Sunday, May 2, 2010

Final Blog Post Spring 2010

How has your view of journalistic writing changed since the beginning of the semester? How has your own writing changed (in terms of writing process, content, and/or goals)? To what do you attribute the changes?(And if nothing has changed for you, please explain why.)

Answer as thoroughly -- and personally -- as the space on the blog allows. Your response is due by 2:30 p.m., Monday, May 17.

24 comments:

Sarah Fine said...

When I first came into your class, I had been taught the finite straightforward ideas of what journalism is for the past three years of my education. I knew the structure, AP style and all of the necessary important information that you needed to include in a news article. But besides multimedia components to an article, pieces of an article which would allow for more creativity, I was never able to truly express the creative aspects into my writing that I loved to do with short stories and other free writes that I would do. There is so much more that you can do in the world of literary journalism. My creativity and my personal voice were able to shine through in my writing; something that I felt was restricted in the articles that I had previously written because of the finite structure of a news article.

I am taking so much from this class. Not only has my writing improved, but I have learned a different way to write. My strongest writing has always been telling stories in my life with great details. This is exactly what literary journalism is. I plan on continuing on with this type of writing as I move on in my educational and professional career. Literary journalism lacks the boundaries that I struggled with in conventional print journalism. I also learned a lot from your class discussions. I think the reason that I had such a positive classroom experience is that as students we weren’t learning finite material, we were learning how to grow as writers, how to hone in on our craft and how to form your personal voice and personality in writing. This class was as much of an academic learning experience for me as it was one of personal growth in my writing and beyond.

Andrew Carden said...

When May, 2012, rolls around and I'm taking my exit from this place, I'm willing to bet that Literature of Journalism will surely stand out as one of my most essential college courses. Truthfully, this class took my usual approach to journalism and turned it on its' head.

I'd spent years training myself to report and write in as non-opinionated and "professional" a manner as possible, and, in the process, I think I lost my own voice in my writing. This class put a screeching and welcome halt to that. I didn't need sharpening on my grammar or structure. I needed a venue where I could stop restraining myself from letting loose in my writings, a place where I could float the word "jagaloon" without my professor cringing in disbelief.

I've learned of the vital nature of literary journalism in its' ability to allow authors to engage in both reporting and colorful storytelling, a far cry, I would argue, from the usual, often bland "hard-news" reporting. I cannot think of any piece I wrote in J1 which could even marginally rival the creativity I aimed to display in my work here. And, hard as it may be to believe, I appreciate the opportunity to crank out four or five edits of a single story, honing in on the most miniscule problems which, nonetheless, need fixing to make for a perfect story.

This was a terrific class, surely my favorite of the semester, and I look forward to giving Professor Good high marks on the forthcoming SEIs.

Meg Zanetich said...

When I first stepped into this class I wasn't exactly sure what I was getting myself into. I love to write, but most of my writing is done in the confines of straight journalism. When people would tell me to find my own voice I never really knew how to do that. After this semester of Literature of Journalism I feel confidant in knowing what my voice is.

My view of journalistic writing has changed because I now understand there is so much more to journalism then I have ever known before. I now feel as though I can express my thoughts with a wider variety of style, without feeling like a bad journalist.

For most of my life my family would laugh at my story telling because it has always been extremely long and descriptive. After taking this class I understand what type of descriptions are necessary in my writing and what doesn't need to be mentioned.

I am so grateful to have learned this before I graduated from college. I love the outlet literary journalism has given me. I often write like I speak and within this type of journalism I am able to do so without feeling amateurish.

I think these changes came to me towards the end of the semester. After all the group discussions and the constant reminder that everything doesn't have to be straight journalism I realized there are so many more writing opportunities out there for me.

Without this class I would never have submitted a short story and without this class I wouldn't feel as confidant in my writing. Thank you for supporting my work. It means a lot.

Jaime Prisco said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jaime Prisco said...

