The Perfect Story

Hattiesburg, MS has recently experienced one of the worst Sundays ever. On February 10, we were hit by a horrific tornado. I was at work when I met the devastating demon. I never heard anything so loud in my life. As the tornado got closer, I ran quickly to the restroom. About ten minutes later, the tornado was no longer visible; praise God.

I saw a lady on the news who said she covered herself and her children with a mattress, and all that was left were the three of them. They lost EVERYTHING!

I believe this woman’s situation would have made a wonderful feature story. It could’ve touched the hearts of more people because of a powerful message (call to action). If I were writing this as a feature story, I would focus on the family’s home life and community involvement, and how their community could help them. My only issue is that I can get pretty emotional, and a story like this would really tug at my heart. Good luck to me with my future feature stories!

Advertisement

Excited

I am ridiculously excited that my profile piece is about to begin. My “main character” just informed me that he is comfortable enough to do the interview, and I am very pleased with his decision.

My “main character” recently emailed me and said he was optimistic about my article. I asked him why did he choose the word optimistic, and he expressed that because people make homosexuality out to be the work of the devil, he feels optimistic about shining a more positive light on homosexuality.

My line of questioning is very deep and very personal. I informed him ahead of time that if there is any question he feels uncomfortable answering, he does not have to answer it. His response was that he is not uncomfortable, unashamed and unapologetic. He is who he is, and that’s why I chose him for this profile piece.

Profiles

Our latest assignment is a profile piece. I have two wonderful topics I want to write about, but I am not too sure which one speaks to me more. 

My first topic is about my 75-year-old hair stylist. I found that this would make a wonderful article because most 75-year-olds are not running a hair salon full time. They are either retired and enjoying their time at home or living in a retirement home. She is 75 and moves around like she’s 20. I love it!

My second topic is about a homosexual African American man who was seen as the first to wear women’s clothing on campus. I chose him because he is unapologetic, bold, courageous, and he does not allow anything or anybody to get in his way. He’s an inspiration to individuals afraid of coming out of the closet.

Either topic would be amazing to write about, and in order to find out which of the two I select, you have to tune in..Dr. Chen.

The Student Becomes the Critiquer

On Monday, our class critiqued several reviews. From book to restaurant to lifestyle to travel-we discussed it all. There is one article in particular that I did enjoy, and there was one that I did not.

My favorite article was a travel review featured in The New York Times called “”Hiking, Biking and Bubbly in South Africa.” This article was so well thought out and well put together. I could almost imagine myself drinking the wine or dining in fancy restaurants or getting a hot stone massage at a spa. There were many interesting historical facts throughout the article. For example, Dreisinger explained to reader’s that she enjoyed a glass of Steenberg’s signature Graham Beck Brut NV which was served at Nelson Mandela’s inauguration. Interesting facts mentioned in articles brings out the best of that article.

Featured article “Sea by Alexander’s Missing the Wave,” by Michael Bauer was horrible. It was so confusing and poorly written. If the writer had just taken his time and put more thought into it, the article could’ve been great. It seems as if this was his first review. The ratings key was confusing, and Bauer seemed to contradict himself. I couldn’t comprehend if he was displeased with the food or if he was not.

This class, MCJ 301, is a major eye opener and has really helped me to determine the do’s and don’ts of writing particular articles.

The Perfect Story

Hattiesburg, MS has recently experienced one of the worst Sundays ever. On February 10, we were hit by a horrific tornado. I was at work when I met the devastating demon. I never heard anything so loud in my life. As the tornado got closer, I ran quickly to the restroom. About ten minutes later, the tornado was no longer visible; praise God.

I saw a lady on the news who said she covered herself and her children with a mattress, and all that was left were the three of them. They lost EVERYTHING!

I believe this woman’s situation would have made a wonderful feature story. It could’ve touched the hearts of more people because of a powerful message (call to action). If I were writing this as a feature story, I would focus on the family’s home life and community involvement, and how their community could help them. My only issue is that I can get pretty emotional, and a story like this would really tug at my heart. Good luck to me with my future feature stories!

THE Southern Magazine: Jesmyn Ward

I never knew how great stories existed in the Oxford American. One interesting author, Jesmyn Ward, really sparked my interest. Her use of words shocked me and left me in awe.

I can relate to this author because I am 23 years old and I will be graduating in May, and I don’t know what road I will headed down next. However, I do believe my future is very promising. One particular issue the author and I have I common is that I DO NOT want to stay with my mother after college; but what separates us is that I most definitely refuse to stay with my mother. No thanks!

Her particular style of writing is a style that makes you think. She is provocative and charismatic and interesting and bold and poetic and strong. The list goes on! As I read her article, “Is Moving Back Home the Best or Only Option?” I thought to myself that I would be a great writer if I could achieve her level of writing. Then I thought about it-it’s not about getting to her level. It’s about creating my own and excelling.

Two Cool Articles

The two articles we read in class were pretty interesting. Steve Sheinkin’s “History With A Twist” was an interview piece, or as I like to call it, Q&A. The article featured questions about his books about history and his particular writing methods.

The line of questioning began as a boring day at the library. A few of them were pointless because there was nothing exciting about them. The purpose of a Q&A is to entice readers and make them eager to want to know the answers to those questions. My classmates weren’t eager at all to know the answers to those dull questions and neither was I.

“Clean and Fresh” is a lifestyle article by Lynn Lofton. This feature article is about a homeless community in Gulfport, Mississippi. The message I received was that homeless people want to have clean clothes and smell fresh just like people who are not homeless. It was very interesting because when you think about homeless people, you don’t think about them wanting to be clean and wear clean clothes. This article opened my eyes about the homeless community. Although it was very interesting, I would’ve loved to read more quotes directly from homeless individuals.

This piece inspired me to want to do more than just donate clothes, time and money. My dream is to be a millionaire by age 35, and one of my goals is to build shelters in Southern states, the first being Mississippi of course, for our homeless. You’ll never know someone’s story unless you listen, and I plan to listen and take action.

No Limit

I was extremely confused about the correct definition of a feature story. A feature story is an emotional piece or article that is written to inform and entertain.

I actually like writing feature stories as opposed to writing hard news stories. Hard news is too based on the inverted pyramid style of writing, which means it’s like an uptight stockbroker with no love, no life, no family and has to constantly kiss up to his boss. It’s too structured and not much fun to do. What is the purpose of a lead? I understand that it “leads” the ready into the purpose and the meat of the news story BUT…. there goes that my creativity right out the window. 

Feature stories allow so much independence, and creativity is limitless. Readers can relate to feature stories more on a personal and emotional level. The story must have an interesting beginning, middle and ending as opposed to a news story which of course follows that good ole structured inverted pyramid style. I possess a vivid imagination so feature stories are right up my alley.

In chapter two, columns are discussed in great detail. I am a huge fan of the popular television show Everybody Loves Raymond, and the main character Raymond was a sports columnist for Newsday Magazine. He would interview famous athletes. I think that would be a wonderful job to have.

I love interview pieces, or as I like to call them Q&As. Q&As are very easy to destroy because some journalists can get very lazy and ask the worst questions. For example, if I were interviewing David Beckham about workout tips, I would not only ask about workout tips. I would question him about how much his wife enjoys his sexy body or if certain “positions” contribute to his well-defined six-pack.

Writing possibilities are limitless for us journalists, and I plan to explore every option.