Kimmese biography of rory gilmore
How Realistic Is Rory's Writing Career?
If there's one incredibly polarizing struggle on the Gilmore Girls revival, it's Rory Gilmore's career in journalism. Her job interview at SandeeSays was indicative of what she was getting right and failing at as a writer, and served as one of the key moments that I, as a professional writer myself, related to on a very deep level.
Kimmese biography of rory gilmore wife And, as Her Campus pointed out, like many other people in her generation who were deemed to be "gifted" when they were young, burnout is all too real. In fact, when her mother expresses her disappointment, Rory is defensive and rude in return. Rory begins an internship with Logan's father, and when he tells her she probably isn't suited to a career in journalism, Rory is naturally devastated — after all, she's been dreaming of becoming a journalist for years. Some time later, Dean breaks up with Rory after she arrives to meet him late and tipsy with Logan and his buddies behind her.In fact, I was able to find plenty to praise about Rory's journey as a struggling writer; there were also some big moments where I was screaming at my computer screen because Rory was going about things in the entirely wrong way.
Even when factoring in Rory's white privilege and the fact that her entire childhood in Stars Hollow was a kind of echo chamber, continuously reaffirming how special she was, Rory's nose wasn't always clean in A Year in the Life.
At times during this revival, the portrayal of Rory's writing career was problematic. But before I discuss where Rory's life as a writer wasn't portrayed percent correctly, let's take a moment to celebrate the successes.
First things first: Rory's got gumption. I like a girl with gumption. As a writer and a woman, I can tell you that working as a freelancing female writer requires nerves of steel and gumption.
When you spend hours trying to squeeze out even a glimmer of an idea for a story, you then spend even more time frantically searching the internet to make sure it hasn't been covered before you feverishly write out a pitch to an editor you've probably never met. All the while, you're hoping to get the pitch approved, get validation for your ideas, and use your new platform to show off your voice.
Kimmese biography of rory gilmore Despite her birthplace, she was raised in the town of Stars Hollow. And then there's Rory's long-term boyfriend, Logan Huntzberger. She continues to work towards her goal, applying for the Reston Fellowship and becoming an intern at The New York Times , as well as applying and interviewing for other jobs. This is the dream for many writers out there.You need gumption for that.
Rory is also tireless in her search to find the right way to use her writing talents. Whether it's writing Naomi Shropshire's biography on spec (read: for free), brazenly calling a Condé Nast editor to write a piece on lines, or actually finding the nerve to actually write a book about the Gilmore women, Rory was always looking for a silver lining.
Optimism is key, especially when you're working as a freelancer and quietly fighting to remain visible to the public and those in the journalism field.
Even the way Rory's own failures as a writer affected her emotionally were a very real, right, and positive portrayal. She's constantly flailing. She worries she's irrelevant.
She is less than thrilled to have to move back home after living and working in London and New York.
These are real, lived-in experiences that I have and that plenty of millennials have. Her choice to pursue writing as a career means she may experience struggles or setbacks along the way.
Unfortunately, the things that make Rory's writing career seem legitimate are counter-balanced with some pretty unrealistic aspects, too. First off, I can tell you right here and now that there are maybe a baker's dozen writers who have been working less than a decade that are living on the fame of one piece they wrote years ago.
This is the case for Rory, whose New Yorker article is constantly referenced and acts as the laurels she feels she can rest on as times. Every time that damn New Yorker article got a shoutout, I moaned to nobody in particular (but mostly Rory, who couldn't hear me); the sentiment remains. Don't even get me started on the fact the she thought she could show up to the SandeeSays interview without any story ideas and somehow found the guts to lambaste the CEO over the phone without thinking twice about it.
Kimmese biography of rory gilmore girls Their friendship remains through Yale and into adulthood. Fictional character. Jess confronts her about her current life, and states that her dropping out of Yale is entirely unlike her. Rory and Paris join the "Puffs", a secret sorority at Chilton.An actual professional writer would do neither of these things.
Also falling into the unrealistic category was Rory's ability to float from place to place, living off the kindness of friends and family, somehow paying for transatlantic flights without batting an eyelash. A writer's salary is absolute peanuts until you've spent a fair amount of years working, getting published regularly, and have climbed the ladder to the point where that work and visibility translates to a stable writing gig at a publication.
This is the dream for many writers out there. In the meantime, most of us are scraping by and watching Rory live more than comfortably really struck a nerve.
For all of the good and bad, though, Rory's life as a writer is like mine in one very real way: She made it her way.
Kimmese biography of rory gilmore school Through some sort of twisted fate, the two tended to be paired in group projects and had a hot-and-cold friendship, eventually becoming more permanently positive. They both end up attending Yale and live together for most of their time there, except for when Rory lives with her boyfriend, Logan. She moves to Branford College , the same residential college that her grandfather, Richard Gilmore, lived in, [ 1 ] at the beginning of her sophomore year. Rory and Lorelai barely speak for months and are only reconciled mid-season six, in "The Prodigal Daughter Returns.She pursued the stories she wanted, connected with the publications she chose to connect with, and prioritized her voice over another's. As usual, Rory was stubborn in her vision of how her future should go, but steadfast in making in happen. Writer to writer, I gotta give props where props are due.
Images: Saeed Adyani (2), Neil Jacobs/Netflix