing Arts professors are more than willing to provide students with information for internship opportunities. Professor Mangini has given us many different places to look for different opportunities. 
Just in case you might find that you don't feel like searching out these particular resources for information, I will provide links to various websites that provide internship possibilities. 

Rowan University's College of Communication and Creative Arts
Women in Progress: Writing/Journalism Internship Abroad
InternMatch: Writing Arts Internships
Philadelphia Magazine Internship Program

Good luck!

1) How do you use social media? 
          I use social media to connect with friends and family, mostly. However, lately I've been talking more with authors of stories that I have read or wish to read. Most of the things that I glean from this is connected to their stories directly, but I also have added one of those authors on fanfiction.net, where she has the opportunity to read some of the stories that I have written and critique them. However, most of my 'social media' accounts are friends-only.

2) What is the place of social media in your writing life?
          Social media hasn't really had a place in my writing life until recently. I have only started adding my favorite authors after I met one of them at the AWP conference in Boston this past March. Following her on Twitter (and subsequently other authors) helped me understand that authors are much more connected to their fans than I had previously realized. This gave me a burst of inspiration, because some of the authors are willing to read my things and give me feedback. 

3) Benefits, disappointments, surprises? 
          Some benefits are that I get feedback on my writing that is from people who have had their stories published. They have given me pointers and tips on how they went about getting their stuff published, and I have also had opportunities to make connections by offering to promote their books. I have one author willing to give me free copies of her book simply for handing out postcards promoting her book. 
          Some disappointments are that it doesn't give as much as a face-to-face conversation would. The author I met gave me so many tips and pointers that the other authors may not feel comfortable sharing, due to the fact that it is not in a face-to-face setting. 
          Surprises? See the above two questions!

4) The financial benefit? 
          The financial benefit that I have found in my interactions is that I have had authors give me books for free, and most of them are signed. Lucy Christopher, author of Stolen, gave me her copy of the UK edition of Stolen, and it was signed. To get that particular book here in the US would have been even more pricey than the US version, and having met her (and, I admit, fangirling) made her want to give me her copy of the book. Yay, free books!

5) Where can you be found online?
          I have a private Facebook, a non-private (but often fangirling) Twitter, a school Twitter, about 3 weeblys, a deviantart (which I haven't used in forever), and a fanfiction.net account that has 3 stories that are either in-progress or complete. (If anyone wishes to read [though I doubt you do] it can be found HERE.)

One thing that I had not known prior to reading this classes readings was that there is a difference between a query letter and a cover letter. I had previously thought that they were just different names for the same thing. However, upon reading, I realized that a cover letter was used to sell a person and their resume. A query letter is like a cover letter for a manuscript sent in to a literary agent in order to sell a story. 
I had not ever felt the need to know how to write a query letter, as I had never aspired to have anything published by a publishing company. Yeah, I write stories, but since they are considered fanfiction, I have no shame in "publishing" a story on fanfiction.net, unlike SOME authors (*cough*E.L. James*cough*) who change the names of their fanfiction's title characters in order to get their story published. I am proud that I write something considered fanfiction, because it means that I valued another story to the point where I felt it was important enough to continue the story. Besides, the fanfiction I tend to write is based on out-of-copyright stories, meaning they are legally allowed to be published, if I felt so inclined. In fact, my favorite story (Phantom by Susan Kay) is a "fanfiction" of The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux. So, some good things come of fanfictions.
Knowing how to write a successful query letter is always a bonus, because I may not use it now, but I may use it in the future. A cover letter is useful at any point in time, so that is also a good skill to have. Either way, having the ability to successfully sell yourself, your resume, or your story, may lead to better things and can lead to opportunities for jobs that we might not have ever known existed. 

