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I accepted my first reporting job knowing that my boss has a reputation for being a slave driver. After more than a month of work, I have learned it is true.

He wanted seven to 10 stories a week within my first month. The county's large metro paper doesn't even expect that from its reporters.

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Is this a reasonable request from him?

Some days I have three stories to write. It's hit or miss -- I guess that's normal. He seems to get upset if we go one day without a published article, though.

I am aggravated. I don't know what I might be doing wrong, but fellow reporters have told me my beat is somewhat troublesome. This is all making me doubt my dream to be a journalist.

Furthermore, the reporters rotate Saturday shifts. We used to have the option of taking another day off. Now, we don't have that option, and most of us already work up to 12 hours a day.

At my internship, descriptive, flowing writing was encouraged. I loved what I had learned to do. One month later, my skills got squashed by this editor's style.

I am seriously considering looking for a new job in another field, but I would at least like to make it through six months.

How can I make it through a reasonable amount of time at this paper without being let go or quitting?

How can I generate more stories in a difficult town?

Should I be writing a story every day, and is it OK to have two or more in one day?

Hanging On

This is the first great test of your career. Today's decisions will have far-reaching effects.

Much of what you describe is not that unusual. It is normal for small papers to require more writing than larger ones, it is normal for newspapers to try to deliver something to readers of a particular community every day -- even when it seems as though nothing is going on -- and it is normal for a reporter in your position to feel despair. The workload, while not unheard of, is extreme.

Joe Grimm

Before you give up, let's try a couple of strategies.

Here's one: If you are being asked to write many stories in a week, try to burn through most of them in the first few days of the week, saving one or two you can savor for the end of the week. This is where you should take more time, do more reporting and do your best writing. I am afraid that putting equal effort into 10 stories will result in 10 mediocre stories. Setting priorities can result in nine mediocre stories and one that makes you proud -- and that can help you get a new job.

The other strategy, which you can employ at the same time, is to commit yourself to surviving the six months you describe. Draw limits at how many hours you work, develop your beat so that stories come more easily and work on being as quick and efficient as you can -- to survive.

Whatever you do, if you have worked this hard to get into journalism, don't let one very rough job drive you out. Learn what you can from it and survive it. If you pass this test, your next job will likely be less demanding and more rewarding.

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Coming Monday: A much larger newspaper has offered her a job, but it is part time and has no benefits. She worries about passing on this paper's offer.

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