Web Portfolio

So I am majorly slacking on the web portfolio. I have my finished templates/pages done, but no other text has made it onto the pages yet. I have been writing short descriptions of the work that I've been doing though on hard copy and will eventually type them out and put them on my web portfolio, along with the work. But I am having the hardest time sitting myself down and actually putting the info in the portfolio. These small minature steps I am taking are helping though.

Chatting with Brittany about the portfolio has eased some of the worry though, and after seeing her layout, I feel I will do something quite similar. This is what I am thinking:

-Homepage with about the Press
-Reflective page about internship and experience
-Copy editing work
~catalog
~trenchmouth (fiction novel)
-Content editing work
~matewan read
~macrofungi contributor page condense
~bringing down mountains ad (?)
-Design editing work
~atlas maps
~scan/insert pictures for trenchmouth
~ETC cover

Or I am not sure, but since the atlas map project was so large, it should be its own category. I have both anomoly sheets and marked-up maps. So organizing is the first large and important step and everything else should, hopefully, fall into place.

More InDesign Please

After looking back on my internship experience this semester, I am extremely happy and fortunate for what I learned and the projects I worked on. I've learned so much and was able to work on so many different kinds of projects. I also was able to learn how to use different programs too. But one program that I would have liked to gain more experience using is InDesign.

It is a great program for book design and I can easily see why it is important to the editing/publishing process. Some of the things I have learned include applying styles, adding pictures, adding and moving text, and creating running heads. Although these are valuable things to learn when creating and designing a book, I still do not feel that I was able to learn the entire program. Although I understand that I can only do so much in one semester, I just wish I could have learned more. But the aspects of the program that I did learn, I feel I have mastered.

I could be the queen of applying styles at this point, since I did it for two books. This just consists of choosing the font and spacing for the book pages and the type of indent as well and applying it to the entire text. The catch is you can only do it paragraph by paragraph, so it does take a long time and can be monotonous. Luckily, that type of work doesn't bother me. I am also very glad I learned how to create running heads, since they appear on every book (including page numbers). This is one part of the program I know I will be using again.

I suppose I wanted to learn more of this program so that when I enter my next job I am not clueless. But I guess that the little experience I have will probably be more than some others at my same level. So, in the end I am happy to know at least what I do about InDesign and I'm sure even after mastering the program I will find new things to learn.

Response

Scott Wible:

I'd be interested in hearing more about the audience/editor distinction that you make, Emily. In what ways do you, even as you're reading with an editor's eyes, still keep in mind the audience's interest, knowledge, and needs? What are some examples in which your understanding of the writer's audience influenced the editorial decisions you made?

My Response:

Reading Trenchmouth Taggart gave me a lot of experience balancing reader and editor. I must read as an editor, but it is also important to read as an audience as well. This way I can distinguish any questions or hard to interpret areas that an audience member may have. It is an important and learned balance of objective view versus entertainment view. I had to carefully examine parts of the text that would be potentially confusing for a reader or any parts of the text that didn't have a smooth text 'flow'. In this particular book, the author wrote in many broken, incomplete sentences. This, for me as an English major, was hard to accept since it is 'incorrect.' But through reading on, as an audience member, I was able to accept this style of writing and understand its importance to the overall theme of the book. And if there were any parts that were confusing due to this broken sentence structure, it was my job as the editor to figure out how to correct this problem without compromising the style of writing the author chose.

It was easy to become an audience member as I am a primary candidate. Since this book's setting is mainly in West Virginia and centers around WV event, as well as being published by a West Virginia Press, the primary audience will be residents of WV. But the array of ages that will potentially read this is wide. When I read this book, I just made sure that I could step back and understand what was being said as an audience member then applied my knowledge as an editor to make necessary changes. It is a hard balance to make, but it comes with time and I am fortunate to have experienced this aspect of editing so early in my soon-to-be career.

No More Pat

Throughout the last couple weeks, the Press has been interviewing new people to take Pat's position. That is right, Pat Conner is retiring from director of the press. I am just glad that I was able to work with him as an intern this last semester. He is a great man and has the best laugh I've ever heard! He was always adamant about checking on each part of the press and its interns. It was always nice to hear a 'thank you' too, even though we're all just doing our jobs. I'm not sure which direction the Press will be going with a new director, but I think Pat did a great job making the Press a prestigious publishing company for the state of WV. He was always fun and upbeat to work with and new how to put a smile on a person's face. So, thanks Pat for everything and I wish you all the best!

Poster Exhibit

This week we had the poster exhibit to display some work from out internship experiences. I like creating things like this, but getting started was the hardest part. And since I am a perfectionist, everything had to be (almost) exactly how I pictured it in my head. I am happy to say that it turned out quite well and very similar to the picture I created in my head.

