Let me preface this blog post by saying that I really enjoyed feature writing! I can't quite decide which I enjoy more, news writing, feature writing, or creative writing. I think I will continue to do all three! The most important thing I think I learned in feature writing is how to make my writing a bit more fun and colorful without straying too far from the topic. I have a hard time striking a balance between logic and creativity; a lot of times I will be a little wild and creative if I don't have an agenda or deadline to meet, but I tend to try and stay in between the lines if I do. Feature writing for me was incredibly fun and challenging because I did learn to mix the two, and I got to practice having fun with my writing without losing the point of it. The second most important thing I learned was how to cut things from my writing. I would often get my stories back for this class and see certain words that were cut out. I would get good grades, and the story itself would be really good, but I would look back over it and think, "oh yea, it does sound better without that word!". So I really just learned to reread my writing a bit more closely, and write just a little more concisely (some words don't have to be there; if they add nothing to the story, take them out!). The third most important thing I learned was about the different types of features and news stories. I'll be honest here, I followed news people on twitter and that's how I got my news. I never read the newspaper. However, now that I know more about features and stories and profiles and all that jazz, I have a new respect for the newspaper, and therefore am more interested in it. I actually even read the front page, and a bunch of features from the sections of the news I'm interested in. Even if it's not as efficient as twitter, it's still pretty awesome.
My writing has improved immensely over the course of this quarter. I have learned how to better edit, and how to catch things I previously probably wouldn't have caught. Believe it or not, I have learned to be a bit more concise (I know, hard to believe, since I just love words so much!) and not ramble on or be repetitive when talking about one topic. I learned how to be fun and exciting when I write without letting my opinions glare through and without making it overwhelming and distracting from the actual news story.
Of all the feature writing styles, I think I liked writing the profile most. I really enjoyed basically everything I did, but it was really fun for me to interview someone and just note everything about them, and turn it into a story! I adore people and getting to know them, so for me that was just a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed it. I honestly really enjoyed doing basically everything in feature writing, but if I had to pick my least favorite part, I would have said it was the short-form. Weird, I know. Clearly I should never go into graphic design. I think it may be because I'm not a terribly visual person, so thinking of some short, visual ways to present a story that I personally worked really hard on writing was difficult. I think in words, and I love words. Short pictures and graphs aren't my thing. The event story was also a little bit difficult for me. I still enjoyed it; it wasn't my least favorite thing, but it was challenging for me to put the mood and scene of an event into words. Not that I didn't like the challenge though :)
What's next for me? Good question! I wish I knew. I'm planning to continue to write for fun, and to work on my creative writing over them summer. Also, I may just keep a blog this summer; I'm planning to travel quite a bit, so that would be a great way for me to quickly keep practicing my writing. I also plan to write for La Voz in the coming fall! It sounds like a lot of fun, and a great experience, even if I don't go into journalism!
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Blog #9
An editiorial I found that I whole-heartedly disagree with is an editorial about our education system located here. Essentially what this article says is that Latino and African-American children are not being properly educated in Algebra in 8th grade. However, Asian and white children are at a much higher proficiency rating. It points out that charter schools have a much higher rate of proficiency in 8th grade Algebra one, and we need to change our school system to better prepare kids for college.
Now, I am incredibly passionate about education. I want to be a teacher or open a charter school for goodness sake! And I do agree with this article in that I think our school systems don't work, and that they need to be reformed. However, I don't think the race of the student matters as much, nor do I think the government can implement many programs to help, other than to completely change the entire school system. First of all, parents need to be more involved in their child's schooling. That's a given. And it's not even mentioned in the article. But that's the least of my worries.
The thing that tells whether or not these students are proficient is a standardized test. Some students are not very good test takers, whereas other students are. I could almost always get good grades on tests regardless of whether or not I studied, whereas my little brother almost always failed, regardless of how much he studied. That's not entirely fair. Also, if these kids aren't doing well in school, maybe someone should take a long hard look at their teachers. After all, the teacher's responsibility is to teach. And I can't tell you how many times I had a tenured teacher that taught us absolutely nothing.
But the thing that bothers me the most about this article is the solutions presented. First of all, they define education as the ability to get into college. Anyone can get into college if they memorize the facts and then just forget them. Last I checked, to educate someone you're actually teaching them a life skill that they will retain, not just training them to do well enough to get into a college so they can be up to their ears in debt and owe tons of money to the government. The whole idea that the goal of education is to get as many kids as possible to college disgusts me. Education should be about teaching kids something valuable and allowing them to do with that what they will. The ultimate goal may be college, but the primary goal should be learning. Let's keep in mind here that people can be successful and happy with or without a college degree. Hello, Steve Jobs anyone? I also really hate the fact that this article points out charter school that are doing well, and public schools that aren't. Charter schools are awesome, but they're alternative education. Instead of saying, "hey, here's a silver lining this charter school is doing well, let's make some more!", we should be focusing on the fact that our traditional schools are sucking pretty badly, and reform those to include more innovation and be altogether a more student centered environment. Given, that can be achieved by taking a few pointers from charter schools, but we need to reform our entire school districts, not just implement some halfway finished government programs. Of course, to reform our schools, we'd actually have to be funding them. But that's a whole other argument...
Now, I am incredibly passionate about education. I want to be a teacher or open a charter school for goodness sake! And I do agree with this article in that I think our school systems don't work, and that they need to be reformed. However, I don't think the race of the student matters as much, nor do I think the government can implement many programs to help, other than to completely change the entire school system. First of all, parents need to be more involved in their child's schooling. That's a given. And it's not even mentioned in the article. But that's the least of my worries.