I've always sort of felt like a mess. Sort of like everything i did was in the hectic, chaotic whirlwind. Being a journalism major didn't help that for me. I learned to love and respect journalism, letting each class tell me something more about my prospective future. However, i saw the thoughts and crazy ideas that rattled around in my head as a hindrance, something that would defeat my professionalism or destroy my credibility. I learned (not easily) how to write technically sound. How to structure my paragraphs correctly, and write three instead of 3. However, Literature of Journalism was one of the first classes that i felt was accepting of my writing eccentricities. That became incredibly important to me, knowing that other people could read something i created and really see the same things i did in it. The fact that my opinions could be expressed and nobody scoffed or reeled in disgust at my crazy thoughts or strange ideas. My excessive amount of fragments. There has never been a class that gave me so much faith in my ability to actually do something. I think everyone can agree that the dry tones of journalism have been disheartening. I also know that many people came in afraid (including myself), not knowing if their fingers were capable of writing things with the letter "i" or the word "bitch." Being so used to the journalism world that this new form seemed a mystery, half exciting and half terrifying. I leave this class with a new faith in myself and journalism as a whole. I know my writing has changed so much, much in part to the input i received from both you and the class. I guess i was just finally happy to find somewhere were my mess was accepted, not just tolerated.

Kellie Nosh said...

Since the beginning of the semester, I have been working hard to repress the urge to use my skills learned in J1 last semester. I was so used to sticking to the important facts, leaving out opinion, and just reporting. That's honestly what I thought Journalism was all about. Once I took this class, I realized that there are other ways to write under the umbrella of Journalism than just strict news-reporting. Since I'm still relatively new in the journalism world, it's nice to get a different take on mainstream views right off the bat.

As far as my own writing is concerned, I have found my voice like I'm certain everyone else has. But it wasn't an easy road to find it. My own writing has gotten more concise and clear, and I've learned to omit details. It's weird when all I had prior to this was Creative Writing, where every single detail was important. In Lit of J, it's more about how the story is told. I learned how important a verb is and how that alone could replace minor details and make them go without saying.

My writing process is still a little halted. I've always had trouble coming up with great ideas, but now, when they come, I just go with it where the wind takes me. I realized that it's okay to have a style of writing, and that the content is your own in pieces like what we've written. My goal, as I said in the very first post, was to find my voice and learn how to end pieces. Sometimes, the ending is right in front of me and I never knew it. But here, I've completed at least two pieces with an ending, so I learned that it's attainable.

I couldn't have accomplished any of that without this class, and for that, I am grateful. I am grateful to all these authors we've been exposed to and certainly Professor Good for revamping my definition of Journalism for now and certainly into the future.

Maria Jayne said...

Before this class I never really though of literary Journalism to be actual journalism. I thought of the articles to be more like stories then anything and they couldn't really be all that informative because it seemed too subjective. Now I think I have a better understanding of what journalism can be from reading the articles in class that range from very concrete to almost detached and altered experiences. I have learned there is more to journalism than structured articles that are so
I also think this class has helped my writing style change because I'm able to be more direct instead of going around ideas in a vague way. I’ve learned to cut down on all the extra words that are unnecessary and start using verbs to get images across. I feel a bit more confident in my writing now that I have taken this class and started submitting stories. It has inspired me to let other people read what I have to say. I feel like in the long run I will be able to become better at writing in my own voice and it will be a lot easier.

Samantha Minasi said...

It’s almost not even possible to articulate how much my view of journalistic writing has changed since I started this class. Of course I enjoyed writing before, and I am journalism major for that very reason, but I was constantly struggling to accept the “rules” of journalism that I found impersonal, boring, and impassionate. When my teachers would tell me… “Never use I” or they would go on about “reverse pyramids” I would think to myself how ironic it all was, that I got into journalism to make a difference, an impact – and that these stupid rules were preventing me from writing anything close to interesting or memorable.