Honestly, the only thing preventing me from going to graduate school is the fact that I feel that my dual majors would aid me more effectively in reaching my career goals than a graduate degree. I want to be an acquisitions editor, so being able to critically read is more important than the skills needed for me to write my own stories. So, my English degree, along with my Writing Arts degree (which will help provide me with the skills necessary to navigate the publishing world) would aid me far greater than continuing on for a Masters in Writing Arts. If I do not intend to write for a living (unlike some *cough*E.L.James*cough* authors, I am very proud that I write fanfiction, and do not find a need to have it published beyond places such as fanfiction.net), why is it necessary for me to spend more money learning how to write? I am just as happy learning how to critically read with my English classes. Those classes have helped me distinguish (in my own opinion) what is good and what is not. I had read Dan Brown's new book, Inferno, recently, and realized that I could have easily written a comparable-quality story during my high school years. Because of the skills that my English classes have taught me, I've found that more challenging books such as Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility make me feel like I've actually read something worthwhile. There are modern writers (such as George R. R. Martin [who, though he may not be a good person, can write extremely well] and Terry Pratchett [my favorite author, by far]) who also write in a way that challenges the reader to think rather than just read what's going on. We need more authors like this.

That being said, I do not want to be one of those authors. I have never wanted to be one of those authors. I want to be the person to read their work and say "Yes. The world needs to read this. This is worth reading." We don't need more Fifty Shades of Grey or Twilight. We need more Persuasion. We need more Dracula. We need more Anna Karenina. We need more Game of Thrones.


Whatever you call it, however you classify it, we need more. And I want to be one of the people who can help bring us more. Grad school can't help with that. Reading and figuring out what makes these good books good is what will help with that. 

1) Are you satisfied with your current projects, or are you feeling unchallenged?
          I used to be dissatisfied with my current projects. They were always the academic papers to be written, and occasionally the creative writing piece. However, I never really felt challenged by the actual writing. I only felt challenged to get the items done on time.
          That being said, I always feel more challenged by projects that I work on during my free time. They require much more thought than the ones that are assigned to me, because I feel as if I have more of an obligation to myself to see them succeed. I also have more of a desire to see them succeed, so I work much harder and challenge myself to work harder so that I can have something to be proud of.

2) Where do you see yourself a year or two from now?
          In a year or two from now, I would ideally see myself as an acquisitions editor at a prestigious publishing company in New York City or London. Realistically, I see myself looking for a job while living with my parents. Probably settling for a job in customer service. 

3) What are your long-term career goals?
          I really want to be an acquisitions editor. My dream job is to be able to read things all day, every day. I want to say that I was able to read the "next Harry Potter" before everyone else.

4) Which books, articles, and blogs will help you branch into new territory?
           I do not know what articles or blogs will help, but I know that by reading different genres will help me be open to going to different publishers in an attempt to find a job.

5) Who do you know who may be able to offer you advice on making a transition?
           I have gotten some advice in regards to entering the publishing world from Lucy Christopher, the author of Stolen and Flyaway. I took this advice to heart, because Ms. Christopher has written a novel that had similarities with some of the short stories I've written. I have her on any social networking sites, and I am sure I can contact her for more advice. I also know a few smaller authors, Sadie Montgomery and Michelle Gliottoni Rodriguez. I've talked to themon a few occasions, and I know they would be more than willing to give me advice. 

1) Prior to (possibly) reading the article "Debut Novelists on What it Takes," what were your preconceived notions as to how to get a novel published? Would it be easy? Difficult? Do you think it could be done on your own, or do you have to go through a myriad of other people?

2) In the article "Debut Novelists," David Duffy writes that he doesn't make an outline prior to beginning the process, and revises as he writes. Are your stories written in a similar way, or do you have your own process that you follow to create a successful piece?

3) In regards to marketing, what extent do you think an author has to go to in order to publicize their book? I know many authors have Facebook, but some even have a Tumblr that is dedicated to their upcoming novel (see Lucy Christopher's The Killing Wood). Many authors, unless they are attached to a publisher, must do much of the advertising themselves, including costs. Is this old news to you, or something surprising?