Challenges in Writing

Journalistic writing is very different than academic writing, and after writing academically for so long it was difficult to make the switch. English has always been my best subject, and I have always been taught to write complex sentences with advanced vocabulary. Now as a journalism major, I am being taught to write simple sentences with plain vocabulary. After filling numerous papers with long, intelligent-sounding words to increase the length, it is strange to cut down my writing by keeping it short and to the point. There are also a lot of style rules to remember, such as saying healthful instead of healthy, and these types of rules were never taught in English classes.

Challenges

There are many challenges I face with writing journalistically compared to writing academically. I went to a high school that focused on English and writing papers. My teachers never taught me any other way to write besides academically. It is hard for me not to write in MLA format when I’m writing for JMC 2033. Writing journalistically has caused me some problems because the writer is supposed to focus on getting to the point, nouns and verbs, while I am used to wordy writing and making a paper as long as I can. When I write journalistically, I have to cut down my wordiness.

Challenges

I find it very challenging to transfer from academic writing to journalistic writing because with any kind of habit that one has been practicing for over ten years, it’s hard to break! I had a tendency to make sentences wordy because that was a way to “fully describe something”; however, the contrary appeals to a journalistic type of writing. Now, I must make sentences short, concise, and to the point. Also, in academic writing, the paper is not complete without a conclusion. The conclusion was a way of drawing the content to a close but when writing a story for journalism, when you have all the pertinent information, you’re done! It’s still taking some time to grasp on to all the changes.

Academic vs Journalistic Writing

I have difficulties writing journalistically. I find it easier to write academically because that’s what I’ve been taught all through middle and high school. I’m out of my comfort zone writing journalist because I do not have experience writing in that style.
The rules and style is different. Journalism has various writing styles and stories, whereas academic writing doesn’t have much various. Journalism has different rules according to the AP style handbook. There’s different meanings and abbreviations that is different than academic writing. Journalism uses different words and gets straight to the point. In academic writing you should sound more sophisticated, have a thesis and a conclusion.

Recognizing Diversity in Journalism

National Association of Hispanic Journalists is an organization that supports journalism in the Hispanic culture. NAHJ recognizes the struggles in Hispanic journalism NAHJ advocates fairness and balanced coverage on Latinos and immigration in the media outlets. The organization raises awareness by conducting and attending conventions that help improve Hispanic journalism. It also offers scholarships to Hispanic journalism students. Chapters are dispersed throughout the United States to increase involvement and networking within NAHJ.

The money raised for student journalism scholarships comes from donations, advertising and sponsorship. NAHJ acts as a middle man that connects the public with Hispanic and Latino journalism of any subject. NAHJ strives to change the way the public views Hispanic culture by emphasizing the influence Hispanic journalism has on media outlets like TV news coverage and newspapers.

Hispanic journalism is supported by NAHJ through recognition of news stories that have something to do with the Hispanic culture. These stories are taken and given a new twist. Instead of broadening the group of people the story can relate to, the stories' main focus is on the portion that has to do with a person of Hispanic background or a topic that relates to Hispanic subjects. NAHJ also involves itself in events that relate to, advocate or support Hispanic culture around the world.

NAHJ praises individuals who's efforts have resulted in an improvement of Latino representation nationally. This association finds ways to relate to Hispanic journalists of any nationality, branch and age by advocating lifetime involvement within NAHJ.

DiversityInc.

DiversityInc.com is a website dedicated to enhancing and expanding diversity throughout the media world. They are similar to an online magazine, with articles about media happenings but that also concern the expansion of diversity either positively or negatively. It's easily navigable and features pages about diverse companies. They offer help in finding jobs, an area for resumes and a place to post jobs that need filling.

This is a site that offers as many outlets to improve diversity as possible. They aren't simply concerned with the advancement of a specific race or ethnicity, but with the goal that everyone gets representation. They even have a link called Ask the White Guy. The work encompasses a wide range of topics from government issues to pop culture and social topics. It’s done a very good job at being fair an relevant to everyone

DiversityInc is hosting an event this year that promotes it's message on a global level. Twelve companies from around the world have been chosen to represent how minorities around the world are being reached. It is at this event that DiversityInc will be also announcing the 2010 top 50 companies for diversity.

This is such an important website because it encompasses a wide range of media opportunities and stories that be of interest and service to people throughout the diversity spectrum. They deal with many facets of the media so that it can be relevant to various people who are part of the industry.