The thing that tells whether or not these students are proficient is a standardized test. Some students are not very good test takers, whereas other students are. I could almost always get good grades on tests regardless of whether or not I studied, whereas my little brother almost always failed, regardless of how much he studied. That's not entirely fair. Also, if these kids aren't doing well in school, maybe someone should take a long hard look at their teachers. After all, the teacher's responsibility is to teach. And I can't tell you how many times I had a tenured teacher that taught us absolutely nothing.
But the thing that bothers me the most about this article is the solutions presented. First of all, they define education as the ability to get into college. Anyone can get into college if they memorize the facts and then just forget them. Last I checked, to educate someone you're actually teaching them a life skill that they will retain, not just training them to do well enough to get into a college so they can be up to their ears in debt and owe tons of money to the government. The whole idea that the goal of education is to get as many kids as possible to college disgusts me. Education should be about teaching kids something valuable and allowing them to do with that what they will. The ultimate goal may be college, but the primary goal should be learning. Let's keep in mind here that people can be successful and happy with or without a college degree. Hello, Steve Jobs anyone? I also really hate the fact that this article points out charter school that are doing well, and public schools that aren't. Charter schools are awesome, but they're alternative education. Instead of saying, "hey, here's a silver lining this charter school is doing well, let's make some more!", we should be focusing on the fact that our traditional schools are sucking pretty badly, and reform those to include more innovation and be altogether a more student centered environment. Given, that can be achieved by taking a few pointers from charter schools, but we need to reform our entire school districts, not just implement some halfway finished government programs. Of course, to reform our schools, we'd actually have to be funding them. But that's a whole other argument...
Friday, May 31, 2013
Blog #8
The person I chose to write my profile on is Danielle Boushey. She is a friend and coworker of mine. I chose Danielle because she is one of those super charming people you just can't help but like right away. I really enjoy her company; she has so much energy and she is so honest and real it's refreshing. She is also very interfering because she has two part time jobs, is a full time student, and still manages to have a ton of friends and a boyfriend in the military who she can find time to spend time with whenever he is home.
During my interview I really hope to learn more about Danielle. She is so interesting and open and honest that I feel it will be really fun to interview her! I also can't wait to practice my active listening skills (I'm an interrupter; at my house if you want anything to be heard you better shout it louder over the person who's talking at the same time!) and my note-taking skills. The last interview I did I looked back on my notes and realized they made no sense at all to me; I ended up having to email the person and follow up on things that were unclear in my notes. It was quite embarrassing and I'm determined to not have it happen again.
My plan to capture interesting quotes is to record the conversation if its okay with Danielle and put stars by points in the interview where good quotes may be located. I also want to ask questions that require thinking; if they're thinking the quotes should be easier to come by :) I'm really excited to do this profile piece, I adore talking to people and writing about them, so this is right up my alley!!
During my interview I really hope to learn more about Danielle. She is so interesting and open and honest that I feel it will be really fun to interview her! I also can't wait to practice my active listening skills (I'm an interrupter; at my house if you want anything to be heard you better shout it louder over the person who's talking at the same time!) and my note-taking skills. The last interview I did I looked back on my notes and realized they made no sense at all to me; I ended up having to email the person and follow up on things that were unclear in my notes. It was quite embarrassing and I'm determined to not have it happen again.
My plan to capture interesting quotes is to record the conversation if its okay with Danielle and put stars by points in the interview where good quotes may be located. I also want to ask questions that require thinking; if they're thinking the quotes should be easier to come by :) I'm really excited to do this profile piece, I adore talking to people and writing about them, so this is right up my alley!!
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Blog #7 - Enterprise/Investigative Reporting
After reading the article "The Cost of Dying", I was really honestly sad. Some poor guy I didn't even know had died, and him just dying had not only put an emotional stress on his family, but also a financial burden! However, the actual act of investigative reporting seems daunting to me. Don't get me wrong, the author of that article did it super well, but I personally am a little intimidated by the idea of snooping around and trying to dig up truths from people who may or may not be incredibly terrifying!
Someone has to do it, and I think the whole idea of it is romantic and fantastic. I picture myself walking around in a little press hat with a camera and notebook interviewing people and getting pushed away by famous politicians and the likes, and publishing stories that are shocking and reveal some insane truth that has been covered up or lied about or just hidden from the public. When I think about investigative reporting that way, I think it sounds amazing. But I think the vision I have of reporting in that sense is mostly derived from films I've seen and also from Could Atlas, one of my favorite books, in which an investigative reporter tries to publish something about the instability of a huge nuclear reactor and almost gets killed and gets into gun fights and has this grand adventure. In the end, her story is published and she is this huge hero and what not.
But from what I've read and understood from the class, and from an analysis of "The Cost of Dying", I think investigative and enterprise reporting may actually be somewhat dull (at least in comparison to my over-active imagination). I also think it would be incredibly stressful. I can just say, if it was my father dying, I certainly wouldn't be trying to find out more about costs and writing a whole story on it. I would probably just be crying, and sobbing, and mopping around. Not writing. And certainly not publishing my tragedy for the world to see. Furthermore, if I was investigating a person, and they came after me angrily, I might just get angry right back at them and end up not only without a story but also with a nasty lawsuit on my hands. Also, the daunting idea of deadlines springs up into my head when I think of enterprise reporting, and I know how stressed out I can get if I don't have all my information at least planned, if not gathered, but the time a deadline is even announced. I couldn't imagine if I didn't even have a story idea, or if all I had was a shell, and my editor told me the deadline was in a few days.
So overall, investigative and enterprise reporting sounds like an amazing thing, and I think it would be something I would have a great interest in trying out, and something I might even enjoy. However, I don't know if I am cut out for the job. It sounds really difficult, and I give the people who can do it an immense amount of credit and respect. I just don't know if it's something I could handle.
