Becoming a student writer - easier than you'd think!

I figured student journalism wasn’t for me – I presumed there’d be politics involved that I just wasn’t up to facing. The idea of writing student news which people might get worked up over, then write pointlessly cruel and dismissive comments, then I’d stress... Needless to say, it was intimidating. At my Freshers’ Fair I dismissed it pretty swiftly.

What I soon realised is that I spent most of my first year on a news site...an entertainment news site, that is. I was addicted to following film releases, TV pilots, and comment pieces on entertainment news. I read every word my favourite entertainment writer, Michael Slezak, wrote for the American magazine/website Entertainment Weekly. He was so clever, articulate, funny...and he wrote about entertainment. It had never occurred to me. His writing style turned out to be my inspiration; since he was an American Idol blogger among other things, I thought I’d give it a go with a blog about The X Factor.

The Yorker turned out to be the perfect platform for me to do that. As I started blogging furiously after each episode to make sure it was ready to go online the following day, I thought to myself “hey...this is fun!” For me there was nothing more thrilling than writing about something I adored, something that made me spark. Your personality can shine through so that it almost writes itself. I ended up blogging the Oscars, Eurovision, and writing a weekly entertainment news column all in collaboration with other writers, among other duties as Film and TV Editor. And all it took was some passion and fire in my belly... In that respect, anyone can do it.

Of course, there are limits to that. You always need to be ready to read what you’re writing with a critical eye, and be willing to ask for advice and constructive criticism. And if you’re surrounded by a team of supportive writers – who are also your friends – there’s nothing easier. It was exactly that environment that made me go from being a weekly writer at The Yorker to being Arts Editor in less than a year. Pretty crazy when you think about it.

So in some ways, this is a shout-out to new writers, even if you think you can’t do it. Because whether you’re following every sports tournament, or you want to share your exotic gap year travels, or you’re a whizz in the kitchen, you can probably write about it for us. And of course, if your passions lie in the range of mine and beyond – playing videogames, reading books, discovering new artists and so on, then maybe I’ll be editing your stuff before you know it...

Look out for us at Freshers’ Fair to sign up, or even email me with any queries/ideas at arts@theyorker.co.uk!

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