ACLU

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was established to protect the nation's liberty; to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States has guaranteed for each person.

They fight for cases such as national security, technology and liberty. LGBT rights, racial justice and many more issues.

It is important for everyone involved in the media to be aware of the happenings of the government. The government determines what we as US citizens will be able to do in the future. I think that whether we decide to become writers for fashion, sports or breaking news articles, the government will always play a part in what we as people of the United States would call news.

This Union wants to make the country aware about the ways the United States has attempted to take away from our liberties. So it is our goal as members of the media to help spread the word through our writing, advertising and broadcasting that we need to act toward the government or just be informed.

Media practitioners can find cases that are happening near them through ACLU. They have a drop down box that lists every state for anyone who is interested in local issues of civil liberty.

Overall ACLU is an important way to recognize and reveal certain cases dealing with the Bill of Rights in today's society.

Diversity Blog: Take 2

Diversity Inc. is an extensive website that covers any and all things related to diversity in the media. The main page for Diversity Inc. features a "ticker" of sorts highlighting Internet articles related to diversity and providing easy access to the articles. In addition with the ticker element the website has a featured video on diversity issues with two columns of articles related to diversity below. Other features of the website include a numbered list of 50 companies registered with Diversity Inc., frequently asked questions, a job application link, and other various links to management sights. The website also highlights some “hot leads” concerning diversity with catchy headlines and phrases including: Baloney Meter: The World According to Vanity Fair: Thin. White. Female”, “CBS Super Bowl Flap Shows Media Out of Touch, Says White Guy” and “Why the ‘B’ in ‘Black’ is Capitalized at DiversityInc.”

This is an important tool for everyone in the mass media field because anyone in any career field, not just journalism, can use it. While the main focus is diversity in mass media, the careers page provides opportunities to search for employers and careers with a high rate of employment among different races. It also gives opportunities for those of a non-diverse background to help raise their multicultural awareness and give more respect to diversity and other cultures. One of these opportunities is a sidebar with phrases not to use in conversations with people from different cultural groups. For example, “Things not to say to Latino executives, Things not to say to Black coworkers.”

National Association of Black Journalists

The National Association of Black Journalists is an organization that provides programs and services to black journalists, students and media-related professionals. NABJ’s goals are to strengthen the ties among black journalists, give job opportunities to black journalists, getting the media to be sensitive to the importance of fairness among black journalists, provide professional training in the workplace, and help high school and colleges encourage black students to become journalists. They also provide information and training to the general public. NABJ is focused on creating black professionals that honor excellence and have outstanding achievement in the industry.

NABJ provides student internship programs to student members to improve the black community of young journalists. The summer internships are in print, broadcast and multimedia journalism with black-owned companies. NABJ believes it is important for young students to gain experience for their future career success.

NABJ also provides students and new professionals with other black journalists who are more experienced to mentor them. They are dedicated to ensuring that the next generation of black journalists will thrive.

NABJ gives seminars to those who seek to learn about African Americans in the field of journalism. They hold huge career fairs, and the fairs are a great way to find a job in the industry. NABJ wants to increase the number of black journalists in management positions as well as becoming entrepreneurs.

NABJ was first founded in 1975 in Washington D.C. and is the nation’s largest organization of colored people. Today NABJ has 3,300 members.

Diversity Resources Blog

Diversity Inc. is an extensive website that covers any and all things related to diversity in the media. The main page for Diversity Inc. features a "ticker" of sorts highlighting Internet articles related to diversity and providing easy access to the articles. In addition with the ticker element the website has a featured video on diversity issues with two columns of articles related to diversity below. Other features of the website include a numbered list of 50 companies registered with Diversity Inc., frequently asked questions, a job application link, and other various links to management sights. The website also highlights some “hot leads” concerning diversity with catchy headlines and phrases including: Baloney Meter: The World According to Vanity Fair: Thin. White. Female”, “CBS Super Bowl Flap Shows Media Out of Touch, Says White Guy” and “Why the ‘B’ in ‘Black’ is Capitalized at DiversityInc.”

This is an important tool for everyone in the mass media field because anyone in any career field, not just journalism, can use it. While the main focus is diversity in mass media, the careers page provides opportunities to search for employers and careers with a high rate of employment among different races. It also gives opportunities for those of a non-diverse background to help raise their multicultural awareness and give more respect to diversity and other cultures. One of these opportunities is a sidebar with phrases not to use in conversations with people from different cultural groups. For example, “Things not to say to Latino executives, Things not to say to Black coworkers.”

