This Week in Interning

Press releases know no sympathy. They are ferociously informative, and un-wholesomely bland. Which is precisely why I throw myself at them with the vigor and excitement of a child opening their first memorable and perceivable Christmas present. 

Within the realm of both journalism and press releases, there is a fine line between following the AP standard, with curtailing the text to the systematic formula laid out for article, and with finding a way to emphasize voice. 

I wrote, in all, three drafts--so far, we'll see how many more are created-- of a press release announcing the FSU banned book reading. My first draft, I noted, felt dry. Boring, even. I hated it. My voice, as a passionate reader and writer, became little, swamped by the formula I had attempted to follow. My second draft? It got better. I used a more advanced vocabulary; I put words together in a way that felt more attune to my personality and voice. 

Although the draft needed tweaking, and I gathered more information to add in, I, according to my lovely boss Liz, did quite well. 

I hope to continue my little exploration of the unlearned rules of press releases.