Someone has to do it, and I think the whole idea of it is romantic and fantastic. I picture myself walking around in a little press hat with a camera and notebook interviewing people and getting pushed away by famous politicians and the likes, and publishing stories that are shocking and reveal some insane truth that has been covered up or lied about or just hidden from the public. When I think about investigative reporting that way, I think it sounds amazing. But I think the vision I have of reporting in that sense is mostly derived from films I've seen and also from Could Atlas, one of my favorite books, in which an investigative reporter tries to publish something about the instability of a huge nuclear reactor and almost gets killed and gets into gun fights and has this grand adventure. In the end, her story is published and she is this huge hero and what not.
But from what I've read and understood from the class, and from an analysis of "The Cost of Dying", I think investigative and enterprise reporting may actually be somewhat dull (at least in comparison to my over-active imagination). I also think it would be incredibly stressful. I can just say, if it was my father dying, I certainly wouldn't be trying to find out more about costs and writing a whole story on it. I would probably just be crying, and sobbing, and mopping around. Not writing. And certainly not publishing my tragedy for the world to see. Furthermore, if I was investigating a person, and they came after me angrily, I might just get angry right back at them and end up not only without a story but also with a nasty lawsuit on my hands. Also, the daunting idea of deadlines springs up into my head when I think of enterprise reporting, and I know how stressed out I can get if I don't have all my information at least planned, if not gathered, but the time a deadline is even announced. I couldn't imagine if I didn't even have a story idea, or if all I had was a shell, and my editor told me the deadline was in a few days.
So overall, investigative and enterprise reporting sounds like an amazing thing, and I think it would be something I would have a great interest in trying out, and something I might even enjoy. However, I don't know if I am cut out for the job. It sounds really difficult, and I give the people who can do it an immense amount of credit and respect. I just don't know if it's something I could handle.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Blog #6
Of the resources listed, the one I found most useful was The Adventurous Writer. This particular blog was incredibly helpful to me because I found the tips to be incredibly straight-forward, as well as tips I haven't heard before. For example, some of the other blogs had tips on them that I've definitely heard before, and that I feel are very elementry when it comes to writing. Personally, I found JProf to be uninteresting and straightforward; very little new information was presented on it. The LifeHack blog I found to be more interesting, but once again, the editting tips were all pretty basic, and I'd heard most of the before.
However, The Adventurous Writer only had six tips on them, and all of them were useful. I personally especially enjoyed the tip to use the "find" button in Microsoft Word to find phrases like "to be" and "there is" and other dull phrases, and otherwise reword them. I always think I catch phrases like that, but I'm sure there are still some that I just never notice, and therefore never revise. I never thought to specifically look for the words or phrases.
I also loved the tips "trust the writing process" and "let your writing go". I try so hard to do these things, but I still find myself re-reading stuff I've written and getting discouraged when the first draft I write isn't as good as I expect it to be. Trusting the writing process, and just letting the "stream of consciousness" writing flow out would really help me break out of a monotonous writing style. Letting your writing go is also important. My English professor once told me to "kill your babies", meaning delete a ton of your writing. Don't get attached. I, however, seem to think that everything I write is either inherently brilliant, or can be reworked to be brilliant. I need to do both of these things together; free-writing, and then deleting what sucks. If I do, it could greatly help my stories and my essays and everything else I write.
However, The Adventurous Writer only had six tips on them, and all of them were useful. I personally especially enjoyed the tip to use the "find" button in Microsoft Word to find phrases like "to be" and "there is" and other dull phrases, and otherwise reword them. I always think I catch phrases like that, but I'm sure there are still some that I just never notice, and therefore never revise. I never thought to specifically look for the words or phrases.
I also loved the tips "trust the writing process" and "let your writing go". I try so hard to do these things, but I still find myself re-reading stuff I've written and getting discouraged when the first draft I write isn't as good as I expect it to be. Trusting the writing process, and just letting the "stream of consciousness" writing flow out would really help me break out of a monotonous writing style. Letting your writing go is also important. My English professor once told me to "kill your babies", meaning delete a ton of your writing. Don't get attached. I, however, seem to think that everything I write is either inherently brilliant, or can be reworked to be brilliant. I need to do both of these things together; free-writing, and then deleting what sucks. If I do, it could greatly help my stories and my essays and everything else I write.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Blog #5
Upon review of the best blogs of 2012, I've chosen to look at the blog Evil Editor (http://evileditor.blogspot.com/?m=1) to review. I personally adore this blog. I was reading it for at least 20 minutes because it was just really amusing
The blog basically puts up letters to an editor/publisher, and talks about what was good and bad in the writing.
I liked it because it was amusing. They also talk about tips to good writing. The only problem was, as a first time user of the site, I didn't really understand what was going on.
Because of that, it was not totally easy to follow for someone who wasn't already familiar with his blogging and writing style.
From this blog, I learned quite a few things. First of all, the writers style was very bland. In my opinion, he just seemed sardonic and sarcastic.
There was no really strong "voice" the author had; he just sounded like every other funny but sarcastic author. Which is funny, because he's making fun of those authors in his blog. Ironic.
I also noticed how stupid the other authors (the ones who had written to him) sounded when they used improper grammar.
The lack of improper grammar made it almost impossible for me to focus on what was being said.
It's something I personally totally take for granted. But this made me realize how important it was.
Overall, the blog was incredibly interesting and a great read for anyone who wants to be a writer.
There were a few problems with it, but regardless it was an amusing, sarcastic, and enlightening read.
The blog basically puts up letters to an editor/publisher, and talks about what was good and bad in the writing.
I liked it because it was amusing. They also talk about tips to good writing. The only problem was, as a first time user of the site, I didn't really understand what was going on.
Because of that, it was not totally easy to follow for someone who wasn't already familiar with his blogging and writing style.
From this blog, I learned quite a few things. First of all, the writers style was very bland. In my opinion, he just seemed sardonic and sarcastic.