GLAAD: Blog 4

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) promotes fair representation and the elimination of discrimination when it comes to sexual orientation and gender identity. The representation of gay people in the media is highly important because television and magazines directly affect how people treat others. GLAAD is devoted to ensuring respect and understanding in the media and removing stereotypes altogether. The organization has had excellent success in the entertainment industry in Hollywood. While it was previously a local alliance in Los Angeles, it is now a national society that gets television coverage by popular channels like Bravo. GLAAD focuses attention on anti-gay campaigns in order to gain justice for an innocent community. It is important for the media to be aware of the mission of GLAAD because the United States is a country that stands for equality for everyone, no matter what their sexual identity is. Many people think it is normal to discriminate against gay people because it was always acceptable in the past. However, as time goes on, this nation is becoming more open and more focused on fighting for equal rights for diverse people. Numerous celebrities are openly gay in the media, and having this knowledge changes people's views on that person. The only way to make this a positive view is by consistently representing gay people in a positive light in different forms of media. This is a new generation that does not have to follow the same closed-minded ideas of past principles.

Blog 2

How Race Is Lived in America is a website produced by The New York Times that addresses racial issues that are still prevalent in the United States, even after the end of legal discrimination. The website consists of a series of stories about racial encounters that occur in everyday life, something that the website says was a "yearlong examination by a team of Times reporters." Fifteen stories, written by various authors, tell heart wrenching tales about the different ways that people are still being defined by their race. Of course, their are not any stories that claim outlandish discrimination towards people of different ethnic groups, instead, there are stories that speak of the subtle line that divides the "majority" from the "minority". This website plays a vital role in boldly acknowledging that racism still exists in the United States, even though it may not be as prevalent as it was 50 years ago. Without acknowledging these encounters of racism, it is impossible to believe that America will ever be able to fully push discrimination aside and allow the dividing line of different races to diminish. For those writing to the mass media, it is necessary to be aware of issues occurring among different cultures, because diversity has become such an important topic in political debates and other forms of media. This website is an important tool and valuable resource for those who are willing to acknowledge that America has a long way to come when dealing with diversity.

Diversity in media

www.unityjournalists.org is a website that represents four diverse groups of journalists: Asian American Journalists Association, National Association of Black Journalists, National Association of Hispanic Journalists and Native America Journalists Association. The website's goal is to raise awareness of diversity and to increase representation of people of all cultures working in the media. Also, they want to increase news coverage of all races and cultures. On the website, there are articles about diversity in current events and resources for journalists of all races.

This website is an important tool for multicultural journalists in the media. Instead of focusing on one underrepresented group in the media, it focuses on four groups. Not only can a journalist use this as tool for their group, they can also see what other multicultural groups are doing to raise diversity awareness. They can communicate with other journalists that are facing the same problems. With four groups working together, there is a stronger force on raising multicultural awareness. The more people who are aware of the diversity problem in the media, there is a greater chance for change. This website represents the diversity of journalists and is a great media outlet for multicultural groups.

Challenges of Using Correct Language for Different Cultures and Communities

I face challenges in writing with using the proper language sensitive to those of different culture groups. It seems like every group has a certain name they prefer over another, and it is hard to remember what each group prefers. For example, I thought that one should use homosexual rather than gay, but that isn’t right. Another challenge is remembering to ask the person I am interviewing what they prefer. Although there are rules for describing a certain person or group, sometimes the person or group prefers being described in another way. I need to be more sensitive and not just assume that I know the right way to describe something or someone.

Stuggles with Language Concerning Diversity and Culture

I guess my biggest struggle is just making sure I use the correct terms whenever I am communicating with a different culture or community. This is especially important for the mass media industry because broadcasters must tailor their messages so they can be received by as many people as possible. If I had a narrow view of diversity or used insensitive language, I would not become a good broadcaster. Going to a pre-school in downtown Little Rock taught me at an early age that not everyone looked like me. That immersion into different cultures at that school has been extremely beneficial when interacting with people from different backgrounds and lifestyles.

Writing Diversity

Our culture's emphasis on political correctness and being as inoffensive as possible has the tendency to put some stress on me as writer. The vast amount of derogatory and slang words that float around society makes it difficult to discern what is acceptable in writing and what is considered offensive.

Even for Padgett's glossary quiz, I was coming across words that I didn't know could be used as a terrible description for a group of people. I was also feeling slightly naive and inexperienced, seeing words that described important elements of other cultures that I felt as though I should know, but didn't.