This class changed all that, my eyes were opened to so many niches, authors, styles, and genres I might never have known were out there. The corners of my notes from class are filled with jotted scribbles to myself saying things like; “Modern day stories about the other half” or “consider a creative writing MFA” or “fight against artificiality”. And all these new interests have fueled my writing, and desire to write. On one of the first days Professor Good said something along the lines of “writing is not an event” it doesn’t just happen, you need to keep coming back to it, and working on it, it’s a process. Understanding what you meant by that has changed me, and my writing. I’ve always felt like I’m an old soul, that I’ve had so many experiences for someone my age, and I’ve always wanted to tell them to the world, now I finally feel like I know how to do that.

I literally had no idea what I wanted to do with my degree a few months ago, now I can’t wait to keep going with this. Seeing my work published has given me a sense of motivation and gratification I had yet to experience in college. Also, reading the work of authors who I feel genuinely connected to in terms of how my mind works, how I think, and how I feel about the world around me has been encouraging, and more than anything- new for me.

These revelations have also changed my writing process. Little words of phrases that stick into my head are no longer useless annoyances I can’t get out of my mind and repeat to myself all day, now they’re the title of a new story, or the inspiration for a new story. Incidents in my past that always lingered in my memory for whatever reason are now material for stories, I’ve learned to utilize an entirely new creative outlet, and it is freeing and exciting.

To try to sum it up, this class has inspired me, and given me a clearer understanding of what I want from the future, and what I don’t want to do in the future. As well as given me a sense of promise that there are indeed like-minded people, and authors out there, it’s just a matter of finding your niche.

Samantha Minasi said...

Ps: when can we expect Lit of J 02 to be on the schedule of classes!?

Suzann Caputo said...

Through this class, I have learned that I can be free with my writing, which prior journalism classes have not taught me. I admit I'm one of those people constantly trying to blur the lines of journalism.I am relatively new to the major, and before Literature of Journalism I thought Journalism would have to be my trade, and that all the creativity I had inside me— my poems, my short stories, my scenes, and characters, they would be a different part of my life. I would incorporate them in some way, I just didn’t know how yet. Now I realize they can be a part of journalism. Journalism doesn’t have to be black and white. Just the way one approaches writing about something can change the story completely.

I know now that there are ways to preserve my own style, even in journalism. All the writers we have studied are not conventional in style, and it has made them famous. I have learned that just being persistent in my style and writing as me can be liberating. I think that this class has improved my writing. This class wasn’t the typical class where you write something, you hand it in, the professor grades it, and gives it back. It was more like a workshop. We all helped each other. I learned so much from not only Professor Good, but from the whole class. I saw everyone’s mistakes and greatness, and it taught me how to improve my own writing.

Kim Plummer said...

This class was refreshing after back to back semesters of defining journalism in such narrow terms. I’ve said this repeatedly in blog posts, and we’ve mentioned it often in class, but it’s one of the most liberating ideas I’ll be taking with me: the notion of feeling as fact. A good friend of mine told me not to invalidate my feelings, and that there’s a reason we feel what we do because there’s a catalyst that makes feelings real. But, so often, we think of feelings and emotions as judgments. Sometimes they are, but usually they’re a clue to something bigger—maybe an injustice, the beginnings of revolutionary action, or some theme of humanity we all are apart of.

I think that what’s so beautiful about literary journalism, is that it works largely to connect us, rather than divide us, which conventional journalism has a tendency to do. Using our feelings and experiences of day to day life as a basis for fact allows for a more personal story, where readers can better relate to the writing and the subject. It’s not that cold, formulaic inverted pyramid style of detached writing.

My own writing has changed because I’ve begun to look at my experiences through this sort of lens: how can my daily experiences be extrapolated to have a resonating impact through my writing.

Something this class taught me, and that I’m still working on, is the shift from journaling to writing. For me, journaling is like word vomit onto the pages of my notebook. My thoughts purge themselves onto the page, and then I close my journal and don’t come back to it. But thinking of journalism in this new way makes it a process: you come back to it, clean it up, revise it, chisel at your writing to define its meaning through editing and rewriting.

