gregorygarver.com

[ajoppru]

I am 13 years old and I love to write. I am already an author and have a book published. (http://www.lulu.com/content/949924)I want to be a journalist. What classes should I take in high school? How long should I go to collage? Please answer, this is very important to me.Thanks in advance.

[Shagrag]

It's awesome that you already have so much accomplished at thirteen. I wrote my first novel when I was twelve as well, although I never submitted it for publication.I should note that from looking at your page, it appears that your book is self-published. Although there's nothing intrinsically wrong with that, you should know that because anyone can self-publish, regardless of quality, such works tend to be discounted, no matter how glowing a review you leave for yourself. When you're submitting samples of your journalistic work (they're called "clips"), most editors prefer to see works that have been published by others. This shows that you can work on assignment and under deadline, which is incredibly important in journalism. It will also give you the chance to have your work proofread by copy editors who are a little more familiar with the rules of mechanics and style. You should also know that writing for journalism is very different than creative writing. For one thing, quotes and descriptions have to be perfectly accurate, so there is no room for creative license. And although magazine journalism can be a little more free-form, newspaper and television conform to very strict styles. In newspaper journalism, which I'm most familiar with, sentences and paragraphs have to be concise and to the point, with no wasted words. Ironically, it's actually harder to write briefly than it is to ramble, which explains why most of my answers read the way they do.Now, on to what you should be doing:In high school, you're obviously going to want a program that's strong in English. You should also take other classes that have nothing to do with journalism but that are interesting to you, such as science, art, or government - if you love another subject, you can become a specialized reporter, which can be very profitable.The most important class you can take is journalism, if such a class exists at your school. Theory is not nearly important as having hands-on experience. If there isn't a journalism class, but there is a school paper, work on that. If there isn't, then try to work on your school's yearbook. Since you seem to have an amazing amount of initiative, you can also consider starting your own paper and bringing in a teacher as an adviser.Around your sophomore or junior year of high school, you can also begin looking for extra-curriculars. Especially if you live in a small town, you should be able to go to your local paper, show them the writing you've done, and see if you can get an internship. If they think you're too young, try local magazines, or send freelance submissions to magazines or papers anywhere in the country.There are two schools of thought about what you should do in college: some would recommend that you only get a degree in journalism. Others prefer a college degree in a subject you're interested in, and experience at student and other publications. Whichever route you go, you're probably going to need at least a 4-year bachelor degree to get a job at most papers.Best of luck with your career! I hope to see your byline someday.

[Homesella2694]

first, use a good spell checker - collage is spelled college. lol. my advice is slow down. don't peak to soon. chloe and veronica marrs are only tv characters. it's not always really like that. although sometimes it is. fidn a school with a good journalism program - or mass comm - and do your best.