Blog 3

When writing about different cultures and communities, one of the challenges I face is what language to use. There are so many words that can represent different races, it's hard to know what is the respectful term. Words that are associated with other cultures often change with each generation and it's hard to know what is the current, sensitive word for a race or culture. It's also a challenge to know what other racial groups call themselves because sometimes it's different from what the public calls that group. Diversity is a growing issue and it's important to use the respectful words when addressing another culture.

Struggles in Diversity

When I write about diversity it is difficult to avoid identifying people by using trendy terminology. For example, instead of describing a person as "disabled" it is preferable to use the term "person with a disability." Journalists must not be biased in their writing. Trendy terms might not offend the writer, but they could be offensive to the reader. Just because a term is widely used does not mean that it is ethically correct. It is very important to learn the correct terms to describe different cultures and beliefs. I need to practice proper identifiers to avoid offending diverse individuals.

The International Women's Media Foundation

The International Women's Media Foundation (www.iwmf.com), founded in 1990, is a global organization dedicated to the advancement of women in the news media and allowing further freedom of the press. An international member count of 4,000, and growing, including women AND men strive for the same purpose to promote an equality that wasn't attainable for women 50 years ago. The IWMF uses four strategies: building a vibrant network, cultivating effective leaders, pioneering change, and honoring courage.
Being involved with this network, or becoming a member, allows individuals to be involved with online discussions, monthly newsletters, campaigns for colleagues battling censorship and persecution, and hear about or take action on issues that are important to women in the media. The website also displays events that are important to the IWMF that also enable women to share ideas, and even career advice. As one of the four strategies imply, cultivating effective leaders is a strong point in any organization promoting an issue or goal. The IWMF offers online training that can further developing one's journalistic type of writing or even polish up communication skills. Using tools such as these, can help those interested in getting involved with media issues. Once these skills are acquired, one will be able to speak to a more broad audience about pertinent issues concerning women in the media and actively make changes where needed.

Cultural Sensitivity

Being culturally sensitive is not a choice some writers choose to make. It is a necessity. I need to make sure I am culturally respecting the topic I am writing about. That means to use the correct verbiage to not offend anyone, and to not overstate race or ethnicity in any story that is focused on other topics.

However, as simple as it is to say that we just NEED to be aware, it actually takes work to write sensitively. I have a long way to go, but I aim to use language positively for each topic I write.

The National Federation of Press Women

The National Federation of Press Women is an organization built to assist women throughout their various careers in mass communication.

The NFPW prides itself in being a diverse group that includes both seasoned and young professionals, students and retirees. The NFPW covers a large array of mass communication, including print and electronic journalism, marketing, public relations and graphic design.

The organization is a great tool for both women involved in mass communication and for the industry as a whole.

It assists women in the career field by helping with professional development and leadership skills through various events and seminars. These conferences occur at both the state and national level.

Women also benefit from NFPW through their job bank and the organization's ability to help network women with other members at various jobs throughout the country.

The NFPW also makes it a priority to help protect the First Amendment rights of its members, not letting the voice of women press writers be drowned out or oppressed.

The mass communication industry as a whole can benefit from the efforts of the NFPW. The organization is a great tool for both employers and fellow media writers.

The training and guidance the NFPW provides helps benefit the members, and in turn benefit the companies employing the members.

The site is also a great tool for anyone looking to learn more about women press writers, First Amendment rights and diversity awareness in the workplace.

Diversity Resource

The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University is the headquarters of the National Center on Disability and Journalism. The NCDJ is an organization which provides assistance and direction for journalist, as they cover issues regarding people with disabilities. People with disabilities make up almost 20 percent of our entire population, and as a minority, they are under and inaccurately covered in the media.

The website includes suggestions on the correct expressions to use when referring to those with disabilities, as well as descriptions of disability-related terms. Also, tips and suggestions regarding the best ways to interview people with disabilities are listed on the website, as well as brief guides to disability-related issues. Resources including disability-related experts, organizations, advocates and people with disabilities who are willing sources for journalist are also cataloged on the site. A blog is also incorporated for journalist to share ideas and experiences.

The NCDJ is a great resource for those working in all areas of mass media. Stories and issues regarding people with disabilities are going to come up because of their prevalence in our society. These stories need to be covered accurately and appropriately. Disabilities are a sensitive topic, and media practitioners need to pay specific attention to how they cover these issues and the terminology that they use. The website allows those who work in media to become better informed on disabilities. Advice on the correct approaches to use when dealing with these issues in the media is also available on the website from those who actually have disabilities.