Not only has the diversity of what we’ve read sparked this change, but I think the fact that I’ve begun to get my work out there, beyond the realm of SUNY New Paltz. It has impacted how I’ve looked at my writing and my process. I had not been used to having my writing exposed to an audience and that experience has changed the way I write. Abstract, vague details that sound poetic aren’t going to cut it if you want other people to read your work. That doesn’t mean there’s no room for poetic prose, it just means I have to continue finding ways to make my writing work in a way that’s not just satisfying to me, but in a way that can also manifest a shared understanding between me and my readers.

This class has been inspiring and satisfying for a bunch of reasons. It provides an opportunity to discover my own voice, what I want to say and how to do it in the most effective way. It’s an opportunity for creativity in truth-telling in a way that seems a lot more honest and real than most traditional news stories. It gets down to the truth on a personal scale, in a way that’s much more relatable and better functioning because of that.

Jenn Von Willer said...

My writing is more organized and I never realized how unorganized it could seem without proofreading. Now I realize its importance. My writing process is easier now that I know what the readers want/need in terms of necessary details and clarity so thank you very much for that guidance. I realize that even a long event or happening can be nicely fitted in concise, short sentences and my conclusion’s could still use better thought yet sometimes the event/happening doesn’t always end in a cute, satirical nature that’s simple to add onto the story. After this class, I believe my writing style is stronger and recognizable for any type of reader. When I first got Art of Fact, I didn’t even know many of the authors except the overtly popular novelists like Orwell, Capote, Didion or Thompson, so with their different styles, especially from former war correspondents and sports writers, I found that some of my attempts at eccentricity or brutal honesty can be OK, and if anything, rewarding for the reader to understand where I’m coming from. My goal was to be myself and a good self-editor. With this class, I really learned great methods for creating the full package for readers. I understand why I wasn’t accepted by LHW, but your encouragement and honest discussion about rejection helped me move on with more story ideas.

Literary journalism was a lot of fun and self-reflecting for the style I’ve been crafting since I was eleven years old and used the computer merely for Microsoft Word. After reading Fear and Loathing in 11th grade, I remember my writing/pseudo English professor (it was some elective) ask “Did he really do this [all those drugs] and survive?” so I was surprised she must’ve not read any Thompson. Or she could have been quizzing me because I never Spark Noted like most of my class. Even after reading Requiem for a Dream, I was led to believe unique writing styles without punctuation or constant slang was meant for accomplished writers, but like Thompson and other literary journalists, Selby, Jr. wrote like that for an honest feel of his characters in Brooklyn. I don’t feel that way anymore since literary journalism is similar when it comes to directing the reader to relatable characters with sincere language and understandable behavior. I loved this class and didn’t like missing it when I was sick or had to go to a funeral. I can’t say that about every class and I also came out of the class with an enhanced sense of writing for both fun and publication. Thanks for everything.

JulieMansmann said...

I honestly took Literature of Journalism because everyone I know in the major who had taken it before me has raved about it. No journalism, English, public relations and/or communication and media majors that I spoke with ever had anything bad to say about it. So, I figured it was a pretty safe bet, even though I had no real idea of what type of writing could be classified as literary journalism. Now that the semester is over, I find myself telling new journalism and English majors that they should take this class, too.

The first thing that struck me about this class was the reading material, which set such a good example for all of us to push ourselves to write differently and be more thoughtful about the words we put down. I am so grateful for having been exposed to such high quality work produced by masters of the craft. I think that so often in more traditional journalism and writing classes, we students become so focused on improving our own writing, which is obviously so important. However, when you get caught up in changing your own work and peer editing and work shopping others’ pieces, you sometimes forget to read that interesting feature in the New York Times or the next chapter in the Orwell novel you were reading. This class allowed us to pause and look at some of the better writing that has been produced – the kind of writing we should strive to be producing. In this class, I found myself reverting to the kind of student in the most valuable class I took in high school, AP English Literature; I was digesting pieces word by word, thinking about what a paragraph break meant or why the writer used a colon instead of a hyphen. I was suddenly unafraid to speak up in class because I found that I had a lotto say, because I was excited to talk about material that left me thinking about wiring or a particular issue for hours and days afterward. The focus on reading good writing was revitalizing. Once again I find myself trying to make time to read more interesting newspaper features and books by authors I have loved for a long time and new ones I’ve discovered. Reading good writing is so motivating. It pushes you think more about the way you write, because clearly these great men and women did. It reminds you that “Hey, this is awesome and I want to keep doing this even if it’s hard sometimes or if people don’t like it.”

