The Next Step

As I reflect on this past semester, I start to think about what lies ahead. After taking so many upper-level journalism courses including advanced PR, media design, and magazine writing, I have started to anticipate what the future holds for me after graduation.

I’m still not sure what it is that I want to do when I graduate. The classes I have taken at Baylor have helped me identify my strengths and weaknesses and understand what is most important. First and foremost, I want to do something I love. Life is much too short. At the end of the day, I don’t want to look back and regret the decisions that I’ve made. It is my intention to do something that I am passionate about and surround myself with people who truly care about me as I care about them.

I have met so many loving, positive and uplifting people at Baylor, and I have been immeasurably blessed to have such a wonderful experience. I have been able to go to all of my professors and talk to them about anything, whether it was about school, my future, or just life itself.

I love to express myself and my creativity through what I do, but I also want to live a life knowing I have helped others. Jesus wants us to love others in the same way he has loved us. I hope that even though I am studying public relations, graphic design and magazine writing, I will be able to take all the tools that my wonderful professors have shared with me and use them in a way that will positively impact the lives of others.

My future is still cloudy to me, but I know one thing for sure. I am forever greatful for my education at Baylor, I have been blessed beyond imagination, and I completely trust in my Creator to guide me down the right path. I am excited about the journey ahead, and I cannot wait to begin the next chapter in my life.

 

A Learning Experience

I have learned many things from our magazine writing class. It opened my eyes to many different types of writing, taught me how to execute them successfully, and accomplished this with a hands-on approach.

I learn best through experience. While lecture can be informative and helpful, the best way to learn is by taking what you study in the classroom and putting it into practice. This allows me to learn from my mistakes, which prepares me best for the real world.

Organization is paramount when starting the magazine writing process. You must plan the steps you intend to take in advance. Deadlines tend to drive the rest of the process. To create a strong final product, detailed research is necessary. If you plan to utilize interviews, it is important to schedule these with plenty of time to spare. Nothing ever goes as planned. There are photography issues to consider, the weather may not cooperate, and people are always a question. You must be ready with multiple plans to still meet the deadline.

You also have to give yourself enough time to write the article. It is ideal for me to write the article in multiple sittings. Writing this way allows me to take the time to consider what I have written and the best way to move forward.

I am fortunate to have so many great people in my life who are willing to read my articles and suggest changes. It really helps to have more eyes, because I can read the article thousands of times, but after a while I won’t even notice the silliest mistakes. This takes even more time, and must be factored into your plan.

And through it all, I have realized that the one thing I have enjoyed the most is writing about people who have a passion. I love talking to people and getting to know them. It brings joy to my heart when I hear inspiring stories, and I love that I have the opportunity to share their passions with public.

Blessed

Writing is all about surprises. Surprises like a last minute phone call saying your story has no pictures, and without pictures it cannot run. The same story you have been writing all semester.

So what do you do in a situation like this? I had to learn what any good writer would do. I had to come up with a plan and fast.

I immediately went to the Girl Scout building and started calling numbers. I called and called, but no one would answer. My photographer was only available on Sunday. I texted him the address and told him to meet me there at 10:30.  He didn’t know the family never called me back. He just knew when and where to show up.

I was desperate for these photos, so when that morning came I got into the car and headed out for a part of Waco I wasn’t too familiar with. A certain part of Waco that one could say is a little more run down.

I pulled up to what looked like the address I was given. As I got out of the car a stray dog came up with his sad eyes, sat there and stared. I saw Matt and waved. I told him the situation and we decided all we could do was knock, and pray they would answer.

I was so thankful when I heard laughing and little feet scurrying around the house. I knocked twice, but then the grandmother came. As she opened the door she gave me a confused face. I showed her the uniforms I had in my hand and told her I was from Girl Scouts. She looked at me, looked back at the children and let me come in. I was wondering why she wouldn’t talk to me. Yuvia and Brisa came running up and asked me what was going on. I told them we needed to take photos for the magazine and immediately they explained everything to grandma in Spanish. It all made sense now.

I was shocked as I started to look around. There were about seven small children, all running around in pajamas. Three dogs ran around the house barking, the television was blaring cartoons, and grandma was quietly making breakfast in the kitchen. The girls told me their cousins were here. Their mother had dropped them off, and they didn’t know when she would be getting back. Brisa looked at me and said, “Can you believe their mom dropped them off at my house without pajamas? Now they have to wear mine!”

Everyone wanted to know what was going on. Matt was trying to set up the camera while fighting off the boys who wanted to play. I had to help the girls get out of the pajamas, fix their hair, and into their Girl Scout uniforms. We found a picture of their mother and headed outside.

It was cold that morning, and the girls were not too happy about it. Fortunately, this worked out well because they gave me sad, cold faces. The faces you would expect of two sisters that go through life not knowing when they will see their mother again.

After everything was done, I thanked the grandmother and told her I would bring a copy of the magazine when it was finished. As I walked out of the house, all the children started to ask why they couldn’t have their picture taken and why I was leaving. The just kept saying, “You’re the Girl Scout lady, right?”

Yep, that was me. The Girl Scout lady. You would think the role of the Girl Scout lady would be to teach children, but Yuvia’s family taught me something that day. Appreciation. To be thankful for all that God has given me. I left with a broken heart for that family, but also a smile for the life for which I have been blessed.

Simply Satisfying

As I embarked onto my next journey, trouble quickly came my way.

