Introduction

I've been a journalism major since the beginning of my freshman year, and I've always known that I want to go into an editorial career. The pivotal moment in my decision of where to go to college was actually when I realized that Pitt offered courses in magazine journalism, because until that point I didn't think I would be able to find the types of classes that I would need at this school. When I say that I've been "stalking" this magazine writing course since day one, I'm not exaggerating.

I'm taking this course not only to improve my writing, but also to learn all that I can about the magazine industry in such a changing age. I was very surprised during the first class to see how digital all of our assignments will be, but if that's what it takes to work in the magazine business today, I need to adapt to it. I hope mainly to learn how to write most effectively for a magazine audience, but also the ins and outs of things like online affiliate magazines, recent changes in publishing, and about editing. I'm particularly interested in music, so I hope I'll be able to write some concert or album reviews as well.

My favorite nonfiction writer has always been Hunter S. Thompson. I know this is a standard response, but I am constantly inspired by his creativity and the depth of his writing. I hope to be able to capture the strange, unexplored parts of my subjects the way Thompson does, and I find it fascinating that he is able to embellish his stories without compromising their accuracy.

Another one of my favorites is Gay Talese, though I'm much less familiar with him. We read "Frank Sinatra Has A Cold" for my Nonfiction class last semester, and it was one of my favorite pieces of nonfiction that I've ever come across. The way he takes such inspirational, high-profile figures and turns them into real people is so unique and admirable. When I'm interviewing people for articles, I constantly try to think of the types of questions that Talese would ask.