I really liked my title, Edit This!, because it was straightforward and to the point but also intriguing - at least to me anyway. For some odd reason, I come up with my best ideas right before I'm falling asleep, I just have to remember them by morning. But all in all, I was very pleased with the outcome of my poster and I displayed some important aspects of my experience and those which I felt I did my best work.

The judging period was interesting and it was great to see everyone else's work as well. Everyone did an amazing job and included some things that really added to their projects. Caitlin had a mason jar from a picture that she took for a back cover, I thought that was a great touch to see the jar next to the picture. Megan included a slightly disturbing, but funny photo of a woman with leathery skin from her exposure to the sun. That picture said it all, her skin looked unreal and the child's face in the back round captures the universal thought of the picture too. This time to see the work everyone has done was a great way to begin the wrap-up of our internships; and it is helpful to see just how many areas of work are available to us as professional writing and editing soon-to-be graduates.

Although no oral presentation was required, we did a great deal of talking and presenting to the judges. I found myself creating a somewhat similar presentation for each judge in order to convey the message of my poster and experience. Also, by speaking about the work that I've done, it gave me a chance to reflect on how this internship has affected and taught me. I have learned a great deal about publishing and the many steps to get to a finished product; and I've learned and applied many different types of editing to several projects. But the most important thing I've discovered is that this is what I truly want to do as a career in my life. I enjoy this type of work and gain gratification from completing a project and contributing in any way possible. This is the greatest thing I could have taken away from this experience because now I know that I have completed the right path in college and it all hasn't been a waste!

April Blog Showers

I realize that I haven't been quite up-to-date with my blogging. Now I must write the bulk of my experience in April. But luckily, at the end of every work day I write what i've done for that day and if I had any other thoughts on it, I wrote that down as well. So, maybe I haven't been keeping up with my blogs like others, but at least I still have something to look back to in order to complete them.

This may be complete off topic, but another reason for my lack of blogging, could be due to the fact that I have been sick for most of this spring semester. Not lieing! I have had a cold, strep throat, or something crazy going on with me for most of this semester. Don (marketing) even said to me yesterday, "You know Emily, in the short time that i've known you I think you've been sick more than you've been healthy." Ain't that the truth! Not that this is an excuse for my ill blogging behavior, I just wanted to set the record straight, for myself.

Lost?

I feel so lost in all this work to be done to complete my capstone experience. I have been making copies and keeping everything I've done, but it doesn't seem like enough.

The poster project is coming up fast and I feel totally unprepared. I keep thinking of certain aspects to focus on, but I'm not sure what will be interesting to others viewing my project. Instead of working on one main project for a duration of time, I have been doing multiple edits and design work with multiple projects. So, how do I choose what best exemplifies my intern experience? Can't I just make a video of what I do for the next week and edit and show that, and others will still only get a taste of what I've been doing and the learning experience that I've had.

Some of my favorite and most notable projects have been Trenchmouth proofread, chosen blurbs for advertisement, map proofing. Matewan note checking, and Macrofungi text condensing. Although I'm sure there is plenty there to show for my internship, but it just feels like it won't be enough. Nothing really stands out as a huge change I made or accomplishment. Maybe I'm just overreacting because it is crunch time, and I feel so unprepared. Plus, it seems that every class has been hitting me hard since I've gotten back from break; which doesn't make this stuff any easier.

I am also totally clueless with how to approach my web portfolio. I have done web desing work in my Multimedia class, but I feel like I had to self-teach myself in the last 3 weeks just to finish and polish my project. I am just not sure what to include in the porfolio and the means to get everything on the web. All of the pages that I have been keeping and collecting, am I supposed to put all of them in my portfolio? It just seems like a lot of work and there isn't a lot of time to do it in. If only I was a wiz on the computer, then this would be easier!

Oh well, I actually work really well under pressure, and I always manage to produce an amazing finished product. I suppose I'll figure all this out, as soon as I'm done venting about it, so bring it all on!

My niche

I have finally found my niche in the Press. I have been proofreading West Virginia atlas maps for any mistakes or inconsistencies. And I happen to be very good at this. Than and Rachel have both told me that I have a great eye for design inconsistencies, which made me feel great. Than seemed to really depend on what anomalies I came up with for the maps and he trusted my opinion too. At first, I thought it would be just another boring job, but I ended up really liking it. I payed close attention to detail, such as lines in the LEGEND not beginning on the same point and readability of cities/towns on the map. I really do enjoy the design aspect of editing, whether it be maps or covers I really think I found the job in which I can excel. As boring as map proofing sounds, I actually like finding errors when others weren't able to notice them. It makes me feel needed in this field.