The first part of the process is submitting different ideas for pitches for the upcoming cycle; we then hold a brainstorming session to essentially go over all the different aspects of the article and how it can be used to cater to one of the 3 types of articles. We then usually go through a first round of drafts and have a lead editor go through the article and edit it and give some feedback as a first round of edits. Later on one of the officers edit the article as well, to ensure there are 2 layers of editing for each article.

Having been in Res Novae for one and a half years, senior opinion editor Pooja Vedam has come to develop a unique family bond with her fellow officers and the club. As an opinion editor, she enjoys ensuring that people’s opinions on various STEM ideas are heard and acknowledged through the publication.

Though being an editor entails responsibility and hard work, Vedam is up for the job. She describes the editing process in full detail, starting with submitting ideas for pitches. A brainstorming session is held to discuss the article in full detail. The story then goes through a first round of drafts and then reaches to a lead editor. After it goes through the lead editor, another officer edits it to ensure there are two edits for each article.

Though the writing process can be long at times, senior news editor Brenna Chen has been a part of Res Novae for a year and is familiar with the writing process.

“I think the writing process is pretty thorough,” Chen said. “It’s extremely professional for a high school club magazine, and that it results in pretty high-quality content.”

In order to achieve the final product, staff writers must put it huge amounts of time crafting and perfecting their stories. For Tawakley, the writing process is an ongoing growth process.

“I will admit that the writing process can get stressful at times,” Tawakley said. “Sometimes, there are really close deadlines and you don’t have your research done or synthesizing your interviews. Overall, I think it helps you how to grow and learn how to manage your writing time better.”

In regards to the editing process, Vedam recalls the time when she was a staff writer. She mentions how her experience as an editor has increased her love for writing.

“A really memorable experience during my time in Res Novae as an editor would have to be our cyclical brainstorming meeting, since it was my first time actually leading one of the meetings,” Vedam said. “I really enjoyed giving my own feedback on everyone else’s articles and helping them to develop their own ideas further to really solidify their interests.”

For Chen, working part of a team has always been one of her joys. She enjoys spending time with fellow editors and staff writers to make a masterpiece.

“It’s really satisfying seeing the entire article come together, after you’ve spent several weeks writing, researching, interviewing and tweaking the article,” Chen said. “I think one of my favorite moments was seeing an article I wrote with Charlotte Chui on the psychology of shopping in the online magazine, as I found it really cool that we could tie science to an issue extremely relatable to MV students.”

Treasurer Saumya Tawakley recalls another memorable moment, where she had to contact an expert source for an article.

“I remember last year I had to do an interview with a head manager in NASA for an article I was writing about the collision of two neutron stars,” Tawakley said. “He was able to provide me with information, resources that I wasn’t aware of earlier and I was able to learn it from someone directly involved in the field.”

But the joys of editing comes with difficulties as well. For Vedam, it was hard to set aside her own feelings when editing other stories and not let biases affect her. After a while, she got used to the editing process and developed goals for the club.

“My plans for the rest of the year mostly consist of making really good content,” Vedam said.
“I hope to expand knowledge about the club in general since I do think a lot of people would have an interest in joining or reading the science and technology articles.”