Reading is Underrated. Really.

I am an intern at a local magazine where my duties include (but are not restricted to)

• transcribing hours of interviews (I get a kick out of typing out noises like "erm" and "ehhehhehh")
• fact checking (Receptionist: "Spine and Sport, how may I help you?" Me: "Oh, I'm just calling to make sure this is Spine and Sport." Receptionist: "Oh, O.K." Me: "Bye")
• trying to explain that I am interviewing people for a 20 word piece in the "chit-chat" section, not a feature-length article (I neglect to tell them that I am doing the interview between classes. 20 minutes is all you get.)

When I do receive significant assignments, I work doggedly, fastidiously to find the right combination of words, the zingers that are funny but not too pointed, the perfectly weird but interesting opening sentence. I put some serious effort into this stuff. After all, writing for magazines is what I want to do.

Maybe I get a little angry when I see people flipping through magazines, always flipping, always looking at the pictures and never reading. Maybe I was overly sensitive about the following conversation with my boyfriend, a photographer for the same magazine.

Me: I think I'm getting some major assignments this issue
Boyfriend: I wonder what I'm going to be shooting
Me: Oh, whatever it is, everyone will love it.
B: Oh yeah? I don't know, I get kind of nervous about it.
Me: I do too, but it doesn't matter because no one reads the magazine anyway.
B: That's not true.
Me: Have you read my articles this issue?
B: Well, no.
Me: Exactly.
B: I'm going to, though.
Me: Did you read any of my articles in the last issue?
B: Yeah, I read that one about the music video guys.
Me: I read that one out loud to you.
B: You did?
Me: Yeah.
*silence*

What if we entered bizarro magazine world and the conversation went like this:

Boyfriend: I think I got some great photo assignments this issue.
Me: I'm pretty sure mine are more important.
B: Oh yeah, of course. Words are the ultimate in all things beautiful.
Me: Really? I feel like people don't get my prose sometimes. Like, it's too epic or something.
B: See, I think my photos aren't epic enough, but it doesn't matter because people only want to read these days.
Me: That's true.
B: Did you look at my photos this issue?
Me: No, I flipped past them really fast so as not to see them.
B: I understand.
Me: I mean, I will though.
B: Oh, don't worry about. I haven't even looked at my own photos, I've been reading so much of the copy. It's great!!!

Ahhhhh. That feels good.