Thanks for Everything

An old saying states, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
My first steps as a writer were when I joined DCI last summer, and I was nervous about the transition from schoolwork to working for a newspaper.
Thankfully, I had an editor who was willing to help me as I was adjusted to the faster pace of newspaper writing. 
That editor was Richard Johnson, and last Friday was his last day working at DCI. 
While I will miss working with him, I’m grateful for the time under his mentorship. He helped me become a better writer by editing my articles with me, so I could learn from my mistakes. 
One important piece of advice he taught me was to use quotes economically, so the article is not just going back and forth between facts and quotes. 
Another part of Richard’s guidance was educating me about photography. This was my biggest learning curve as I had done little photography at school. However, despite my limitations, Richard was still eager to help me improve. 
He taught me to look for big facial expressions, to zoom in to cut out excess background, and to always make sure the camera was in focus. 
Not only was Richard a huge help to my writing and photography, but he also served the community by writing his own articles. 
When I went back to school in the fall, Richard took on even more work as he completed the work that I had been doing on top of his own work. It was a large job, and Richard was the one of the few who could get it all done.
Richard, your advice and your work ethic have left an indelible imprint on my writing career. Thank you again for helping me become a better writer and for your service to the Dodge County community. 
Best of luck on whatever you pursue next.