internships/ never assume/ why are you writing?

Jul. 23 Internships: This was a couple of weeks ago, but my brother's friend said I should try to get an internship at the Edmonton Journal or at a magazine.  One of my classmates got an internship at Avenue magazine and is now getting paid as a writer there. I found a blog by Linda Hoang who was an Edmonton Journal intern. http://linda-hoang.com/category/edmonton-journal/ Here's her old blog: http://ayoungreporter.wordpress.com/about/ She attended the Journalism program at Grant MacEwan University. Article: I thought this was an informative article about getting the most out of your internship.  It turns out there are a lot of lawsuits about unpaid internships. http://www.edmontonjournal.com/life/food/interns+employers+benefit+from+internships/6877827/story.html I don't know.  I feel like I'm too old to be an intern.  I graduated out of college in 2008.  If I was in my 4th year and I have to do a practicum, then I might qualify as an intern. Agents: Today I started emailing agents again.  I was going through my old emails in my draft and I emailed all those agents again.  The last time I emailed them was back in 2008. Jul. 24 Unpaid work: There are some internships that are unpaid.  However, you are gaining experience and you can put that on your resume.  You are networking and building connections with people that would lead to paid work. My job search is unpaid work.  I guess in a way I am gaining experience, but you can't really put it on your resume.  I sit in front of the computer and read and analyze job ads.  I apply to them.  I network by using Facebook and Linked In to find a job.  Jul. 25 Never assume: A lesson I learned is to never assume.  You can kind of guess, but you should get all the information first.  I remember my friend Angela telling me she didn't apply for a scholarship because she didn't think her grades were good enough or had enough classes or something.  Then she found out one of her friends who didn't get as good as her grades and took less classes, got the scholarship. Yesterday I talked to my Counselor and I talked about how I may not exactly qualify as an intern because I've been out of school.  She says: "Well that doesn't mean you don't qualify and you can't do the job."  That kind of pushed me.  So today I did apply to the newspaper. I sent my resume and cover letter to be a writer or an administrative assistant.  I discussed that I was flexible and I can work in other departments there.  I did my research. You never know until you try. Editorial Freelancers Association: I found this through my Freelance Writer's group emails.  However, this is American.  I need to find Canadian. http://www.the-efa.org/about.php Editor's Association of Canada: I did find it.  Here it is.  Looks like these emails are good starting point. http://www.editors.ca/branches/prairies/index.html Merge magazine: That talk with my Counselor had me talk about pitching to magazines.  I told her about the Edmonton magazine Merge and after a year, it closed down.  Then it got back up with new sponsorships.  Now I think it's gone again.  I changed my password on Twitter (again because they sent an email to change it.)  Then I see Merge has last tweets were in 2011.  They must have closed down. https://twitter.com/MergeMagCA Book: I was going through my Two Bits writing emails, and I found the author Saul Weber.  He had written a children's book called A Lesson my Cat Taught Me.  The book seems to be about a young girl learning a lesson about seeing people with disability as a person. http://highlightedauthor.com/advertising/by-saul-weber/ https://www.createspace.com/3447169 Llumina Press: Two Bits also lead me to Llumina Press.  It looks like another self-publishing company. http://www.llumina.com/book_publishing.html Why are you writing?: I was on Two Bits and the question was posed. Martin Gifted said this: "Why am I writing. It's an interesting question, one I have tried to figure out just about all my life and only 3 years ago found the answer to. To fully understand my answer you have to know me, I am not an emotional person. Sure I can cry, yell etc, but I rarely do, I hold back, why, I still don't know. Maybe it's how I was raised, maybe my PDD-nos (autism) has something to do with it or maybe it's vice versa, I got my PDD-nos because I didn't/don't know how to emote. I remember my first puppylive, I was 4 or 5, the kind elders go all awww about, carrying a torch for a niece of someone and so I often went round there just in case the girl was there. I was so head over heels I wanted to give her my most beloved possession, just so that she would love me back. As a child I used to cry for attention, but I remember the day, I was 6 or 7, when I had busted my ankle badly and cried and realized no one was coming to get me, I was completely alone. If I had been really hurt it would have taken them days to find me, unless I manned up and limped out of there myself. And from that moment on, I don't cry anymore. But when I write, I feel. I feel what the characters are going through and regularly when I write and reread what I've just written I cheer for their successes (sometimes loudly, annoying other guests where ever I am at that time) and cry for their losses, actual tears. This is why I write. When I write, I am me, the me I want to be; when I write I am alive." Someone complimented him and I have to say what he said, was really good. My answer: I write because I have something to say.  On my weekly emails/ blog: I have to tell my friends and I guess the entire world something.  Like if you missed an episode of 20/20, well here's my description of it.  I want to inform you.  Here's my opinion of it too. Or I want to entertain you like I heard or saw a really good joke on TV or the internet, and I want to share it with you.  I don't get to see my friends very often, so I email them weekly so we can keep in touch. As for my scripts, I want to be creative.  It's also fun.  Jul. 26 Screenwriting contests: I had written down a note to check out screenwriting contests. I found Cinestory.  They hold a retreat for screenwriters who are winners, finalists, and semi-finalists.  They meet Hollywood producers, writers, and agents for 4 days.  There's a video where they talked to one of the finalists and he gushed about how helpful it was. The site said one of their alumni wrote Cowboys and Aliens.  On imdb.com, it got 6.2/ 10 from 88,000 votes.  Another alumni wrote Beastly and that got 5.2/10 from 25,000 votes. http://www.cinestory.org/news/ Screenwriting classes: I found this NAIT flier from 2006.  It mentioned the Producers Emergence Program.  It also had The Craft and Business of Screenwriting (CABS.)  I went to the NAIT website, and CABS wasn't there.  I then called the school today, and they said they didn't have it anymore.  I asked when they stopped and if they will bring it back.  He said the last class was in 2007 and is unlikely it will come back. I can always take one at MacEwan or FAVA.  Or I'll check out screenwriting books from the library. Jul. 29 Bookmasters: I got this in my email and Bookmasters is another self-publishing company.  It seems okay, but it's not really my focus to self-publish a book. https://www.bookmasters.com/what_is_bookmasters.html