Aside from writing for Odyssey, the largest publication I have been a part of was as a yearbook staff writer and editor during three years of my High School career. When other people think of yearbooks, they think of pictures, designs, stories, etc. However, my perception of the yearbook is much more different than that. Being someone who was front and center of this type of publication, I am aware of the countless hours of blood, sweat, and tears put into the book. Yes, it is clear that everything that encompasses the yearbook, and all of the work that is put into yearbooks goes unrecognized by others. Many times this publication receives backlash and hate. However, that would never change whether or not we want to write for the yearbook. Through all of the good and bad times, we will never forget how fulfilling it felt to finally get the book back at the end of the year. If you have similar experiences to these, here are 20 signs you were, indeed, a yearbook staff writer.
1. You spent your lunch hour in the yearbook room
Rather than going to the lunch room and eating with your friends, you chose to work on your pages. It may sound like we're complete losers, but we honestly chose to do this.
2. You know what it's like to get an article back bleeding red
This is not actually referring to real blood. Only yearbookers will understand (especially if you had a tough copy editor).
3. AP Style is a second language to you
Whether or not you use AP Style every day, or haven't used it in years, you will never forget this formatting--it will always be engrained in us as staff writers.
4. Your stalking skills far surpass others'
Because yearbook staffers had access to information most students didn't have (in order to find people for quotes) these stalking skills have translated into other aspects of our lives. Because of this, I am the one person my friends go to if they need to find someone on any form of social media. I am not necessarily proud of this trait, however, I owe it all to the years of stalking people for yearbook quotes.
5. You understand words like "mod," "gutter," and "pica"
You may have to google this if you don't understand (yearbook staffers won't have to).
6. You aren't afraid to talk to anyone
If you were not necessarily an outgoing person, then yearbook class was definitely a challenge for you. It didn't matter the time of the day, a majority of the time we were out getting quotes from people we've never seen or heard of. With that said, these skills can be applied to anyone in the future you have to talk to (and at least they aren't annoyed--we all know the face of someone who is about to be interviewed that wants to be left alone).
7. You can't recall how many times you have heard the word "candid"
Excluding headshots ... CANDID, CANDID, CANDID.
8. You've spent many hours looking at your peers' senior ads
Before any part of the book is published, we get to see everything. So sorry, this includes all of the baby pictures and cute messages your family has sent in of you. And you have no idea what they said--but we do.
9. You definitely took advantage of your yearbook press pass
I'm not going to lie here, I have used my press pass to get into multiple sports events and I am not ashamed of it. If we bring a camera and a notebook, who knows the difference?
10. You apply "the rule of thirds" to everything
This even includes Instagram pictures (Thanks yearbook for the advice).
11. After years of writing for the yearbook, you can write a story in 10 minutes
At first, the change from regular english to AP style was a big transition. However, after years of writing many, many yearbook stories, we are veterans and can write a story in little to no time like a pro.
12. You can't count how many people have asked you to write a story about them
Just because you are a friend or acquaintance of ours does not mean we are going to write a story about you.
13. You understand what it's like to sell your soul to a publication
You know what it's like to be in the yearbook room until midnight. You know what it's like to put all of your effort into a book that is 300+ pages. When you applied to be a yearbook staffer, you are fully aware that you have sold a majority of your time and soul to the book.
14. Yearbook staffer = a lot of free food
Being such a large staff and publication, the yearbook staff has access to larger funds than most student organizations. Having said that, there are many times throughout the year (and especially at the end) where staffers get to eat a lot of food and celebrate simply being awesome.
15. You know the greatest honor in yearbook is when you came up with the theme
I was luckily able to help come up with the yearbook theme my junior year. Whether or not you get to come up with the theme, you know that the theme is the most important aspect of the book--this is what we are basing the entire book off of. It is such a fulfilling experience having your theme chosen because you get to witness your own ideas being executed and come to life. Shoutout to the yearbook of 2012.
16. You love Herff Jones
There are so many things to say about Herff Jones, where would we be without them? Herff Jones holds your hand every step of the way; without them your book would be nothing. Thanks for all for all of the inspiration and help when times got tough, Herff Jones. You're the realest.
17. You laugh when people try to make corrections to your pages
When a yearbook is OVER 300 PAGES it's not that difficult to make little mistakes. Sorry, it's going to happen. Don't tell us about how we missed a comma in a sentence or that we used the wrong accent, please.
18. You spend more time with other staffers than most people
Outside of yearbook class, we spent a lot of time working together on the book. This includes many long days and nights. As a result, the yearbook staff really gets to know each other and becomes very close. The yearbook staff wasn't just a staff, they were a part of your family. Thank you for all the great times, yearbook and everyone I was able to work on it with.
19. No one else can understand the experiences of the yearbook staff
If you don't understand anything about what goes into the yearbook, then don't judge it. The yearbook staff is there to create something fun and awesome for you to read at the end of the year and they put more work into it than you could imagine. Rather than bashing their work, appreciate it.
20. Being a part of the yearbook staff was the best decision you made in high school
Whatever your experience was as a yearbook staff writer, the different life lessons we have learned through this class will get us further in life. I can even recall that I wrote a college essay about my own experiences as a writer and editor, and can truly say that yearbook helped prepare me more for college and the real world than any other class or experience.