There was no really strong "voice" the author had; he just sounded like every other funny but sarcastic author. Which is funny, because he's making fun of those authors in his blog. Ironic.
I also noticed how stupid the other authors (the ones who had written to him) sounded when they used improper grammar.
The lack of improper grammar made it almost impossible for me to focus on what was being said.
It's something I personally totally take for granted. But this made me realize how important it was.
Overall, the blog was incredibly interesting and a great read for anyone who wants to be a writer.
There were a few problems with it, but regardless it was an amusing, sarcastic, and enlightening read.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Blog Entry #4 - Finding Your Voice
Wow, all the exercises on finding your voice on the blog Men with Pens looked incredibly fun and interesting. However, I've never tried to be a bunch of different people at once. So I chose to write as best I could in a few different styles, and see how that turns out.
Here is the prompt:
Try on vastly different roles or personas, and write 200 words in each one. Be a Hell’s Angels biker. A lawyer. A stripper. A little kid. A pirate. A scientist. A parent. Switch around and try on as many roles, occupations or personas as you can – and then pretend you’re you. Write the last 200 words in that voice. See the difference?
I've decided to try to tell basically what I did today in a few different "voices", to get a feel for the exercise. Here goes nothing!
A Little Kid
Today, I went to school and do you know what? I saw a bunch of cool stuff and I talked to my friends but then I got in trouble and now I'm sad. The teacher said not to talk but I did it anyways because it was reaaaallllyyyy important and I just had to tell Brandon but he wasn't really listening anyways and he shushed me and then my teacher shushed me too.Then we had circle time and all talked about our homework and I did my homework last night so that was good. Then I went home and I had a playdate with my other friend Samantha and we got yummy food from a store that my mom goes to lots but I don't know what it's called. Cuz I forgot. Then I had to play with kids younger than me and they fell asleep really early and we had to watch a really boring show. It was stupid but I had to be the big girl when I was with them so. Did you know I'm up past bedtime?
A Teen Boy
I got to school and got yelled at for not paying attention. It was really pretty lame. I dunno, I had to tell my friend something and the teacher like, glared at me. Whatever. We had to talk about this totally stupid assignment too. Samantha came over. We got Taco Bell. I forgot my wallet so now I owe her money. I had to babysit tonight and it just really sucked. The kids were total brats and they would not listen to me. Shit. I gotta go to bed man. Nite.
Valley Girl
So like, today I went to school and I was a tiny bit late right? And my teacher just really was yelling at me! It was like she was picking on me because I was talking to Brandon while she was talking. Which is completely unfair! He is so totally cute by the way. Dibs. Anyways, so like, after that, we had to do this weird discussion of our homework. It was like interesting and stuff, and I feel like sooooooo many people in my class are totally smart! Afterwards I saw Samantha and it was really cool. We got some Taco Bell but I actually didn't eat anything because do you legitimately know how many freaking calories are in that? Samantha is so lucky she can eat that crap and still stay like totally skinny. I hate her. JK I love her! Then I had to babysit for these kids. They were so totally cute but like for some reason they weren't listening to me. It was absurd. Totally absurd. So I just told them that if they didn't like, start listening to me and stuff, I would send them bed and tell their mom. It worked sooooo well. I babysit for them like, all the time. They're just soooo cute! Anyways, I gotta sleep or I'm gonna be totally grouchy and like, ugly in the morning.
Famous Movie Star
I was definitely in class today, and I was talking about something very important when the instructor told me to stop talking. She told me to stop talking. Does she even know who I am? I met with Samantha directly afterwards, and she encouraged me to get some food. I told her I would have to work out with my personal trainer for days if I ate what she ate. But I ate it anyways. I don't have another movie shoot for a while, I can afford to get some fast food once in a while. Like I said, I'll just have to work out tomorrow. I babysat for some kids too. I got them to behave by offering to sign some posters for them. It worked pretty well. I have an early interview with Vogue tomorrow, so I have to catch up on some sleep now.
Myself
I went to my mass media class today. My boyfriend isn't usually in that class, but today he showed up outside the door to bring me a coffee (because he's awesome) and I got up to get it. Well, my teacher didn't exactly like that, and she told me not to do it again. Oops. Still, I got my coffee, and I didn't get in too much trouble. And it was so sweet of Brandon, I couldn't bear to tell him I got in trouble for his surprise delivery. Afterwards, I got to spend some time with Samantha. We didn't have much time, so we just grabbed some lunch at Taco Bell and caught up on life. I had to babysit all evening for some family friends, which was pretty cool because the kids were actually behaving decently well. They got into a few little spats, but it was nothing I couldn't handle. Unfortunately, I didn't get home until really late, and now I'm exhausted and dreading having to get up at 7 tomorrow morning. Alas, what can be done? So I really ought to sleep now, but before I do, there is a moth buzzing around my head, and it must die. It has disappeared, but I shall find it, and when I do, I shall kill it. Then and only then will I be able to sleep soundly.
Here is the prompt:
Try on vastly different roles or personas, and write 200 words in each one. Be a Hell’s Angels biker. A lawyer. A stripper. A little kid. A pirate. A scientist. A parent. Switch around and try on as many roles, occupations or personas as you can – and then pretend you’re you. Write the last 200 words in that voice. See the difference?
I've decided to try to tell basically what I did today in a few different "voices", to get a feel for the exercise. Here goes nothing!
A Little Kid
Today, I went to school and do you know what? I saw a bunch of cool stuff and I talked to my friends but then I got in trouble and now I'm sad. The teacher said not to talk but I did it anyways because it was reaaaallllyyyy important and I just had to tell Brandon but he wasn't really listening anyways and he shushed me and then my teacher shushed me too.Then we had circle time and all talked about our homework and I did my homework last night so that was good. Then I went home and I had a playdate with my other friend Samantha and we got yummy food from a store that my mom goes to lots but I don't know what it's called. Cuz I forgot. Then I had to play with kids younger than me and they fell asleep really early and we had to watch a really boring show. It was stupid but I had to be the big girl when I was with them so. Did you know I'm up past bedtime?
