(no subject)
Yeah, I know I don't update as often as other people. It's not for the lack of topics. Three things have been blog-worthy. I just don't end up getting around to it. I stare at my computer when I have the free time to write, look at the pile of notes from a journalism convention in Los Angeles or think about the things Skeeter did to make me smile, and I cringe at the thought of writing for an extended period of time. I put off writing about personal topics because I know it'll take me forever to get everything down.
I don't write much about myself. I'll scribble something down on a notepad in class or on the bus from time to time when I've reached the point where some sort of thought needs to be extended from brain to paper. It can be cathartic for some topics that I can't get out of my mind. And it usually helps. I work through them and realize that what I am often focused on is either wrong or just some Johnny-come-lately quandary - gone as quickly as it came.
Tonight, I finished a personality profile on a triathlon athlete for this week's issue of The State Hornet. I prepared roughly 10 questions for three interviews, and searched for and poured over a few statistics. I kept a log of some of the statistics in a file and also bookmarked some of the links where I found the information. I probably spent three hours transcribing the tape into notes. Along the way, I settled on a lede and slowly came to a mental list of topics I wanted to talk about in the article. Once I had all of the interviews typed and printed off. I used a highlighter to select the quotes I wanted to get into the article.
It probably took me another three hours to finish a 1,186-word story. I'm pretty proud of it. It's not life changing, but I think it tells the story well and does a good job showcasing the different abilities of the athlete.
It feels good to write another story. I haven't written anything since the beginning of the semester, and writing that profile felt rushed - in the sense that I put it off and wrote it at the last minute. In the case of this story, I did a face-to-face interview on Wednesday and another on Thursday. I did the last interview by phone last night. I feel so better having completed it early. One of my biggest deficiencies as a journalist is procrastination. A three-day turnaround for a personality profile isn't too shabby.
I don't write much about myself. I'll scribble something down on a notepad in class or on the bus from time to time when I've reached the point where some sort of thought needs to be extended from brain to paper. It can be cathartic for some topics that I can't get out of my mind. And it usually helps. I work through them and realize that what I am often focused on is either wrong or just some Johnny-come-lately quandary - gone as quickly as it came.
Tonight, I finished a personality profile on a triathlon athlete for this week's issue of The State Hornet. I prepared roughly 10 questions for three interviews, and searched for and poured over a few statistics. I kept a log of some of the statistics in a file and also bookmarked some of the links where I found the information. I probably spent three hours transcribing the tape into notes. Along the way, I settled on a lede and slowly came to a mental list of topics I wanted to talk about in the article. Once I had all of the interviews typed and printed off. I used a highlighter to select the quotes I wanted to get into the article.
It probably took me another three hours to finish a 1,186-word story. I'm pretty proud of it. It's not life changing, but I think it tells the story well and does a good job showcasing the different abilities of the athlete.
It feels good to write another story. I haven't written anything since the beginning of the semester, and writing that profile felt rushed - in the sense that I put it off and wrote it at the last minute. In the case of this story, I did a face-to-face interview on Wednesday and another on Thursday. I did the last interview by phone last night. I feel so better having completed it early. One of my biggest deficiencies as a journalist is procrastination. A three-day turnaround for a personality profile isn't too shabby.