by Cathy A Montville

Created on: July 20, 2008   Last Updated: September 22, 2011

I landed my first news correspondent job at a local city newspaper. I marched into the news office that day, and applied for the correspondent's position, with absolutely no writing experience under my belt. I had no published clips to present, no degree, no poetry contests I'd won…nothing. I was fully prepared, though, to take on whatever was asked of me. The paper hired me on the spot. However, it was under a three-month-trial agreement.

That day, I was interviewed by the editor and the publisher. I was honest: I told them I had nothing to present them…except a passion for writing. I begged them to give me a chance. I would prove myself to be the best writer their paper ever had.

The editor was obviously not keen on hiring me, and I couldn't blame her. The publisher, though, said he was impressed with my enthusiasm and determination. He wanted to give me a shot at writing professionally. It was my lucky day.

This long-time publisher was offering me the chance of a lifetime. I made a promise to myself that I would not let him down because he believed in me. I left the conference room that day with my very own Associated Press Style Handbook. I also had my first assignment to cover a selectman's meeting that night in a nearby town.

As I headed down the three flights of stairs that day, my feet barely touched the treads. All the way down I whispered over and over, ‘I got the job’. I had my AP book, an assignment, and I was going to be writing my first article. It would be right there in the newspaper for the world to see. Well...not the world exactly, but heck, a lot of people would be reading it.

Writing took a lot more planning in the early 1980s. There were no computers, no laptops, and of course, no Internet. I had to sit through a council meeting, rush home at 10 p.m., and type out the article on the old IBM typewriter the paper provided for me. Then I had to slide the hard copy in the slot of the news door by 6 a.m. the following morning.

Oh yeah, there was no such thing as spell check. A thesaurus was actually a book. I was on my own back then. Despite the fact, the publisher gave me a chance; he made it clear he expected hard copy without spelling and grammar mistakes. Clean copy he called it the day of the interview.

At 5:45the next morning, I proudly slid my first news article through the slot of the door at the newspaper. I was so excited I was shaking. It was a rite of passage. It was like no feeling I had ever had

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