Job + School + General Panic | Diary

TIA HERE and hoping to turn Duo Diaries a bit more personal from time to time. This is effort #1. Because here's the thing—as much as I love writing blog posts with a topical focus, sometimes I don't feel I have an adequate amount of time to create a post of the caliber I'm really hoping to achieve here. Currently, the DD drafts include "How to Listen to Lana Del Rey's 'Honeymoon' Album" à la this Taylor Swift 1989 post, several video tours of the Cornell University campus, and "How to Write a Query Letter," in the same vein as this post about reader's reports. So what's the holdup, right? Life, it seems, and all of the resulting anxiety.

How to Write a Reader's Report

TIA HERE with some advice for any editorial intern-wannabe who has been asked if they can write a sample reader's report as part of an application to a publishing industry-related company. If you haven't written one before, you probably aren't sure where to start. Based on my experience interning at three different places within the publishing industry (an ebook publishing company, literary agency, and publishing house), here is my outline, with examples, on how to write a killer reader's report that will get you hired:

Summer Favorites | Honeymoon, Broken Monsters, and Lemonade

TIA HERE with my summer favorites, covering everything I've been digging from May through August. Enjoy!

MUSIC

Hayley Kiyoko is a singer and songwriter who is best known for playing Velma in the live-action Scooby Doo movie (YES, that was her). But I've also found that I really dig her EP, This Side of Paradise. Her song "Girls Like Girls" has one of the most awesome music videos I've seen in a while, too, so I hope you check it out! Gotta support my fellow half-asians.

DoubleBooked | AFTER DARK vs. KAFKA ON THE SHORE

THE DUO HERE, with something new for you! Introducing, DoubleBooked: a novel collaboration comparing our latest reads, lit-erally. Each month (hopefully), in an effort to read more, we will be reviewing two trending titles so you know what to check out next.

Review | "Jupiter Ascending" is a Beautiful Disaster in Space

TIA HERE with something a little different. You're probably wondering, why is she reviewing this movie that came out months ago? Well, this is a review I happened to write for my "Writing and Editing for Online Magazines" class that I took last semester. I didn't want my blog posts for that class to go to waste, so I figured: What better place to put them than here? I hope you enjoy these upcoming short posts, which are a bit sassier in tone (since they were written for a fictional magazine for my class), while I am currently finishing up my internships and preparing for my penultimate semester at Cornell.

Interning Abroad in Cape Town, South Africa | Guest Post

walking with lions on the Garden Route

JANABETH HERE—are you surprised? As DuoDiaries’ (self-proclaimed) number one fan, it was only a matter of time before I got the chance to write a post of my own.

Between bugging Tia about when the next DuoDiaries will be out and listening to T. Swift, I have been spending my time interning in South Africa. When Tia asked me to write this post, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to reflect on my experience as it comes to a close…

Industry Expert Quincie's Must-Watch List Of TV and Film | Guest Post

QUINCIE HERE. Hi friends! I am back to do what I love best, which is discuss TV and films. Who missed me?! 

My last post on DuoDiaries was all about my summer internships working at film and TV production companies, so I thought I’d put my money where my mouth is and shout out a few things I have recently been watching and loving. My selections encompass a pretty broad range of tastes, so hopefully there is something on this list for everyone.