[How About This Book] Written for 15 Years... Articles on Weekdays, Essays on Weekends

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] “The sentences in articles are efficient, but they are ultimately written for newspapers. You need to keep practicing writing your own unique pieces. Otherwise, your sentences will deteriorate.”

This is a phrase that the author, the head of the Books Team at a comprehensive daily newspaper, has kept close to heart since their early days as a reporter. Agreeing so strongly with a senior colleague’s words, it “pierced” their heart. Since then, they have led a divided life: a reporter on weekdays and an essayist on weekends. After about 20 years of experience, they now have the energy to write even on weekday evenings, which led to the creation of this book.

As the title (“A Writing Profession”) suggests, the book captures the life of a 20-year veteran newspaper reporter who reads and writes. Although the book section varies by media outlet, it usually appears at the end of the week?Friday or Saturday editions. This book introduces the struggles of the so-called “book reporter” who works behind the scenes until the book section is published.

About 100 books arrive each week from Friday through Tuesday. After a meeting on Tuesday, the books to be featured are selected, and they are read by Wednesday. The advantage of being a book reporter is the freedom to read books anytime and anywhere. Unlike reporters covering movies or performances, who are bound by schedules, this freedom can sometimes be a double-edged sword because it is very easy to bring work home.

Books are generally selected not for being easy reads but for being “good books” worth reading. With a somewhat solemn mindset of “In times like these, we should introduce such books,” the reporter opens the book with a serious attitude.

However, there is a hidden trap here. As is typical in cultural genres, it is difficult to judge the true value before finishing the book. The more you read, the more you might lament, “I got fooled again.” In such cases, the press release often has a “thrilling, flavorful, and striking” story that is quite different from the actual content?what is called a story that “makes a good article.” There are two options: either read through to the end with tears and somehow create a picture, or quickly admit failure and pick up another book.

Even after the article is published, challenges remain. The key moment is the bookstand meeting held at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. If there are only title-related comments, that is fortunate, but on days when the article is replaced, a new article must be written again. The author confesses that at such times, they wish “the ground would open up and swallow me right here.”

Additionally, the author introduces reporter jargon that tightly bonds those who use it but is incomprehensible to others, and outlines the typical life of a reporter. From early days as a “Satsumari” (police station beat reporter), “Harikomi” (staying overnight at the police station), covering “Nawabari” (assigned beats), discussing “Yama” (topics) with “Sunbae” (honorific for seniors) or “Desk” (managing editors and above)... The author also recalls a memorable warning from a senior: after reporting on a cooperative scoop with reporters from other companies during their trainee days, they were told, “If you do that again, I’ll nail you to the Gwanghwamun intersection,” because the facts might have been incorrect since they didn’t do the direct reporting themselves.

If you are curious about the life of a reporter or the process leading up to the weekend book section article, this book offers worthwhile insights.

A Writing Profession | Written by Gwak Aram | Maumsanchaek | 220 pages | 14,500 KRW