A Teen Boy
I got to school and got yelled at for not paying attention. It was really pretty lame. I dunno, I had to tell my friend something and the teacher like, glared at me. Whatever. We had to talk about this totally stupid assignment too. Samantha came over. We got Taco Bell. I forgot my wallet so now I owe her money. I had to babysit tonight and it just really sucked. The kids were total brats and they would not listen to me. Shit. I gotta go to bed man. Nite.
Valley Girl
So like, today I went to school and I was a tiny bit late right? And my teacher just really was yelling at me! It was like she was picking on me because I was talking to Brandon while she was talking. Which is completely unfair! He is so totally cute by the way. Dibs. Anyways, so like, after that, we had to do this weird discussion of our homework. It was like interesting and stuff, and I feel like sooooooo many people in my class are totally smart! Afterwards I saw Samantha and it was really cool. We got some Taco Bell but I actually didn't eat anything because do you legitimately know how many freaking calories are in that? Samantha is so lucky she can eat that crap and still stay like totally skinny. I hate her. JK I love her! Then I had to babysit for these kids. They were so totally cute but like for some reason they weren't listening to me. It was absurd. Totally absurd. So I just told them that if they didn't like, start listening to me and stuff, I would send them bed and tell their mom. It worked sooooo well. I babysit for them like, all the time. They're just soooo cute! Anyways, I gotta sleep or I'm gonna be totally grouchy and like, ugly in the morning.
Famous Movie Star
I was definitely in class today, and I was talking about something very important when the instructor told me to stop talking. She told me to stop talking. Does she even know who I am? I met with Samantha directly afterwards, and she encouraged me to get some food. I told her I would have to work out with my personal trainer for days if I ate what she ate. But I ate it anyways. I don't have another movie shoot for a while, I can afford to get some fast food once in a while. Like I said, I'll just have to work out tomorrow. I babysat for some kids too. I got them to behave by offering to sign some posters for them. It worked pretty well. I have an early interview with Vogue tomorrow, so I have to catch up on some sleep now.
Myself
I went to my mass media class today. My boyfriend isn't usually in that class, but today he showed up outside the door to bring me a coffee (because he's awesome) and I got up to get it. Well, my teacher didn't exactly like that, and she told me not to do it again. Oops. Still, I got my coffee, and I didn't get in too much trouble. And it was so sweet of Brandon, I couldn't bear to tell him I got in trouble for his surprise delivery. Afterwards, I got to spend some time with Samantha. We didn't have much time, so we just grabbed some lunch at Taco Bell and caught up on life. I had to babysit all evening for some family friends, which was pretty cool because the kids were actually behaving decently well. They got into a few little spats, but it was nothing I couldn't handle. Unfortunately, I didn't get home until really late, and now I'm exhausted and dreading having to get up at 7 tomorrow morning. Alas, what can be done? So I really ought to sleep now, but before I do, there is a moth buzzing around my head, and it must die. It has disappeared, but I shall find it, and when I do, I shall kill it. Then and only then will I be able to sleep soundly.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Blog #3 - Feature Writers
I'm not embarrassed to admit it; I read a ton of magazines. I don't really favor any in particular; whatever I can find I end up reading. My favorite magazines, however, are Time and National Geographic. I also enjoy reading the features from the New York Times.
Some recent feature stories I've read that I find really cool are "East-West Fusion Under the Golden Gate" This article is incredibly cool, because it's so personal. It's narrated from the first person, so not only is the reader interested in the subject, they hear about it from someone who is "talking" to them as if they're really there. I personally felt like I was being told about the medi-spas in San Fransisco by a friend of mine, and not by a National Geographic writer. Although the author leads with a quote, it draws you in and spikes your curiosity. The personal, nonchalant style makes this story unique, and way more interesting that if it had been written as a news story, which might make the topic dry and boring.
Another great story is "Hiking Through History With Your Daughters" by Jack Hitt. First of all, I adore Jack Hitt as a writer in general, so I'm a little biased in that sense. This story reads like a novel or a book. It is humorous. That humor is something I'd like to figure out how to get into my stories. The way Hitt uses humor, however, it almost seems like he wasn't even trying to be funny, which just makes it that much better. It is also full of details, but all of the details he gives adds to the story. Given, he was writing about what most people would consider an interesting topic to begin with, as opposed to the previous feature ("East West Fusion"), but it still reads off as a charming, down-to-earth story.
The final feature I recently read that I'd like to discuss is "Being Black in China" I follow the author, Heather Greenwood Davis', blog, and I greatly enjoy her writing innovation. I have a tendency to appreciate "real" writers, who say what they mean without using idioms and metaphors and fancy styles, and Davis' writing is certainly "real". Her voice is strong and unique, and once you're familiar with her writing style and voice, you can absolutely tell what she writes. I strive to someday have such a strong voice in my writing. Her topics that she writes on are always interesting spins on things, even if they are things I've read about a million times. She has a knack for finding a great angle on her stories. I also think her story structures rock. She often uses lists, which keep my attention. Top that with the fact that her stories use the perfect mix of humor and suspense, and you can see why I'd love to emulate her.
Some recent feature stories I've read that I find really cool are "East-West Fusion Under the Golden Gate" This article is incredibly cool, because it's so personal. It's narrated from the first person, so not only is the reader interested in the subject, they hear about it from someone who is "talking" to them as if they're really there. I personally felt like I was being told about the medi-spas in San Fransisco by a friend of mine, and not by a National Geographic writer. Although the author leads with a quote, it draws you in and spikes your curiosity. The personal, nonchalant style makes this story unique, and way more interesting that if it had been written as a news story, which might make the topic dry and boring.