Struggles in Diversity-Sensitive Language

When writing for the mass media, it's not always easy for me to consciously be aware of using language with sensitivity and respect for those of different cultures and communities.

One of the struggles I face as a media writer is that I am a white male. It's hard to fully comprehend the proper usage of diversity-sensitive language because, not being from a minority background, I may not be fully aware of a possible offense.

This isn't out of arrogance, but more because there are so many different cultures and I'm yet to experience many outside of my own background.

No offense, but...

There are challenges to writing, which many already know, but there is an even bigger challenge when I want to talk about a critical subject and reach a wider audience without offending anyone: writing with sensitivity.

In casual, everyday conversation, I might say things that aren't "politically correct" or use words that I, as a journalist, would never use. Journalists can't do that. They must be careful so they don't offend someone by using words they may use when talking to friends.

Sometimes it's a challenge to decide what is right, and what is wrong. How do I refer to people? How do I mention religion? What about issues with age? Writing about it can be tough to do correctly and non-offensively, but it's something I'm learning to do while writing to the best of my ability.

-ReiL.

Challenges using language

When speaking to from a different culture or community than my own, it can be challenging for me to second-guess what I am saying to not offend them. I might think that it's no big deal when making a simple non-verbal gesture, but that person could take it as disrespectful. For example, in my neighborhood at home, I frequently go to the corner gas station where an Arab man works. One day as I had my hands full with items I shook his hand with my left hand. He later told me that in his country that was disrespectful. It is challenging to know what is considered rude in all countries.

Difficulty in Language

In this decade, many have become sensitive and on-edge to the remarks people make, causing strife and hostility amongst individuals. Especially in the journalistic realm, this sensitivity has forced journalists to "hold back" a question or response, in order to protect people's feelings.

Personally, I have discovered, through the required reading for JMC classes, there are countless words deemed unacceptable amongst different cultures. For example, I was originally going to use the word "races" instead of "cultures" in the previous sentence. However, I remembered the term "races" is socially unacceptable. This is one example of many word usages that I find extremely challenging.

Coming from a family that has adopted babies from China and Guatemala, I have always been sensitive to the way that I refer to people from different ethnicities or cultures. At an early age, I was sensitized to referring to other ethnic groups. My biggest struggle would probably be referring to people with different lifestyles or religions. Because I have not had much exposure to this type of diversity, I am unaware of the sensitivity in language associated with different religions, and I'm afraid that I would unknowingly use words that are not politically correct.

Language challenges with different cultures

Utilizing the correct terminology in regards to other races and cultures is an imperative skill when working in the media industry. Using inappropriate, out-dated or incorrect language are media mishaps that can discredit a news source.

I face challenges when writing about religions that I am not familiar with, for instance the Islamic faith. The religion and culture has many words that aren't in English, nor are the words frequently used in the United States. Religion is a sensitive topic and I need to use great care to make sure that the accurate terms are used in the appropriate context, and spelled correctly.

Jennifer Bradley: Challenges of Diversity in Writing

Language can be challenging when a writer is unsure about offending a certain culture or group. For example, some writers struggle with labeling a race, such as calling an African-American black. It is difficult to know what is acceptable to say and what is not. When writing about another culture, it is important to research that culture thoroughly to be aware of language that is considered disrespectful. Sensitivity to other groups goes hand-in-hand with not putting opinions in writing. A writer cannot show strong feelings against religion, because these opinions could easily offend religious people whose lives revolve around their faith.

Grammar Struggles

My biggest struggle is identifying incorrect grammar. Editing grammar is difficult because I regularly second-guess myself and the rules. They are correct in saying English is the hardest language to learn because of the complicated grammar. I will have to buckle down and memorize these rules so that grammar is not the deciding factor in my success, or not, in Writing for Mass Media.
It is imperative that mass media writing is both condensed and informative. However, if my thoughts are not strung across the page, I go crazy. I must make adjustments.

Mein Kampf

In Composition 1, one sentence hounded me the entire semester, "Your syntax could be better." That is a quote I can go without hearing for the rest of my life. Then there is this "recursive process" for journalism writing. I never thought much about my writing process, but I was thrown for a loop when I found that my final draft really isn't THE final draft. I must use simpler words in my writing. The more complex your vocabulary, the more interested the reader will be, right? False. A thesaurus is the equivalent to steroids for words.

