legit published

Vintage value

WRITING | My first professionally published piece.

2018: In the summer of 2000, I had my first summer gig at the Vancouver Sun newspaper.

(I mention how I got that job here.) I was a sort of general floater and grunt, but the pay was more than decent considering that I’d made only $10/hr at my previous summer job (administrative work at a trucking/logistics company). My Sun job was to deliver faxes, distribute newspapers and mail, answer phones, get coffee, and fill in any time someone went on vacation, which meant learning a variety of newsroom jobs, from manning the city desk, to acting as a listing coordinator or photo editor, to administrative and payroll work, and eventually, a teeny tiny bit of writing, specifically in the form of a piece called “Vintage value” which I pitched myself.

I was 19.

“Vintage value” was never meant to be published.

I pitched it for a dummy prototype section the paper was calling “She” (horrible, I know). It would be mocked up and shown only to focus groups and the like, while the publishing powers that be decided its fate. (You can see this prototype below!)

I was already a consummate thrifter, and as mentioned, I was just 19 (and cute), so I suggested a tips and tricks piece. Since it didn’t really matter, and was just for the prototype section, I was told to go to a local Value Village to purchase clothes, which I would then model. I was to produce 1000 words on the experience.

“She” never got off the ground.

My 1000 word piece was edited down to fewer than 500, even in the dummy. Still, it was eventually used in the paper, though cut down even further, but properly published in the Style section in the fall of 2000 under the headline “Vintage value”. I wasn’t paid, but they let me keep the clothes. I was embarrassed by the facial expressions I made in some of the photos, and hated the edit, but I was proud, nonetheless.

Seeing your name in print for the first time is a heady experience.

It feels not unlike approaching a car, keys in hand, to take your first solo drive. It feels momentous, grown up, and it makes one self conscious and giggly. It also fades. That excitement, that feeling of pride … it’s gone before you know it. The thrill of seeing your name in print lasts a very short time. I think all professional writers know this. One soon realizes that very few people notice or even glance at a writer’s name, and being published quickly becomes mundane and unremarkable, much like driving becomes rote drudgery.

The version of this piece that actually went to press in the fall, when I was 20 years old, is shockingly stilted. That’s partially the newspaper style (short paragraphs, often one-liners). The advice isn’t bad, though it seems very basic.

Please don’t laugh.

Both the prototype version and the published version are shown below, and the text of the published version has been transcribed here, for better search-ability. Again, please don’t laugh.

This piece appeared in the Style section of the Vancouver Sun newspaper, October 10, 2000. 

There are some great deals in second hand stores – Style went searching and put together some looks for less than $150.

Kick the “used” clothing hangup – think vintage. The bargain-minded buyer can get great deals by looking around a little.

Want to be tempted? How about a new-to-you wardrobe for under $150?

Second-hand stores yield brand names and unique finds. Value Village and Goodwill are the spots for one-stop shopping. But you’ll have to dig through drek (powder blue tuxedo, anyone?) to find the gems.

Style did and came up with six golden rules of second-hand shopping:

One: Make a day of it. Fill your cart with anything appealing, then try it all on.

Two: Don’t be discouraged. With patience, everyone can find pieces to fit.

Three: Quality matters. Polyester remains polyester, whether new or used.

Four: Forego anything that itches or is an iffy colour. No matter how inexpensive, if you never wear it, you’ve wasted money.

Five: Avoid repeat mistakes and keep your weaknesses in mind. (Black belts are essential, but you probably don’t need more than two, and definitely not 10.)

Six: Expensive shoes improve any outfit, so splurge there if you want the monied look.

Vintage value, by Jen Selk, 2000-10-10, The Vancouver Sun.
Article by Jen Selk entitled Why Less is More from She, a Vancouver Sun prototype section

Print prototype piece for The Vancouver Sun’s never-launched “She”, summer 2000.