My story for Texas Business Magazine, was not the smooth sailing I was expecting. But then again, when it comes to writing a story, things never goe as planned.

I was really excited to write about Darden Building Materials because they have been serving the Waco-Woodway area for over 100 years. It has been passed down through the family and I thought this would make a great story. I soon found out they are only open on Mondays and Fridays and the Darden family wasn’t going to be back in the office for another week. I had to think fast because I had a timeline!

So that is when started to contact everyone else on the list. Surprisingly people were shutting me down.

I started to panic. I pulled out my computer and was ready to Google every small business in Waco. Before I could do this though, I had to eat. I couldn’t work on an empty stomach. So I grabbed my wallet and inside I found a business card I had picked up at a Yogurt shop a couple months back. It read “Simply Delicious Bakery.”

I had originally picked up the card because I liked the design. But now it had a new purpose. It was going to be my ticket for my story. I jumped in my car and headed down Valley Mills.

Tucked behind Walmart was the littlest shop. It was drizzling that day so I grabbed my notebook and quickly ran inside. As I walked through the door, my eyes went straight to the wall full of beautiful cakes. There were cakes and cupcakes for every occasion. I couldn’t believe what this little Waco bakery had to offer.

I found the owner of the store and she was delighted to see me. She said this story would be a great opportunity and gave me her business card. I could tell that she was proud of her place as she showed me all the awards on the wall.

So even though at times it may seem like everything is falling apart, everything happens for a reason. This is the story for me, the story I was meant to write. I had a different way of getting there, I just didn’t know it at the time.

The Finishing Touches

It was here. I had one week to finish the article I had been working on for so long. I was excited, but nervous. I still had so much left to do, and what felt like so little time.

Planning was the most important. If I didn’t keep everything organized, then I would never get done in time. There was still more interviews and phone calls, information to gather, and release forms to collect. I was not where I wanted to be.

It was crunch time. I quickly completed my last interviews and raced home to transcribe them. I had even typed out all the crayon quotes I had from that first Girl Scouts Beyond Bars meeting. Unfortunately, most of them consisted of, “I like Girl Scouts because I like selling cookies.”

My photographer has told me my story won’t sell unless it has the perfect pictures, and I agree. With this particular story, obtaining the “perfect picture” will be far from easy. He informed me he has gone through a lot in his day when it comes to photography. He works hard for what he wants. I informed him that trying to get pictures of the girls visiting their mothers in prison means dealing with the legal system. When the legal department shuts you down, it’s pretty much over from there. There is nothing we can do after that, and I don’t think he understands. He believes, where there’s will there’s a way.

My story was supposed to focus on one woman and her family. I was given her contact information, but it never worked. Finally, after finding out that she has recently been divorced, I was given her new information. Of course there was one problem, she wasn’t answering any of my calls! I understand that she is a newly single mother with three children and a full-time job, so I didn’t harrass her too much. When it came to the last week I texted her everyday and continued to call. She would sometimes text me back saying she would love to talk when she finds the time, but she never found the time.

I wasn’t going to let one interview bring my story down. So I started to write. It took about two days. I stayed up late, and continued to type. When I finally came down to the finishing touches, I had multiple people read over what I had written. I had been looking at it for so long that I didn’t even notice little grammar mistakes.

I had finally finished. It felt like a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. But the next week came and I started to brainstorm for my next query letter.

I look forward to see what my second story will entail.

 

 

 

 

The First Time is Never Easy

The road to writing my Focus article has not been an easy one. What seemed like the perfect idea at first, has definitely had some bumps along the way. At times it seems like there is no way this article will come together, but I know that everything will work out.

Girl Scouts of Central Texas has been looking for a way to let the Waco community know about their two-year-old program, Girl Scouts Beyond Bars (GSBB). Once I was told we would be writing for Focus magazine, I knew that this would be a great opportunity for both me, and the Girl Scouts. I was a Girl Scout growing up, so it has always been a passion of mine.

When I started the process, I interviewed a recent Baylor graduate who actually helped start the program here in Waco. She told me all about what GSBB does for the girls and how it has had a huge impact on their lives. I used that information to write my query letter, and it looked like everything was going to work out just fine.

During the first meeting I had with the editors, they told me they wanted the story to be more personal. This meant I had to find a mother who was already released and ask to interview her. I was a little nervous because I wasn’t sure if it would be a possibility, but I had to try. I went to the Girl Scout office, and I was told there was one family who had been open for interviews in the past. They gave me her information and I raced to rewrite my whole story proposal. I was so excited for the potential my story now had, and the last thing I needed was pictures.

The magazine really wanted pictures of the girls visiting their mothers behind bars. Since then, I have been told that this may not be a possibility. The girls won’t be visiting until the end of October, and the chance of the prison allowing a male photographer to come in and take pictures is highly unlikely. I was pretty bummed at first, but I was still excited for everything else my story had to offer.

That weekend I called the woman I was using as the focus of my story. The number didn’t work. It is no longer in service. I told the women at the office, and they tried every number and email they had, but nothing worked. After that, our first photo opportunity changed locations, and I am still struggling to find another family for the focus of my story.

The path to writing my story has been a daunting, but the process has taught me so much. I will be doing the rest of my interviews this weekend, as well as finishing my article.

I am praying that Girl Scouts will be able to find me a family whose story needs to be told, because I know it will be what makes my story one to grab the hearts of the readers.