"He's different than what I expected" is the first thought that pops into my mind as I look at the scrawny kid in front of me. His hair is dark brown, almost black, and his eyes are a deep green similar to wet moss. His professor proceeds to explain that he is an undergraduate student that is a great writer. But is unsure if he should pursue this job or another, more stable job. His concerns are valid. Anyone in this field, especially me, is worried about what their future will look like. Writing is a tough industry to be in. One minute your book could be a success, the next minute it is sold online for a quarter. And that is only if you pursue a writing career.
If you are an editor, jobs can be hard to find. Yes, everyone wants to be published and there are thousands of people every day who bring in book proposals, but editors only see the books that make it, interns or other workers take care of reading the manuscripts while the editors help the authors get to the next stage of advertising the book and making it a success by offering revisions that authors may or may not take. It is especially hard because editors need to stay on top of the social world because interests and the way people advertise change in a flash. It can be really frustrating sometimes.
Putting my hand out, I introduce myself to the boy. He takes it with a firm shake that surprised me from his small build. He seems shy, but he has a confident shake and that is important in this industry. If you are not confident in yourself, no one else will be confident in you. I learned this very quickly in my internship.
After a little bit of push and pull, I find out that his name is Shane and he is only a freshman with parents who want him to do accounting even though he barely passed his math class in high school.
As the conversation continues, he becomes more and more open with me and his sentences get longer and longer. It makes me proud and happy that he is slowly opening up to me. I want to be her mentor and his friend. I don't want this to be strictly business. I have enough of that in my life. Plus, this will be my first friend post-trauma. This is a significant point in my life and I need to take advantage of this opportunity.
"How would you like to have lunch today? Do you have any classes?"
"No, I finished earlier. I have short days on Monday, Wednesdays, and Fridays, but my Tuesdays and Thursdays are absolutely dreadful."
"Get used to that. If you are a writing major or minor, the majority of the classes are on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but as you get farther into your schooling, you will have Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays off."
He sits there silently for a moment or two, possibly contemplating what his future schedule is like. Remembering my earlier question, I redirect the conversation.
"Would you like to have lunch today? You can ask me any questions that you would like and I will answer them the best that I can."
"That would be great! Is there somewhere on or around campus we can go to? I don't have a car."
"Of course! We can go to Starbucks and sit at one of the tables there. It shouldn't be too busy around this time."
After saying goodbye to his professor, we walk over to Starbucks in friendly silence. It wasn't awkward, mostly because students were walking around here and there either talking to friends or on the phone.
I take Shane's order and tell him to find a table as I walk to the line. It's long as it usually is, but the workers are always quick to everyone's drinks out. A couple of minutes later, we are sitting across from each other at a small table in the corner. The volume is lower here, possibly because everyone sits in the middle, but it's nice. We can have a conversation without having to yell at each other.
"Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?"
His question catches me slightly off guard, but I should have expected it. I mean, I am helping him choose whether writing is the career path that he wants to pursue.
"Sure. Is there anything specific you want to know?"
"No, not really. Maybe you can talk about how you first decided you wanted to write and what steps you took to get to where you are now."
"Okay, let's see. I guess I can start from the beginning. Uh, I didn't have the best home life and I found that writing was something that always helped me calm down and cope. It still has the same effects today which is another reason I continued my writing career path. I find that inspiration is everywhere, even in places you don't expect, so as long as you know grammar skills and how to make characters rateable, you can write a story.
"When I first started college, I really didn't know what I wanted to do. Similar to you, I was worried about the financial stability of having a writing career. It can be tricky, the market is always changing. And I needed money, I was on my own at that time and I had to take care of myself and some way to pay my tuition so my loans weren't as high as they would have been. I found a couple of apps where you could write and get paid. It wasn't much, but when I found out that people actually liked what I wrote, I became more motivated to get my words out there.
"A couple of years later I was about to graduate with a bachelor's degree in writing. At this point, I had no idea what I could do with this degree or if I wanted to continue schooling. I looked up a few programs at colleges and decided to go to graduate school. I wanted a master's degree, at least, this way I could teach a writing course in high school if I could not find a job for a publishing house and I didn't have any ideas for a novel.
"And then, last spring, I graduated with my master's degree and I work at a publishing house, not far from here, as an editor. But, I should back up a bit. When you are in graduate school, the program typically has a mandatory course where you have to intern at a location that you might be interested in working with after you graduate. I chose the publishing house I currently work at and interned there for the two years that it took to get my master's degree. After I graduated, they kept me on the team because they liked my work ethic, and I was friendly with the head of the editing department. It really helps to network no matter what field you are going into.
"I think, if you really want to know whether writing is for you, you should give it a shot. I can mention your name to my boss and he may not be able to give you the job I had because you don't have a degree, but you can start as a lower-level employee and then work your way up."
He sits in his seat silently for a minute, absorbing all the information while he takes a couple of sips of his coffee. I don't blame him. I could have given him the condensed version of how I decided to be an editor.
"Wow. I feel like you. I have always used writing as a way out. I like being able to create my own world with it's own drama or-or a story with a happy ending that I can look forward to giving th charayeriers. It gives me hope that even if my life isn't going great at this moment, at least I can write about how I would like my life to be."
It is in this moment that I am more grateful than I could ever express for being introduced to Shane. He understands the need to write and how it provides an escape, a way out of reality and into a new world that we can mold anyway we want to. For us, it is another, happier, life.
"It is great to have someone who understands the impact of writing. Just hearing you talk makes me certain that you should be a writer. Of course, discuss this with your parents, they can be tough, but I would use some of your electives to take a few writing courses, preferably creative writing, so you can see if this is the right fit for you."
"Thank you. I would like to try to get an internship at the place you work. Would you be able to give me someone's contact who I can call to set up an interview?"
"Of course. When I go to work, I will ask my boss whose number to give to you. I am really glad that we were able to do this. Would you like to meet again sometime?"
"Yes, if I want to convince my parents to let me pursue this, I need to have all the facts."
"Great, let me know when you want to meet again. You have my number, just call or text me and we will set something up."
"Thanks again, Rose. I will see you soon."
"See you then."
He leaves the table taking his coffee with him. I am glad we were able to do this. I think this is definitely going to help me, and in the process, help him as well.