CONTINUED…

JulieMansmann said...

…CONTINUED FROM LAST POST

My view of journalistic writing – I have struggled with this all semester. As I said in my first blog post, I decided that I wanted to be a journalist in the sixth grade. But, for the first time since then, I questioned my choice this semester. I wondered why I was doing this: covering events, interviewing people all prepared with their own agenda even though others don’t want to read my writing and don’t care what I am writing about. Yet, I would say that this class, - among other forms of reinforcement, - has taught me that powerful writing can shake people, can stop and make them think. After all, it’s what the writing we read in class did for me. In the end, it is worth it, in spite of the critics, cynics, naysayers. What other records of human history do we have? What other field allows us to take a step back and look at what’s going on in our culture, and what that says about us as a people? I am still so uncertain as to where journalism is going, as things continue to change everyday (maybe my confusion isn’t such a bad thing, though). But after listening to my peers talk about important questions concerning the role or writers in this class, only to talk about it with them for days on end afterwards, I know I couldn’t be doing anything else. The fact that these concepts are still churning on our heads even after the hour and a half of class spoke volumes to me about the characters of my peers and teachers, and their passion for this field that we all want to go into. My peers care, Professor Good and other great teachers that I look up to here care, and I care - no matter what. Taking comfort in that is enough motivation for me to continue writing and challenging myself to do so with a fresh perspective for now. This is all I could ask for in a class. So, thank you.

Allison Sofer Says said...

This class was the kick in the butt I really needed. I was getting so complacent with my writing, and honestly, I was getting bored with it. I was a stubborn little brat who knew exactly what I wanted to do, and what I thought I needed to know in order to do it. I didn't really give much thought to anything else, especially things I didn't think would help me achieve my goals. I was force fed the idea that the journalism world is so competitive that you need to be the best, work the hardest, and dedicate the most time to writing in order to even get your foot in the door. I was taught the basics of journalism - the strict, lifeless form. I was taught to stick to facts, and to keep the "I" out of the piece. It's not about you, its about what objectively happened.

Lit of Journalism completely destroyed every preconceived notion I had about what you needed to do, say, and be in order to be a journalist. Reading comic book journalism and gonzo journalism were my two favorite readings of the semester, because they were so completely outside what I was always told journalism was, and they were everything I always thought you couldn't do with journalism.

MY writing and my outlook on writing has changed so completely because of this class. I'm having fun with writing again. When I was writing for the snapshots project, it was almost like I was writing for fun again. It wasn't super serious, impersonal language on topics assigned to me - it was completely personal, completely objective, allowing me to employ my personal style, which is nearly impossible to do in traditional journalism.

Also, my outlook has changed. I learned that you can be less strict and serious and still be as dedicated and stringent with your writing as you want to be. Abandoning traditional form allowed me to renew my love of writing, and remind me why I want to write every day for the rest of my life.

I think I've changed from reading all the different authors, and writing different pieces. When you read, you're opened up to all the different styles and types of stories you can write. I have so many books to read this summer, because I found so many authors I like, like Hunter Thompson or Sarah Vowell. That reading list you gave will be decimated this summer.

The different pieces we had to write allowed me to explore my own personal style. I quickly learned what worked for me, and I learned even quicker what doesn't work. I really feel like I have my own voice

Finally, not to sound like a kiss ass or suck up, but I feel like you, Professor Good, really influenced me as well. I don't know if I would have learned as much with any other professor. It was easy to tell that you had so much passion for the different stories we read, and so much passion for writing, that it was hard not to feel the same way. Your encouragement and edits were supremely helpful. I can't imagine where I would be without your helpful red comments grinning up at me from my computer screen.

