What I learned in 255

Kennow/Dec.7/What I Learned in 255

            Communication 255, or Introduction to News Writing, was a class that I had not anticipated taking, but I really looked forward to it after making my schedule for Fall 2014. I have always had a passion for writing and communicating through outlets such as social media, newspapers, or magazines. I do not necessarily want to write about current events and stories once I am pursuing my career, but I do want to write about other things as a part of my job. Communication 255 taught me how to plan my writing, organize my thoughts, and clearly express my points. Because I do love to write so much I sometimes get carried away with my words and end up completely off topic. I had always wanted to take a course, that was not English of any sort, that would teach me how I could write creatively, but in an organized, professional fashion.

            The inverted pyramid interested me a lot because of what we learned about its origins. I think its amazing that we use this system in writing today because all the way back during the Civil War they felt they needed a more efficient way to communicate their battles, without being cut off or confused. I now use the inverted pyramid in some way when I write anything, always being sure to state the point of my writing to draw the reader in, and then set my writing up in order of importance. Learning about things like the “nut graph” was helpful, because before this class I knew nothing about the importance of the second paragraph of your writing and how it can effect your over all text. Although we learned about systems such as the martini glad and the kabob, I feel the inverted pyramid is the clearest way for me to express myself without being confusing. Setting my writing up by asking who, what, when, where, why, and how helps me to keep my focus.

            What I think I will take away the most, however, is probably how to tell a creative and clear story without being bias or opinionated in any way. I love writing to share ideas and not only to just promote my own ideas, and the idea of writing about an event or issue without trying to convince anyone of anything interests me. I think I would really enjoy writing things with the intention of simply giving information to the public and not just to convince them of something. After this class I confidently feel as though I can write a piece of news or information in an effective and interesting way.