Another great story is "Hiking Through History With Your Daughters" by Jack Hitt. First of all, I adore Jack Hitt as a writer in general, so I'm a little biased in that sense. This story reads like a novel or a book. It is humorous. That humor is something I'd like to figure out how to get into my stories. The way Hitt uses humor, however, it almost seems like he wasn't even trying to be funny, which just makes it that much better. It is also full of details, but all of the details he gives adds to the story. Given, he was writing about what most people would consider an interesting topic to begin with, as opposed to the previous feature ("East West Fusion"), but it still reads off as a charming, down-to-earth story.
The final feature I recently read that I'd like to discuss is "Being Black in China" I follow the author, Heather Greenwood Davis', blog, and I greatly enjoy her writing innovation. I have a tendency to appreciate "real" writers, who say what they mean without using idioms and metaphors and fancy styles, and Davis' writing is certainly "real". Her voice is strong and unique, and once you're familiar with her writing style and voice, you can absolutely tell what she writes. I strive to someday have such a strong voice in my writing. Her topics that she writes on are always interesting spins on things, even if they are things I've read about a million times. She has a knack for finding a great angle on her stories. I also think her story structures rock. She often uses lists, which keep my attention. Top that with the fact that her stories use the perfect mix of humor and suspense, and you can see why I'd love to emulate her.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Blog #2 - The 12 Steps to Good Writing
According to Inside Reporting by Tim Harrower, where it cites a speech by Michael Gartner, there are 12 steps to good writing. These steps are:
1.Report - you need to know facts to write well.
2. Read - read everything, and think about what you're reading.
3. Listen - listen for emotion, nuance, detail, and facts. You have to listen carefully in order to get what you need.
4. Simplify - make something complex simple, or the readers will lose interest.
5. Collaborate - work with your editor, and make sure they're a good editor.
6. Trust - you must work in a trusting atmosphere, and trust the people you work with.
7. Experiment - try out new things! Don't let your writing fall into a rut.
8. Talk - talk to everyone, including yourself. Listen to how people talk, noting what sounds good and what doesn't.
9. Pounce - know how to use quotes, and recognize when you should use it!
10. Love - you have to love writing, or you'll never be good at it.
11. Care - you have to care about and be interested in what you're writing, but you can't have an agenda.
12. Balance - you have to be fair in what you write, and balance the good and the bad.
Of these, the three that come most easily to me are reading, talking, and loving. I read everything I can get my hands on, and I mean everything. I love to read. I finish at least a book a week, if not more. I will read anything I can get my hands on, from newspapers and magazines, to free books on my phone by self-published (and usually pretty bad) authors, to anything and everything in my local library or on sale in the bookstore. Reading is certainly not a problem for me. I also love to talk. I'm a great communicator, I love to converse with people; I'm just incredibly social. When I talk, I note what sounds awkward, and when I write, I usually read it out loud to see how it sounds. The other thing that comes easily to me is love. I love to write and report. I do it for fun. I write essays on books for fun, when there is nothing riding on it. I love to write poems, short stories, and even have four unfinished novels. I may just be the biggest nerd ever, yes. But I certainly love to write.
There are also a few things I'm not as strong at on that list. First of all, I don't always listen well. I always listen, but I can't always read people. I won't interrupt, but I might not catch the emotion behind what's said if it's subtle. I also like to talk, so I get excited, and I like to jump in and carry on a conversation, as opposed to letting them talk while I just sit back and listen. Another thing I need to work on is collaboration. I'm incredibly independent, especially when it comes to writing. I appreciate peer editing on my papers, but I don't always listen to it. I would rather do things on my own, even if that means I screw up on my own.
In order to improve my listening skills, I need to listen more actively. This means instead of listening while playing with my hair or doodling or texting, I need to be actively focused on the speaker, without the multitasking. This may help me catch subtleties in what's being said, and thus improve my listening skills. It's difficult for me not to jump into conversations, because my family is a very vocal family, so that's what I was raised with (if you want to say anything, you have to shout it over whoever is already speaking), but I've been working on it and have gotten a lot better with age at not always commanding the conversation. In order to fix my collaboration, I need to find someone who I like and trust, and has a similar writing style to mine, to work with. This would help me open my mind to other people's ideas. Also, I think I just need to get over myself and learn to allow other people to fix my writing, because I'm never going to be able to get away with not allowing other people to touch my writing if I go into journalism as a career.
1.Report - you need to know facts to write well.
2. Read - read everything, and think about what you're reading.
3. Listen - listen for emotion, nuance, detail, and facts. You have to listen carefully in order to get what you need.
4. Simplify - make something complex simple, or the readers will lose interest.
5. Collaborate - work with your editor, and make sure they're a good editor.
6. Trust - you must work in a trusting atmosphere, and trust the people you work with.
7. Experiment - try out new things! Don't let your writing fall into a rut.
8. Talk - talk to everyone, including yourself. Listen to how people talk, noting what sounds good and what doesn't.
9. Pounce - know how to use quotes, and recognize when you should use it!
10. Love - you have to love writing, or you'll never be good at it.
11. Care - you have to care about and be interested in what you're writing, but you can't have an agenda.
12. Balance - you have to be fair in what you write, and balance the good and the bad.
Of these, the three that come most easily to me are reading, talking, and loving. I read everything I can get my hands on, and I mean everything. I love to read. I finish at least a book a week, if not more. I will read anything I can get my hands on, from newspapers and magazines, to free books on my phone by self-published (and usually pretty bad) authors, to anything and everything in my local library or on sale in the bookstore. Reading is certainly not a problem for me. I also love to talk. I'm a great communicator, I love to converse with people; I'm just incredibly social. When I talk, I note what sounds awkward, and when I write, I usually read it out loud to see how it sounds. The other thing that comes easily to me is love. I love to write and report. I do it for fun. I write essays on books for fun, when there is nothing riding on it. I love to write poems, short stories, and even have four unfinished novels. I may just be the biggest nerd ever, yes. But I certainly love to write.
