Week 3: Stepping out of element

One of the things I love about journalism is you get the opportunity to always be uncomfortable. What I mean is, when you cover a story, you go to events you would never go to on your own, talk to people who would never cross your path otherwise and experience new cultures and norms. Whenever I report a hard issue or need to immerse myself into a different world, I feel that if I don't feel uncomfortable, I'm not doing my job right. I'm in no way judging what I'm seeing but rather letting it all sink in. With my discomfort is the urge of me wanting to understand what is going on around me better.

This week, I was very uncomfortable but not in a way that I'm accustomed to. As a news writer, I go out, talk to people, write down what I'm told and string it together to make a story and give it out to the people in hopes that they can make up their own mind on what is going on and do something about it. I try to make these stories enjoyable but the main goal is to inform and I understand they want news and will go elsewhere for entertainment.

This week, I was on the other side of the editorial office. I wrote my first ever full length life and arts feature on a singer-songwriter. Now, I have written personality profiles before but they were all coming from a news standpoint with a big news hook or an underlying issue. I have never written a story where my goal was to entertain (minus the fiction I tried to write when I was in grade school).

Interviewing was easy. The singer was so nice and accommodating. It was a blast talking to her.

Being a newbie, I decided to read old stories that is standard at the Gazette when it comes to music stories. What I read were stories so crafted and well-worded that I could sort of hear the music in my head or at least had an idea of what it sounded like.

I freaked.

"I have never written anything like that in my life!" I thought to myself. These stories were not only personality profiles on the individuals but rather reviews of their music as well. For so long, I have trained myself not to insert my opinion in my work that I felt like I forgot how to go about something like that. I'm afraid I made myself literally sick over it.

When I sat down to write, I felt blocked. I didn't know where to start. For the first time in more than four years, I honestly had no idea how to write. I never had that problem before. Writing had become second nature to me. Give me the information and I could get you a completed story within the hour. I knew the formula, I knew what words to use, I knew what to write to grab my reader.

With this story, I took a hard swallow and just wrote as well as I could, giving it my best. I wouldn't let my editor down and have him running around trying to fill the space. I could beat it or at least fight it!

Moral of the story: I took a step out of my writing element and I survived! It just makes me believe more so than ever that you HAVE TO get out of your element to become a better journalist.

This will not be the last time for me. I am set to write a few more life stories in the future and hopefully, I'll find my groove and I'm so glad. Instead of being flat, I'm getting the opportunity to become more well-rounded.