Thanks for an amazing semester, Professor Good.

Maria said...

I think the more appropriate question would be what hasn't changed since the beginning of the semester. My whole outlook on writing in general, not just journalism, has changed for the better. This class gave me what I have been yearning for for a long time: the skills to write colorfully and eloquently while remaining factual. I have been getting very angst-y lately, reevaluating why I chose to become a journalist, why I saw this rigid structural setup as my outlet for my writing. It had become increasingly unclear to me where I fit in, I as in my personality, my views, thoughts, rants, or whatever I feel would add to a situation. Through this class I learned that I matter again. My personal reflection is what can make or break a story.
I was really worried about developing a voice. I wanted to be able to get the "hey thats a Maria piece" reaction to my writing. I wanted to be unique and individual and this class has done that for me. I learned what my voice is and how to use it. I also learned that I really enjoy writing short stories, which was something that I really was intimidated by for a long time. Intimidated in the sense that I never felt confident enough to sit down and craft a short story, or a narrative piece, or any sort of writing that involved my thoughts or feelings. I suppose that fear was directly related to the strict rules and one-ness of journalism today; everything sounds the same to the point that I don't even know what's going on anymore.
This class has also improved my writing technically. In all honesty was at first intimidated by the large screen showcasing all of my errors for the class to see. But in reality some of those mistakes that were on that screen were never made again. It almost made me embarrassed, which is the best tool to improve your writing. I would see errors that I was blind to earlier, only because it is my own writing and I have a certain amount of feelings involved, and say to myself, "ok Maria you knew better than that, what was that". And from then on those mistakes were gone from my writing.
This class has also altered the way I think, in a very good way. I appreciate the skills I have gained and now feel like I am armed with an grand arsenal for journalistic writing. I can happily saw that I found what I was looking for, filled that void so to say in my writing and am more than confident in drenching my writing in my personal reflection.
I would like to thank you Professor Good for showing me I already had the skills I saw in others and so incredibly desired for myself. I would like to thank you for unleashing those skills in me, (whether you knew it or not) and for taking my hand, at times squeezing really hard like my mom in Shoprite when I was very young and did something I knew i was going to pay for when we got home, and showing me the way better than any straightforward journalism class I can think of.

Maria said...

As a side note, and this goes for all three classes I sat in front of you eager to hear the next reference, I especially enjoyed all of the outside references to authors and books, movies, shows and all sorts of other antidotes that really brought our discussions to a full circle, and I have to say were pretty enjoyable and made me sound smart in conversations. In all seriousness though those references are very interesting.

Oh and thank you for helping me realize that rejection is a natural part of a writers life and is not the end of the world. At least maybe for the publication, not for me. I have taken some big steps outside of my comfort zone in this class, and writing a short story, finally, and submitting were among them. I understand now that rejection doesn't mean I am not good enough. I have noticed that all writing is opinion based, at least all good writing. And rejection from one publication is just a matter of that editor/s opinion. Finding your place in the world of publication is really what matters, not the rejections along the way.

Pamela said...

Sitting in Literature of Journalism was quite the contrast from Journalism 1.

Learning how to write “hard news” was scary in a windowless, basement classroom. At first, I didn’t think I was going to be good at it. I felt like I had to trap and tackle down a lot of my creativity, which at times made me feel uncomfortable especially because I had just declared
Journalism major.

Was I really just limited to the traditional hard news leads and structure?

If I graduate with a Journalism degree, will I always feel like I’m writing in a windowless, basement classroom?

As the semester continued, I felt a little better about traditional journalism, but there was still something missing. I wanted to explore outside the tradition. And Literature of Journalism was the perfect way to do that!
Don’t get me wrong, I really like writing hard news. The more I write it, the easier it feels which makes it fun. But, the role of objectivity that comes with being a journalist can get pretty frustrating.