There are also a few things I'm not as strong at on that list. First of all, I don't always listen well. I always listen, but I can't always read people. I won't interrupt, but I might not catch the emotion behind what's said if it's subtle. I also like to talk, so I get excited, and I like to jump in and carry on a conversation, as opposed to letting them talk while I just sit back and listen. Another thing I need to work on is collaboration. I'm incredibly independent, especially when it comes to writing. I appreciate peer editing on my papers, but I don't always listen to it. I would rather do things on my own, even if that means I screw up on my own.
In order to improve my listening skills, I need to listen more actively. This means instead of listening while playing with my hair or doodling or texting, I need to be actively focused on the speaker, without the multitasking. This may help me catch subtleties in what's being said, and thus improve my listening skills. It's difficult for me not to jump into conversations, because my family is a very vocal family, so that's what I was raised with (if you want to say anything, you have to shout it over whoever is already speaking), but I've been working on it and have gotten a lot better with age at not always commanding the conversation. In order to fix my collaboration, I need to find someone who I like and trust, and has a similar writing style to mine, to work with. This would help me open my mind to other people's ideas. Also, I think I just need to get over myself and learn to allow other people to fix my writing, because I'm never going to be able to get away with not allowing other people to touch my writing if I go into journalism as a career.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Shark Fin Soup
Last night, I went out to dinner with my boyfriend and his family. He is 1/4 Chinese, so his grandfather took us out to a huge Chinese food dinner in downtown Oakland, right near Chinatown. During this dinner, I had the opportunity to try many different things, including tongue (nobody specified what kind of tongue it was), jellyfish (I've discovered I'm not a fan at all), red bean soup, and many other traditional Chinese foods.
There was one food on the menu, however, that didn't sit right with me: Shark Fin Soup.
I'm an avid lover of the ocean. I swim, surf, and have always wanted to study marine biology. In short, I'm fascinated with it, and the creature that fascinates me the most in the ocean is the shark. I adore sharks. They're just about the coolest thing ever, and I'm not scared of them the way most people are. So I am a staunch advocate of banning the capture and sale of shark fin, and am completely and totally against the idea of shark fin soup.
But it was served to me. I didn't order it, and my boyfriend's grandfather was paying for it. Morally, I felt I should eat it, and not be rude. It was a cultural dish. Anyway, the animal had given it's life for me to have this bowl of soup, shouldn't I respect that?However, I didn't even want to try it. It went against everything I believed in. But alas, I felt I had no choice. I tried the soup.
I've never had it before, so I'm not sure what it's supposed to taste like, but all I tasted was a super thick, bland broth that could have been chicken broth, for all I could tell. There were stringy bits of something in it (probably the shark fin) that tasted like nothing but thick, chewy noodles. What is all the hype about? I don't personally see how this bland, boring soup could possibly be worth what it takes to get it, and what it cost!
In order to get shark fin, a fisher must catch a shark and cut of both its fins. It's a decently brutal thing, because after the fins are removed while the shark is alive, the shark is thrown back into the water. Without fins, the shark cannot swim, and dies shortly after. Because of this, the practice of finning sharks has been controversial, due to environmental concerns, and the inhuman way the fins are harvested. Bans on shark fin have been proposed and sometimes passed in many areas around the world. However, shark fin soup is a traditional dish in the Chinese culture.According to my boyfriend's family, the shark fin is believed to have medical properties that increase sex drive, energy, and skin clearness. Artificial shark fin is available, but authentic shark fin remains in demand. Many believe it is discriminatory to ban the dish.
So I personally will not be indulging in shark fin soup again, as long as I can help it. But I can see both sides of the debate. Here in California, the ban on the sale and trade of shark fin remains in place, but has recently undergone legal fire (ironically enough, the case took place in Oakland). For now, the debate on shark fin soup remains open, although the laws remain closed.
There was one food on the menu, however, that didn't sit right with me: Shark Fin Soup.
I'm an avid lover of the ocean. I swim, surf, and have always wanted to study marine biology. In short, I'm fascinated with it, and the creature that fascinates me the most in the ocean is the shark. I adore sharks. They're just about the coolest thing ever, and I'm not scared of them the way most people are. So I am a staunch advocate of banning the capture and sale of shark fin, and am completely and totally against the idea of shark fin soup.
But it was served to me. I didn't order it, and my boyfriend's grandfather was paying for it. Morally, I felt I should eat it, and not be rude. It was a cultural dish. Anyway, the animal had given it's life for me to have this bowl of soup, shouldn't I respect that?However, I didn't even want to try it. It went against everything I believed in. But alas, I felt I had no choice. I tried the soup.
I've never had it before, so I'm not sure what it's supposed to taste like, but all I tasted was a super thick, bland broth that could have been chicken broth, for all I could tell. There were stringy bits of something in it (probably the shark fin) that tasted like nothing but thick, chewy noodles. What is all the hype about? I don't personally see how this bland, boring soup could possibly be worth what it takes to get it, and what it cost!
In order to get shark fin, a fisher must catch a shark and cut of both its fins. It's a decently brutal thing, because after the fins are removed while the shark is alive, the shark is thrown back into the water. Without fins, the shark cannot swim, and dies shortly after. Because of this, the practice of finning sharks has been controversial, due to environmental concerns, and the inhuman way the fins are harvested. Bans on shark fin have been proposed and sometimes passed in many areas around the world. However, shark fin soup is a traditional dish in the Chinese culture.According to my boyfriend's family, the shark fin is believed to have medical properties that increase sex drive, energy, and skin clearness. Artificial shark fin is available, but authentic shark fin remains in demand. Many believe it is discriminatory to ban the dish.
