As the class is nearing to an end, I have a few things yet to accomplish before I am complete with my portfolio and research project. I am going to create a To Do list so that I can cross these items out as I complete them.

1. Create an outline for the research project. This outline of how I want to present the ideas of what I am have learned in my research project will help me to determine if I should do a documentary or a paper. Unfortunately I am still going back and forth between which one I'd like to do. The video may be more difficult because I do not have the proper movie editing program available to me at home to easily get it done. Right now I am leaning more towards the paper.
2. Gather items for the portfolio, such as writing sample, cover letter, resume, etc. Start  posting them onto Weebly.
3. Create the items that I need for the portfolio, such as a statement of goals, and reflective narrative. It makes me feel less stress that I do not have to complete the reflective narrative until April 10th. 
4. I need to improve my Weebly site to make it more organized, such as adding pages for the reflective project and the portfolio. 
5. Create a speech outline for the presentations to be presented not next week but the following week. This way I have a cheat sheet for when I am presenting and I will be prepared by already knowing what I am going to say. 

I am glad that I was able to complete work over spring break such as the annotated bibliography and the conduct the interview. I am content that I am moving at a good pace for completing the portfolio and the project.

Works Cited

Dessinger, Daniel. "5 Steps to Become a Copywriter | CultureFeast." 5 Steps to Become a Copywriter | CultureFeast. CultureFeast, 22 May 2007. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. <http://www.culturefeast.com/5-steps-to-become-a-copywriter/>.
What sets this article apart from others is that it gives 5 strong facets to becoming a copy writer that doesn’t just explain the typical career route. Instead it focuses on the mental and goal oriented aspects one needs to be successful towards gaining a career in copy writing. The comments at the bottom of the article help provide feedback from other users who are also interested in becoming a copy writer. The author Daniel Dessinger presents an updated honest brief at the end of the article which gives the piece reliability. Not being egotistical, networking much, and developing a specialty are a few of the essential points Dessinger states an ideal copy writer should have.

Kimmie. "How to Write a Query Letter - Writing.Com." (2004). The Online Community for Writers. 21x20 Media, Inc. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. <http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/844651-How-to-Write-a-Query-Letter>.
This web page gives a step by step synopsis on how to write a query letter. The main focus of the article focuses on the Do's and Don'ts of what one should do when attempting to write the query letter from the beginning to the end. The author, Ms. Kimmie, gives her own useful tips and advice by providing explanations of a good example and a bad example of a query letter. The examples help one to better understand what makes a perfect query letter.

Kuraoka, John. "How to Become an Advertising Copywriter." John Kuraoka, Freelance Advertising Copywriter. John Kuraoka. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. <http://www.kuraoka.com/how-to-become-an-advertising-copywriter.html#portfolio>.
John Kuroaka publishes his own insider’s experience as a copywriter on his own home made website. Through sharing his own career journey on the internet he teaches other aspiring copywriters how to achieve their own career goal. The layout of the website contains head lines with paragraphs explaining tips, tricks, and honest personal advice on what steps to take to become a copywriter. Pages in the site also show examples provided as well as Kuroaka's own work. This simple site which is easy to read will make you feel like being a copywriter is implausible, and that it can be accomplished without having a degree in advertising. Interestingly enough, Kuoaka created the world’s first free online mentorship program for aspiring advertising copywriters.

Kuther, Tara. "All About the Graduate Admissions Essay." About.com Graduate School. The New York Times Co. Web. 20 Mar. 2012. <http://gradschool.about.com/od/essaywriting/All_About_the_Graduate_Admissions_Essay.htm>.
This website provides a series of links which emphasize on various ways to achieve writing the personal statement. Each link leads to an article written by Tara Kuther, a college professor and author with a PhD who is a guide for About.com. Here you will easily find specific answers for your basic questions about writing the personal statement. The articles Include informative information about statements as well as advice, such as what the statement is, how to write, it, how to avoid writer’s block, and how to write in the first person.

"Richard Lehmann." Telephone interview. 12 Mar. 2012.
Richard Lehmann from West Caldwell, NJ is an experienced copywriter who took the time to answers my questions about the copy writing career. Lehmann provided his own insight to what a copy writer does, what salary they make, and what he thinks is good and bad about the profession. He currently works as creative director for an advertising and public relations agency called Fiore Associates.

"Tanya Ringo." Personal interview. 2 Mar. 2012.
An audio recording of Tanya Ringo explains the story of a child who did not know she was adopted until the age of 25 years old. Currently working in retail management residing in Browns Mills, New Jersey, Tanya continues to search for her family relatives in order to regain a lost relationship with them. Her adoption story is unique because her parents were exactly the same ethnicity as she is, which is why she never knew she was adopted. Tanya's biography and struggle to find her biological relatives would make a great story to be pitched to an editor of a magazine.

Along with the reflective Narrative, statement of goals, curriculum vitae and writing samples required to be in the portfolio, I would like to include a personal statement for graduate school and a query letter to a publisher.

The personal statement would give me the push I need to write one since I need to write one anyway to apply to graduate schools. I have not started on one yet and I have never written one before so this will help me to obtain feedback to improve it if needed.

While I am in graduate school, I plan on trying to freelance on the side. I have an idea in mind already for pitching a story to a magazine editor or company that I would really love to test out in creating a query letter about it. It is about a co-worker who revealed to me that she is adopted. Her parents never told her she was adopted and she found out by accident at the age of 25. She still has not found her biological relatives and continues searching for them. I think she would be a great story because her case is uncommon compared to other adopted people. I look forward to writing a query letter for her story!

Ten Questions for Professor Mangini:

1. How did you get published for the first time?
2. Did you free lance write, become a staff writer, or both?
3. What are ways for writing students to gain enough experience so that when they apply for jobs, they have at least 3-5 years of experience right off the bat?
4. What are your tips for job searching as a writer and where to look?
5. Do you think its possible for a writer to work on more than one objective as a writer, focusing on more than one accomplishment all at one time? (such as writing a novel, free lancing articles on the side, while working as a staff writer full time all at once for example)
6. How much should free lance writers charge for their work? What would be a reasonable price, or does the company decide how much they will pay you?
7. Which is your favorite to write for since you have written for both - magazines or newspapers?Why?
8. It seems that you wrote for a variety of subjects and genres. Do you think writers can find success writing for any type of subject even if they don't know much about it? (sports, food, local news etc.)
9. I see that you worked as a copywriter back in 2003. What was that like? Did you enjoy it?
10. Later on in life, if a writer decided he or she would like to teach their profession, is a degree in teaching necessarily required? Why or why not?
    

ABSTRACT (Draft):
My inspirations to achieve a Master's degree in copywriting stem from my likeness to be creative with writing. Looking at writing as an art, I think my ability to play with words and invent phrases will allow me to find success as a copywriter. In the project, I aim to discover the pros and cons of working as a copywriter. In my research, I seek to discover if copywriters find better work freelancing or as a hired salary for an advertising company. Targeted sources for conducting my research has developed from surfing the internet for key information, and through interviewing a professional copywriter already flourishing in the field.