Here’s a brief introduction to writing for us.
I want to write for you. Who do I ask?
Email one of the section editors and express your interest! Simple as that. We have four sections: news ([email protected]), arts ([email protected]), features ([email protected]), and sports ([email protected]).
You can also email the editor-in-chief ([email protected]) for general info, or come by our office on the second floor of the Student Centre, right above the infobooth.
How does it work once I email someone?
You’ll be added to the editor’s list of writers. Every week, the editor will send out a set of article topics. Any writer who’s interested in covering a topic can claim it (although the most delicate or difficult articles will be given to the most experienced writers). Once you’ve claimed a topic, the editor will coach you by suggesting angles to take, edits to make, people to talk to, and voices to read, depending on the needs of the article. Then you wrap up by Thursday. More detail can be found here.
How do I know which section to write for?
News deals with campus events, politics, and policy. Arts deals with music, theatre, film, visual art, and so on. Features deals with research and student life. Sports deals with our teams, games, and facilities. Opinion is reserved for editorials and letters to the editor. You’re not bound to any particular section once you start writing for it, so feel free to try one out and switch if you feel you’d rather write about something else. Or you can even write for more than one at a time!
Do I need to come up with my own article ideas?
The section editors brainstorm and research what needs coverage from week to week, and a lot of the article ideas are assigned. For example, you’ll pretty like to be asked to cover a UTMSU event for news or a RAWC game for sports at least once That being said, we’re open to creativity, so if you have a specific article you want to write, pitch it to a section editor!
Do I have to be in English or professional writing?
By no means! We all got here from the same place you’re coming from, or from job postings on the Career Centre, and just stuck to it. We encourage as many outside voices to come in as possible. Similarly, you just have to be a UTM student or recent graduate to write, not necessarily enrolled in any particular program or course.
Do I have to make a commitment?
There’s no pressure to write a certain amount. You can write one article, or one a week! But there are benefits to writing more. At six articles, you become a staff writer. That’s a title you can put on your resume.
Huh! What else is in it for me?
If you’re involved more, you can be named an associate section editor. You’ll be relied on to contribute regularly, and you’ll work closely with your section editor. It comes with an author page where we put up your bio, photo, and article portfolio. You’ll probably even be invited to lunch! You never know.
This is also the pool from which section editors are usually nominated at the end of the year, and those are paid positions.
What’s my deadline for an article?
The usual deadline is Thursday night. There are exceptions—sometimes a sports game happens on the weekend, for example. It also depends on timeliness, so we might push a features articles, but not news. Make sure you take account of your own time schedule before agreeing to write an article.
When do I have to sign up by?
You can write for us whenever you want from September to April.
I still need to know more.
No problem. Go to the Contribute section for more articles like this.
