intern « Robin Writes

Another great post from RHP intern Melanie Whithaus:

As a creative writing student, I am always asked what I want to do with my degree. Well, teaching isn’t an option for me unless it’s at the college level, and working as a journalist has nothing to do with my degree. People assume that when you say you’re a creative writing major, all you want to do is teach. “Oh, you like to write? So are you going to teach,” they ask. The answer to the first question is yes. The latter: no. They then ask why I don’t want to be a teacher. It’s not my thing, I reply. Nothing about teaching a bunch of snot-nosed little kids how to read appeals to me. I’m not studying to be a teacher, and many of my professors have told me how much of a demand there is in the world for good writers.

But the list of questions continues and my list of pathetic answers continues: I honestly don’t know what I want to do with my degree. Not because I am lost, but because I have so many options. Maybe I could work at some random company writing newsletters, or maybe write instructions on how to save yourself from a plane crash. But over the past year, I’ve realized that I want to work in a publishing house and write on the side. I want to be surrounded by the literary world and not just some corporate office. So I have my future decided on. Score! But what about my own writing on the side?

I don’t want it to be an “on the side” sort of thing, but life tends to throw you a curve ball and doing the things you love gets pushed aside until further notice. Between school, work, internships, and life in general, there’s always something to use as an excuse to why I’m not writing.

But my favorite excuse: I have a terrible writer’s block. Which is true, but also I’m incredibly lazy. I have so many ideas and ways to keep myself writing, but of course I find some excuse to not do them. As a struggling writer, one of my favorite things to do to keep myself writing is fan fiction. For those of you who don’t know, fan fiction is when you write a story about your favorite novel, movie, celebrity (the list goes on forever) living in a world that you’ve created. Now, it can be the same “universe” in which the original story is written, but the new plot is yours. People have been writing fan fiction for centuries, but it didn’t get the name until recently.

But why fan fiction? It’s easy writing, I already have the characters and universe developed, all I have to do is create an intriguing plot. It’s a simple way to keep myself writing and more importantly, it keeps writing fun. But now the problem is this: I’m coming up with excuses to why I’m not writing fan fiction!

As a struggling writer and hopefully soon to be a publisher, and for those who assume I’ll only be teaching with an English degree, teaching isn’t my passion: it’s writing. Life gets in the way a lot, but if it’s really something you love, you’ll find time for it. So ten years from now, when I’m working at a publishing house in New York and writing on the side, fan fiction will still be a part of my life. But hopefully, I’ll have my own “universe” to keep me busy.

I want to introduce our new summer intern, who will be working with us from now until August. She’ll be working on manuscript selection, editing, marketing, and book launches, plus some social media and website work. I’ll let her tell you more, but want to add that she’ll be posting here on a regular basis about her experiences:

Hello all! My name is Melanie Whithaus and I’m interning with Rocking Horse Publishing this summer. I’ve lived in the St. Louis area much of my life, attended Marquette High School in Chesterfield and graduated in 2010. I’m currently studying creative writing and small press publishing at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau. After I graduate from SEMO next spring, I hope to go to graduate school for a master’s degree in fine arts. Ideally, I would love to go to New York University, but more than likely I’ll be attending UMSL and staying in the St. Louis area.

A little about myself: I’ve been writing since I was eleven, but didn’t begin to take it seriously until I was in high school. My work has been featured on websites such as deviantart.com and fanfiction.net, and much of my writing can be found one my blog at melwhithaus.wordpress.com. My writing is known for its raw and straightforward voice and no-holds-barred style. I released my first chapbook of original poetry this spring. I have poetry published with Umbrella Factory Magazine and Scapegoat Review, and short stories with Crack the Spine literary magazine and The Rusty Nail literary magazine. I won the cover design contest for Southeast Missouri Writer’s Guild anthology, The Mighty Rose Anthology, and I am a co-editor for the literary magazine, Wednesday Night Writes.

But in addition to writing, I’m very interested in publishing and SEMO just happened to offer a minor in small press publishing. When I first started attending college, like most freshmen I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life; once I settled on English with the small press minor, I knew I was in the right place. Literature and writing have always been a large part of my life and I would not be the person I am today without their influences. When I graduate with my MFA, I want to work in with an independent publisher. I find indie presses to be much more personal and hands-on than working for a large press. I want to know that I’m actually making a difference in someone’s life by publishing his story.

I have one internship with SEMO’s small press already under my belt, but I want more experience in the field so I can be at the top of my game once I graduate. I contracted Robin in hopes of gaining a second internship. She was excited to hear about my interest in the press and now here I am, working for her. I look forward to this summer and the experience I will gain.