So I personally will not be indulging in shark fin soup again, as long as I can help it. But I can see both sides of the debate. Here in California, the ban on the sale and trade of shark fin remains in place, but has recently undergone legal fire (ironically enough, the case took place in Oakland). For now, the debate on shark fin soup remains open, although the laws remain closed.
Blog #1: Feature Story Ideas
I love travel. Getting to know new people, learning about new cultures, and seeing new things all inspires me. But since I'm a poor broke college student, and traveling all over the world whenever I please isn't an option for me (as of right now, someday it will be!), my favorite thing to do is to get a taste of different cultures -- literally! One of the six common feature types is food, and that's exactly the one I would love to do!
There are so many trends in this category, it's kind of ridiculous. I got so caught up reading about different recipes and shows and watching episodes of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmerman that I almost forgot I was supposed to be doing research. One trend in food is the whole non-processed, GMO-free, organic trend. I know a lot about this particularly, because my boyfriend's mom happens to be totally into it. No, seriously, she lectured me for eating a Togo's salad. And here I was, thinking I was being all healthy and getting a salad. Another huge trend is the recent growth in cooking shows and competitions. Iron Chef, Hell's Kitchen, and Cupcake Wars are all relatively common names. Even if you haven't seen them, you've heard about them. The celebrity chefs, and the "how-to" cooking shows have also been on the rise. To top it all off, there are now some (really awesome) travel shows that focus less on the travel and more on the food. Another super interesting trend is the idea of food sustainability. We all have to eat, but up until recently, none of us really thought about how what we ate affected the environment. Now, "sustainably farmed" is a term found on tons of food containers and labels, and the idea of a "Meatless Monday" to help the environment is catching on quickly.
A feature story idea I've come up with is writing about the new juicing trend. Recently, when I've gone to shop for groceries, I have come across tons (I mean like entire aisles full) of juices that claim to be 100% natural, healthy, beneficial, and have a ridiculous amount of fruits and veggies in them. Even people who don't buy the pre-packaged juice seem to be buying into the idea that you should juice your kale and carrots and drink it, instead of just eating your veggies like your parents always told you to do. Pros to an article on this would be that everyone seems to know about it; so getting interviews and statements should be easy. Also, I happen to love Naked juices, and drink them in the mornings when I'm running late and don't have time for breakfast. A unique angle on the topic should be pretty simple. I personally have never read an article on these new types of juices before. Cons to writing this article would be that because this is a decently new trend, it's difficult to find real, credible research on the actual health benefits of drinking fruit and veggie juice. Also, juicers and packaged juice are two different things. I may have to seperate and differentiate between the two in order to have a clear story.
Another feature story idea I have is about sustainable seafood. I was raised on sushi, but recently it's come to my attention that half the stuff I eat is killing the environment. This makes me sad, and I wish I had been more aware of it sooner. Some pros of doing a story covering seafood sustainability is that there are a ton of resources I could use for it. Also, being ecofriendly is a huge trend right now. A green story would go over well. Some cons would be that not everyone likes seafood; I'd be writing to the percentage of people that eat seafood and actually care, which limits my audience. Also, it's hard not to sound too biased and preachy when covering environmental stories, especially because I'm really into saving the environment.
There are so many trends in this category, it's kind of ridiculous. I got so caught up reading about different recipes and shows and watching episodes of Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmerman that I almost forgot I was supposed to be doing research. One trend in food is the whole non-processed, GMO-free, organic trend. I know a lot about this particularly, because my boyfriend's mom happens to be totally into it. No, seriously, she lectured me for eating a Togo's salad. And here I was, thinking I was being all healthy and getting a salad. Another huge trend is the recent growth in cooking shows and competitions. Iron Chef, Hell's Kitchen, and Cupcake Wars are all relatively common names. Even if you haven't seen them, you've heard about them. The celebrity chefs, and the "how-to" cooking shows have also been on the rise. To top it all off, there are now some (really awesome) travel shows that focus less on the travel and more on the food. Another super interesting trend is the idea of food sustainability. We all have to eat, but up until recently, none of us really thought about how what we ate affected the environment. Now, "sustainably farmed" is a term found on tons of food containers and labels, and the idea of a "Meatless Monday" to help the environment is catching on quickly.
A feature story idea I've come up with is writing about the new juicing trend. Recently, when I've gone to shop for groceries, I have come across tons (I mean like entire aisles full) of juices that claim to be 100% natural, healthy, beneficial, and have a ridiculous amount of fruits and veggies in them. Even people who don't buy the pre-packaged juice seem to be buying into the idea that you should juice your kale and carrots and drink it, instead of just eating your veggies like your parents always told you to do. Pros to an article on this would be that everyone seems to know about it; so getting interviews and statements should be easy. Also, I happen to love Naked juices, and drink them in the mornings when I'm running late and don't have time for breakfast. A unique angle on the topic should be pretty simple. I personally have never read an article on these new types of juices before. Cons to writing this article would be that because this is a decently new trend, it's difficult to find real, credible research on the actual health benefits of drinking fruit and veggie juice. Also, juicers and packaged juice are two different things. I may have to seperate and differentiate between the two in order to have a clear story.
Another feature story idea I have is about sustainable seafood. I was raised on sushi, but recently it's come to my attention that half the stuff I eat is killing the environment. This makes me sad, and I wish I had been more aware of it sooner. Some pros of doing a story covering seafood sustainability is that there are a ton of resources I could use for it. Also, being ecofriendly is a huge trend right now. A green story would go over well. Some cons would be that not everyone likes seafood; I'd be writing to the percentage of people that eat seafood and actually care, which limits my audience. Also, it's hard not to sound too biased and preachy when covering environmental stories, especially because I'm really into saving the environment.
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