Writing an article for the local newspaper doesn’t seem like a massive deal now, but back in February 2013 it definitely was for me.
Especially because it was my first article published in print. But sadly, it didn’t all go to plan. Let me explain why.
As a young aspiring journalist who had only set up a blog one and a half years previously, my newspaper debut was an exciting milestone.
I was a Year 13 pupil, mid-way through my A Levels and my writing portfolio online had started to pick up pace.
But I was keen to see my work in print and thankfully one of my teachers knew I was an aspiring journalist, so helped me get involved in writing an article on the up-coming school production.
The little project to promote the production didn’t get off to the best of starts when I thought I had recorded an interview with the director – who was also one of my teachers – but I, in fact, hadn’t.
So, not great. But I did eventually get the quotes I needed and remember being really excited to get writing the article.
My school was putting on Beauty and the Beast and had – unusually – drafted in external companies to take the production to another level.
I won’t go naming the publication, but the article (which – I can admit now – was far too long for a local newspaper) was sent off and I was eager to see it in print.
I’ll also just add that it said at the end of the article “written by Jack Leslie, Year 13 pupil at (my school)”.
Then, something very strange happened.
Somehow, my article was published in the newspaper and online with an additional angle I obviously hadn’t written about.
It stated that I had re-written Beauty and the Beast for the school’s production. No, seriously. I have no clue how, but whoever edited the article at the newspaper had got the complete wrong idea.
Whether they’d read the note at the bottom in a rush or what, I don’t know. I’m still clueless to this day.
Why.
What.
How.
But, that’s what was published online and in print. That I’d rewritten the world-famous Beauty and the Beast for my school’s annual production.
Thankfully they re-printed it for the next issue to publicise the production, and I have a copy stuck on my wall at home. Unsurprisingly, I didn’t keep the original story.
It was certainly a bizarre experience. Of course, I can laugh about it now and put it down to one of those moments on the learning curve. But fortunately I had a number of other articles published in the same paper without issues!
As a young aspiring journalist who had only set up a blog one and a half years previously, my newspaper debut was an exciting milestone.
I was a Year 13 pupil, mid-way through my A Levels and my writing portfolio online had started to pick up pace.
But I was keen to see my work in print and thankfully one of my teachers knew I was an aspiring journalist, so helped me get involved in writing an article on the up-coming school production.
The little project to promote the production didn’t get off to the best of starts when I thought I had recorded an interview with the director – who was also one of my teachers – but I, in fact, hadn’t.
So, not great. But I did eventually get the quotes I needed and remember being really excited to get writing the article.
My school was putting on Beauty and the Beast and had – unusually – drafted in external companies to take the production to another level.
I won’t go naming the publication, but the article (which – I can admit now – was far too long for a local newspaper) was sent off and I was eager to see it in print.
I’ll also just add that it said at the end of the article “written by Jack Leslie, Year 13 pupil at (my school)”.
Then, something very strange happened.
Somehow, my article was published in the newspaper and online with an additional angle I obviously hadn’t written about.
It stated that I had re-written Beauty and the Beast for the school’s production. No, seriously. I have no clue how, but whoever edited the article at the newspaper had got the complete wrong idea.
Whether they’d read the note at the bottom in a rush or what, I don’t know. I’m still clueless to this day.
Why.
What.
How.
But, that’s what was published online and in print. That I’d rewritten the world-famous Beauty and the Beast for my school’s annual production.
Thankfully they re-printed it for the next issue to publicise the production, and I have a copy stuck on my wall at home. Unsurprisingly, I didn’t keep the original story.
It was certainly a bizarre experience. Of course, I can laugh about it now and put it down to one of those moments on the learning curve. But fortunately I had a number of other articles published in the same paper without issues!
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