A Fork in the Road
I need to make a decision
I applied for my first writing internship this summer, and it didn’t really turn out how I hoped.
When I got accepted as one of the five young writers for this LGBTQ website, I was ecstatic and proud. It was supposed to be the first time I actually got paid for my writing.
When I tell people I’m pursuing an English degree and that I want to be a writer, they rarely ever think it’s a good idea. Money comes up often. People either think I’ll be insanely successful like Steven King or just another starving artist. When I told my grandmother I wanted to write this summer instead of get a job, she wasn’t pleased at all- until I finally told her about my anxiety.
So when I got a spot with this internship, I thought it would prove that I was taking a step in the right direction.
I sent my first piece to be edited Monday morning when I have the Friday publication slot. I wanted there to be enough time for the proper edits to be made.
Originally, my editor told me that my piece was good and it was sent off to the Editor in Chief for final approval. By Wednesday I hadn’t heard if my piece was officially good for publication so I sent an email. My editor responded, stating that our initial starting week had been pushed to the following week. The Editor in Chief wanted all pieces to be in third person and from a journalistic standpoint.
I redid my work to satisfy his request and resent it. I didn’t hear anything until I emailed asking if my piece was ready to be published on Friday. I was told it was good to go and that it would be up before noon Pacific time.
Friday morning came, and I anxiously waited for my piece to be posted. I refreshed the page every couple of hours. It’s 2 P.M. my time when it’s noon Pacific time. Noon came and went with no post published. I waited until 8 P.M. my time (6 P.M. Pacific) to email them and let them know my piece hadn’t been published.
It turns out that my piece had been scheduled for the wrong day. It was an honest mistake, but it was the second time things hadn’t gone smoothly. I wrote my second piece for them and sent it to my editor. The next day he responded to let me know he forwarded it to the Editor in Chief for final approval.
My second piece was supposed to be published yesterday. At the time I’m writing this, it is 8:04 P.M. on Saturday and it still hasn’t been published. I also haven’t been paid for either of my pieces. However, since the second one isn’t posted, I can understand why I haven’t been paid for both.
Honestly, I don’t know whether to keep writing for them.
I want to because they’re centered around LGBTQ PoC. I want to be a part of their content creation. I want to connect with the other writers like I’ve connected with other writers here on Medium. However, If I’m originally told that I’m supposed to be paid for my writing and I don’t receive payment–Am I supposed to continue to supply content for free? If my pieces aren’t published like they’re supposed to be, if they’re even published at all–what’s the point of me writing it?
It’s not about the money. I write on here consistently, mostly for free. I’ve connected with amazing people on here like Marley K., James Finn, Eric Griggs, Terijo, Gloria Bates, Zayn Singh, and many more. I’ve been on Medium for a couple of months and I’ve already learned so much, about myself and my writing. I love writing here. Eventually, I’d like to expand my audience across multiple platforms, but for now I’m just honing my craft like a wise man advised me to.
Feel free to leave your thoughts about what I should do down below.
Anything and everything is appreciated. I don’t want to come off as some arrogant writer, but I also don’t want to be taken advantage of.
