MY STORIES:
MY BLOG:
Every time I sit down to write it seems as though my mind goes completely blank. Every thought just floats away, which generally speaking means I am entranced by a shiny object or some other form of distraction (cough, cough, Facebook). So to be perfectly honest, I had never ever read a blog until last week while on a reconnaissance mission for my own blog.
I am in no way God’s gift to journalism but like many, I have most definitely experienced a change of heart toward news writing. I pride myself on being a very opinionated person — go ahead and blame it on me being from New Jersey, because heaven knows we always have something to say about everything. So naturally I struggled writing my Slice of Life, Enterprise, and well let’s face it, every assignment because I had to learn to “write myself out of it.”
What a wonderful learning experience this has been. I feel as though my writing has grown by leaps and bounds. Not only was I given creative liberties over my story ideas, I found a love for news gathering.
I want to write about things that I feel are important, such as the everyday grind of life and how people deal with the same issues I am having. For my stories I thought, “Well maybe, just maybe there are others who are going through the same trials as me. I wonder how they’re dealing with the cards life has dealt them?”
I drew from my own experiences and picked the ones I felt needed to be heard; the experiences that everyone could relate to. I will admit I have struggled a lot during my perpetual stint as a college student, so if through my articles I can help my fellow students deal with the pressures and stress they are feeling, then I am up for the challenge.
After I picked my topics, I needed to go out and talk to people. Boy was I nervous! I don’t know why, I mean, I spent 18 months of my life talking to complete strangers on the streets of a foreign country, in a foreign language, and yet I clammed up when it came time to interview someone I had never met before. What an anomaly.
So when I went and sat down with a woman whom I had never met before for my first face-to-face interview, I was completely freaking out. I pulled out my tape recorder and thought, “What the heck did I get myself into?!” I was sure that I would forget the few questions I had scribbled down.
Wonder of wonders: As she spoke, a million questions flooded my mind and the interview went splendidly. As I switched the tape recorder off, I swear my heart skipped a beat because I was so excited! I couldn’t wait to go and get more interviews.
To all those reading this, beware, this class has created an interviewing monster out of me, and you just might be my next victim.
ABOUT ME:
I am a super senior studying strategic communication (the fancy title for public relations) with a minor in German. Hopefully I’ll graduate soon; I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
I hail from the great state of New Jersey, where we know what real bagels taste like, and have never pumped our own gas. I have been a die-hard Yankees fan all my life, and say things like “cawfee” instead of “coffee.”
I had the opportunity to serve a mission for my church in beautiful Switzerland. I learned to speak German there and developed a love for “extreme” hiking, stinky cheeses and heavenly chocolate.
I don’t exactly know where life is going to take me, but I am sure excited to find out.
U NewsWriting 