photos by: Abby Francis
With my studies in the Broadcast and Online Journalism program, I joined as a writer for Link magazine last year. So far, I’ve written for three issues: Winter, Spring, and March special.
I had initially discovered the magazine on the stand in the Broadcasting building (SE10), having noticed older issues. That made me believe that Link was a magazine run by Broadcast students and something Journalism students work on in their free time. As I learned later, it isn’t exactly that and, surprisingly, only a handful of Journalism students write for it.
Interested in learning about the magazine, I asked one of my instructors, Erin Laforet, to connect me to the Link team—and that’s what started my journey as a writer for Link.
What I’ve enjoyed
Writing for Link has personally been a great adventure and made me feel that it’s truly a magazine created by students and for students. I also find that there is a mutual benefit to being a contributor: Link benefits from the fresh and creative ideas I work to bring—while I get to write about them passionately.
Additionally, focusing on topics I genuinely enjoy or find interesting to write about has been an excellent way to de-stress and improve my mood. I wholeheartedly enjoy taking a break from my weekly course assignments: writing news headlines, articles, and radio wraparounds is fun and all, but trying to find different angles or people to interview can be stressful! I remember feeling especially excited when Micky (Publications Coordinator at Link) asked me to write an article on the BC housing crisis. That perfectly matched my interests in economics and business, and I always wanted to talk about housing issues.
Overall, the Link team has been significantly supportive and on top of that, Shawn, the editor, has been fantastic. He has been extremely friendly and supportive of my articles, and I cannot thank him enough for making my articles more professional and easier to read. My Broadcast instructors always stress the importance of sounding conversational while maintaining clarity. Shawn does that and goes far beyond to help me fact-check, suggest new ideas, or point out things that need additional clarification.
The process
As a passionate lover of coffee and music, I cannot stress how important these two elements are to my writing process in general, including how I write for Link. Every time before I start writing, I like to perform my sacred ritual of drinking coffee while listening to music (I usually start with Two Steps from Hell’s “Impossible”). This helps me quickly get into a zone where I am hyper-focused and words seem to naturally and effortlessly flow straight from my mind to my keyboard. Depending on how much time I have left, I adjust the music and the amount of coffee accordingly.
I also tend to work in short bursts instead of finishing an entire piece in a single day. That’s partly because I typically have other assignments to finish, and how much time I actually get to write depends on how quickly I can get into the zone. And when the topic requires research, I would devote one day to compiling all the evidence and spend the next day writing.
I cannot emphasize this far enough: writing for Link has been an exciting journey in my life as a BCIT student.
Some challenges
I personally encountered two major challenges: one was a curveball; the other was expected.
The first article assigned to me took me by surprise. I was to write about the campus club BCIT JDC West, and I was given a short transcript of an interview already conducted with the execs. Writing an article solely based on those questions and answers was challenging as I wanted to ask my own questions for more details. Also, the fact that I was new to BCIT did not help. Thankfully, I eventually got in contact with BCIT JDC West, who gave pointers in prompt replies to my emails.
Another challenge I had was working in a time crunch. This did not happen often, but when it did, it was tough. I feel that my article on the BC housing crisis was a bit rushed as I had to keep up with my school assignments and submit the revised piece the next day. But in case you’re planning to write for Link, you don’t have to be too worried about being in a time crunch: that really is rare. Shawn is always open to extensions (this article would not have been possible to complete without his generosity).
Takeaways
I cannot emphasize this far enough: writing for Link has been an exciting journey in my life as a BCIT student. The Link team is friendly and open to new ideas and suggestions. Everyone has the chance to pitch articles they are passionate about, with the freedom to take assigned topics in a variety of directions. Please don’t hesitate to ask.
Also, I cannot state how important it is to communicate with the editor if you have any questions, need an extension, or need clarification about revisions. Communication is key when working as a team.
And just like with anything in life, there are ups and downs—but you get to work with a wonderful crew to polish your piece, improve your writing, and get paid as a cherry on top! It’s an offer I cannot refuse!