Raymond Edel, columnist for The Record, gave a presentation to the staff writers of The Clarion from Journalism I, on December 9, 2013. This is the second year Edel has come to speak to the Journalism I class, and in addition to sharing vital information on features and planning, Edel shared with the class how he came to be the successful writer he is today.

Growing up, Raymond Edel attended Manchester High School and had dreams of becoming a sports writer.  While attending college at William Paterson, he studied communications and, his newfound love, history.  After being unable to find a job in the field of history education, his plans soon changed.  Journalism was his new path.

Upon graduation, Edel landed a job at The Record, answering phones and working at the feature desk.  Over time, Edel had the opportunity to experience writing for different parts of the paper, such as the obituaries.  “Getting to write about all of these interesting people who, unfortunately, passed away was actually really fun,” says Edel.

Currently, Edel writes a column in The Record called “Radio Waves” that covers everything that deals with the radio industry; he has been doing so for the past 20 years.  He also runs a gardening blog, Compostings, and is editor of the pet blog, Jersey Dogs.

As much as he loves writing for The Record, Edel shared with the class that he would love to one day write late night comedy, preferably for David Letterman.

Starting this year, Edel will also be teaching Writing for Mass Media at William Paterson University.

To close, Edel left the journalism class with an important lesson: “This world is always going to need writers. Just write about what you like.”