With that said, being in this class has given me an idea of the kind of journalism I rather practice, the kind where I can get creative, and maybe even include a some of my point of view. Throughout the semester, the assigned literary journalistic pieces served as excellent examples of the kind of journalism I would one day like to resemble. Aside from all the helpful readings we did, the class discussions made me realize that I was not the only one who worried about the real world. Most of us are scared about going into the real world of journalism, but learning that there is a lot more to journalism really made me feel a little more comfortable about continuing with this major.
I really enjoyed this class and Howie Good, your style of teaching has a lot to do with that! So, thank you.

Brian Coleman said...

When coming into this class I had been previously taught the finite style of journalism. Gather the facts, and tell it straight how it is. Now when looking it journalism, there is a whole added element to it. That's why I had so many rewrites on my first story, it took me a few chances to get used to the different and more free way of writing. Literary journalism allowed me to be more creative, and opened the door for progression in my writing.

I can attribute my first two published stories to this class. It also helped me learn how to edit my own stories, as well as take criticism on how to improve not only my story, but also my writing in general. Literary journalism is something that I want to continue doing as well, and have ideas on things that I want to write about. I am leaving this class with a new perspective on journalism, as well as a sense of confidence in continuing to progress as a writer.

Sarah Boalt said...

While my ambitions are to be a journalist, I have to say that I don't particularly like conventional journalism. I like to find news and report, but doing it in such a tightly defined way wasn't my cup of tea. I can't say I was having my doubts about being a journalism major, but I did want something else. The first day of class really bridged that gap for me. It took what could be dull and mundane and made it interesting. I feel that literary journalism gives a whole different, personal angle on a story or event, which is one that I think is important and more interesting of a read. A lot more can be expressed through literary journalism that a regular article just can't get across. This type of journalism puts you into the story, you're not just reading about it, which is what is most enticing. Literary journalism gives me an outlet to get across the things I want to from a story.

My writing has improved. When we were given the first story assignment, I was completely baffled as to why I couldn't come up with a story to write about. Telling a good story is one of my strong suites and I do have some interesting stories. I learned that the story had to really mean something to effectively write about it. There needs to be a reason for writing it and it has to be one that is important to you. It's kind of like when people ask me to tell them stories - I'm at a loss for words. However, when the occasion arises that I have a story to tell its for a reason and I tell it in a manner that gets across what I'm trying to say and it's something that's good to listen to. This can be translated in my writing. I can't just force a story out because I was given an assignment, I have to feel it. This has a lot to do with the edits we did and the stories that we've read this year. I have a much better grasp on my writing and hope to continue with it. This class far surpassed my expectations. When I read it off the roster, I really wanted to take it because the title Literary Journalism itself is interesting and I'm a huge fan of writers like Klosterman and Thompson. I like that they don't write conventionally, they write how they think, which is the most interesting type of writing to me. This class went above just reading those stories and really made me have a whole new appreciation for journalism and what can be done in it. It isn't such a narrow field at all, it's just something that you have to make your own.

JoshWhite said...

The reason I never liked my journalism classes was because they allowed little freedom. It was always the same openings, then the nut, etc. It was more than just discouragement we received when we tried to go away from the mold; it was simply wrong. I've never liked being told what to do and I've never liked being told that I'm wrong -when I'm only wrong because of silly rules.

This class was good to see that journalism does not have to be like that. We do have some freedom (so long as we don't mind not getting published as often and making even less money).

I was glad to see on the first few days all of your talk about being committed to doing something you want to do. We can't do this on the weekends. I think that gave me a little more confidence to sit down and write more. I think that's the key, writing as much as possible.
From now on, I want to read more. I feel ashamed to think of all the things I have never read, but should have.

I think most of the problems with my writing would be taken care of with more writing and more reading.

With all this being said, I think my writing has changed a lot this semester, beyond just process. After reading as much as I have, and by listening to you, I think I've become more aware of my abilities and shortcomings, which betters me.

I also think I've learned a lot about how to say things the right way. For example, my first story for the semester, I was searching desperately to find the right way to describe a feeling, and while I touched upon it, I didn't think I ever found the perfect word. Then we read Breslin. "...They were saying prayers out loud, and choking." Choking. Perfect.

