Hull fashion students interview

The more time I spend at the Hull Daily Mail, the more chance I get to organise my own stories that appear. This is something I really enjoy, as it is always nice to be able to write about your interests.

One feature I particularly enjoyed writing was about a group of Hull fashion students going to a fashion show to show their designs to Vogue Editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. It was great interviewing the students, if not a little nerve-wracking interviewing around 20 people all at the same time.
I also got to go along to the fashion show, which was great for me on both a personal and professional level. It meant I got to know the girls a bit better, and also got a better idea of what I was writing about.
The story gained the front page of the Femail supplement, and also got a double page spread inside which I was really happy with.

Continuing writing The Hotlist

A few months after first starting to write The Hotlist, I am finding it a lot easier to produce. Previously taking at least half a day to complete, I can now finish it in a couple of hours, meaning I have more time to work on other ideas.

I know the sort of subjects that are included, which means I can search for the right sort of idea, instead of spending hours on the internet looking for something to write about.

Writing The Hotlist means I get good experience with writing smaller pieces, much like nibs. It can be hard to fit all of the information you want into such a small space, but I am now finding it easier to include the vital information and leave out unneeded details.

Writing a feature for Femail

Over the past few weeks I have been able to work on a feature that will go in the Femail supplement. Although I produce various different pieces, I haven’t written my own feature for it as yet. But I got the chance after a reader rang in to tell us my story.

Instead of Natalie writing the main feature, she asked if I would like to, which of course I agreed to. So I rang the reader and arranged an interview.

After meeting, I was happy with all of the questions I had asked her, and was excited to write the story as the woman I was writing about was friendly and had a great story. It took me a few hours to write up the article, but I was happy with how it read, and should be published in the next issue of Femail.

I am really happy with how my interviewing skills are progressing. I used to be nervous before and worry about what I was going to say, but now I don’t hesitate to organise interview. Although I am still a little nervous beforehand, I think I am a lot better than at the beginning of my internship.

I am also a lot more comfortable speaking on the phone, not worrying when I have to make a call to find out extra information.

Interviewing founders of Merryhide

This week I have interviewed the creators of a fashion accessory brand called Merryhide. I found them from looking through the Femail Twitter page, and getting in touch with them through their website.

After showing Natalie, she agreed that they were a good brand to do a feature on for The Journal. So I interviewed them both in a coffee shop I met them at in Beverley.

Although still a little nervous when interviewing, I feel like I am getting better. I used a Dictaphone so I didn’t have to write notes and could concentrate fully on our conversation. I also managed to ask some extra questions from what they told me, which gave me extra content to work with.

I still feel like I need to improve my interviewing skills, as I can get nervous and lose track of my thoughts. However, this is only something I can improve through experience, so I need to make sure I keep interviewing different people to improve.

Working over Christmas

As Femail is a weekly supplement, I worked my usual days over Christmas to create content over the Christmas period.

As less people were in the office at this time, I needed to produce work in advance, so there would be time to edit and print each week.

I carried on completing my usual articles, and made sure that each week everything was written up on time. It was slightly hard writing in advance, especially when producing The Hotlist as that is about things that are current. For this I had to research ideas in advance to make sure they were relevant at the time of publishing.

A lot of work I carried out without Natalie being in the office, as took the Christmas period off, so I was alone in making decisions. One such decision was to supplement the usual celeb look feature for a celeb talks feature instead. This has made me more confident to make my own decisions whilst in the office.

Twitter/ Tweetdeck account

These are screenshots of the Femail Twitter and Tweetdeck account. I use the Tweetdeck account to schedule tweets, and to make it easier to see everything on the same screen.

The second screenshot shows the Femail profile. I have pinned a tweet at the top so this is the first thing users will see. I am using the Twitter page to help find nominees for the makeover, as well as to find stories and network with others, creating a larger readership.

Personal progress so far

As I spend more time at the Hull Daily Mail, I am becoming more and more confident. When I get into the office I am able to answer any emails that I need to, and get on with the work I have to complete. I have a range of work to complete whilst here, and sometimes some added extras such as news stories and features.

Although I don’t like being on the phone, I don’t hesitate to ring someone if I need to, the same with meeting people for interviews. I have found that I am also becoming less nervous and just get on with what I need to do.

There are a few things I would like to do whilst there, such as perhaps setting up some fashion shoots like was mentioned in my interview, so I will need to mention this whilst in the office to see if it is a possibility. Whilst in the office I would like to gain as much skill in my chosen areas as possible so hopefully this will be something I can do.