Anonymous said...

Before taking this class, I was used to conventional journalistic writing, which includes a lede, a nut graf, AP style writing, etc. However, I look at journalistic writing and I don't feel like it has to be so tightly structured and strict in order to get its point across. I like thinking of journalistic writing as telling a story because it enables the author to give it a voice, rather than that same monotonous voice that you're used to reading in the newspaper.

I think my writing has improved a little bit but still needs work. It has improved because ever since I started taking this class, I started reading and writing more often than I used to. Ever since you told us that we should always be writing (even if it doesn't seem like something we could use) I have tried writing more. Even if it's one little line, a phrase, or an entire poem, I just make sure to jot it down before I forget about it.

My first goal is to become more confident in my writing. I need to feel comfortable using my voice; otherwise, other people probably won't enjoy reading it. Another goal I have is to get something published by this summer. I will continue writing new stories, submit them, and see what happens. I enjoyed taking this class because it felt so "freeing." It took awhile not to write so "conventional" because that's what journalism has always been to me, but I'm glad I learned a different side to journalism this semester.

JustinMcCarthy said...

Taking Literature of Journalism was a nice break from the other more traditional journalism classes I took. It allowed me to stop and put aside everything I had learned about journalism in order look at things in a different way. I forgot about objectivity, inverted pyramid and other standard journalistic ideas and practices and was introduced to new ways of story telling that I would never had considered to be journalism. I was introduced to journalists who were funny, opinionated and employed a variety of creative techniques to tell stories.
Because of this class, I feel like I’m a better writer. I’m much more in touch with my creative writing abilities and now realize that they aren’t completely useless in journalism.
My idea of journalism has certainly changed as a result of taking this course. I don’t see it as a dry and strict form of writing that will restrain me. I now see it as a profession that allows for more creativity than I’d originally thought.
Leaving this class, I feel refreshed and liberated. Although I learned a lot from my other classes, I can’t help but feel as though I was being more and more constrained with each one I took. This class broke the chains that bound me. While the strict rules I’d learned in the past are still important, they no longer suppress me as a writer and I’m now more aware that feelings are facts.
Professor Good, thank you for showing me that journalism isn’t as dry, cold and emotionless as it’s made out to be. You’ve exposed me to so much, and I sincerely appreciate that.

Unknown said...

Since entering your class my view of journalistic writing has been turned upside down. I no longer look at journalism as this narrow objective medium, but rather a wide expansive and provocative tool of the writer. You’ve said it a million times in class, “It’s all bull shit,” the news, conventional journalism, Katie Couric, it’s all bull shit. Though it does serve the purpose of informing the public of current events, it can never really do its job because of how it claims to be objective, when in reality there is no objectivity. This was a huge lesion for me this semester, I had always hid behind this illusion of objectivity, but now I can see that there is none. I can see that the true objective journalist realizes that there is no way to be objective and by realizing that, they become more objective.

My writing has also been changed radically. I’ve become freer with how I write and my voice as a writer. Passages we’ve read from writers like Hunter Thompson and Joe Sacco have shown me that the freer you are with your style, the more genuine you come off to the reader. My process has also changed completely; at the beginning of the semester this blog response would have taken me an hour to write, now I can write it in a quarter of that time. I’ve learned to convey my thoughts in my voice quicker and more efficiently than I could have ever imagined. Though my style and my process have changed drastically, my goal is still the same: to become a writer. I still want to become a journalist, work for a publication, write on a deadline, and see my name in print, but now I feel like I really have the tools to do so.

I attribte these changes to my writing and my identity as a writer to the examples I’ve seen through the readings in class. When I first posted on this blog, I couldn’t think of one journalist that I could consider a hero, now I can think of 10 and I can name how they have shaped my writing style. I can also attribute the changes to Professor Good’s teaching and relentless struggle to pull us into the real world with our writing. Through this class I have gained the confidence to go out into the world and do what I love: write.