Challenges In Writing

I face many challenges in writing for mass media. Spelling has never been my strong suit. I constantly check my spelling for mistakes. The AP Stylebook has been a help because it allows me to look up commonly misspelled words.

Another challenge I face is grammar. My high school was extremely focused on English. I was taught properly to write a paper, but never taught how to write for the media. This has been a change for me. I thought that my high school prepared me because college English classes were a breeze, but that is not the case.

writing challanges

In high school, there wasn't a focus on grammar. My teachers let us skim over it, focusing mainly on style; I was even taking AP classes! Therefore, grammar has been a huge obstacle for me in college. I have never understood the basics, so applying the knowledge I'm supposed to have has been the most difficult.

Another challenge is attempting to move my thought process from that of an English writer that of a media writer. Leaving the details out and focusing more on the facts. not interjecting my opinion and changing paragraph format. Concepts I am finding very hard to apply. I love writing, but when it comes down to it, some of the basic rules are the ones that provide me with the most stress.

Challenges in Writing

One of the challenges I face the most when I write is starting the writing process. Even when I have an organized outline and know exactly what I am going to write about, I find it hard to actually get started. Sometimes, I will stare at a blank word document for 20 minutes before I actually start to write.

Another problem I face is grammar rules because there are so many of them! When I have a question about grammar, it's hard to find the answer. Even though there are so many books and websites about grammar, they explain the rules differently. I am used to writing essays and prose, so when it comes to writing for the mass media, I'm out of my comfort zone.

Revising is a challenging for me. After I am done writing my brain doesn't want to read or write anymore. Its difficult for me to go back and reread my work closely. When I do reread my writing, I often overlook silly mistakes.

I can read and write real good!

I'm not saying I'm a god when it comes to writing, grammar and spelling, but I don't really have trouble doing it, either. I've always been a good speller (Boggle and word games were all I ever did as a child). I don't always use proper grammar when I speak, but you'd better believe I know how to write a good academic paper or journalism article and can conduct one heck of an interview. Taking journalism in high school and being on the newspaper staff of "The JagWire" also helped.

My Facebook statuses are usually grammatically correct- unless I'm making a joke/doing it on purpose. My text messages are the same way. Guess I'm just a grammar nerd like that.

-ReiL.

For the last 13 years of my education, I attended a school that's primary focus was how to write pristinely using proper grammar rules. I was taught to articulate my words using adjectives and adverbs that directly described the subject. This allowed for longer sentences. However, entering JMC 2033, I realized there is another style of writing. I began to understand the writing and grammar techniques I once knew have become shortened and more precise. Papers now allow for zero fluff, while grammar exercises ask concepts that cause the incorrect answers to appear correct. These areas challenge my writing.

Blog 2

For 13 years, I have been taught to write papers a certain way. The concept of brevity was never introduced to me and I was often encouraged to expand information, making my papers longer. Writing for the mass media introduces a completely different concept of desired paper length. I've learned that less is considerably more when writing for media purposes. Using as few words as possible is a goal for this particular writing style. Because I tend to write more than necessary, brevity is easily the area that I struggle with most in writing for the mass media.

Transitioning to Journalistic Grammar

My biggest struggle in transitioning from high school was picking up on the journalistic style of writing. Though I enjoyed writing papers and essays in high school, I had no experience writing for a media outlet.

Before writing for Oklahoma's athletic department I had never cracked open an AP style guide, let alone know what one was. Many of the obscure grammar rules that the teachers in my high school normally ignored now became a part of my everyday writing.

Though I've now developed more of an understanding for the rules, I still struggle with certain punctuation and the little rules journalistic writing entails.

Challenges in Writing Correctly

Before this class I thought, "Hmm, this can't be terribly difficult, I know how to speak well and spell correctly." BOY was I wrong! I never realized I would have such a distressing time with grammar and the difference between who/whom, has/have, etc. I struggle to change a writing style that I've been using all of my academic career to a journalistic type of writing where it's okay to have a one-sentence paragraph. My high school didn't prepare me for this! When I think I have the hang of grammar and the quizzes come around, I don't do as well as I thought. It's starting to get frustrating!

Challenges in Writing Correctly

Writing grammatically correct is not a challenge for me, as long as I have the freedom to write the sentences myself. If I am the author, then I can choose to write sentences in a way that I am confident is correct. The challenge comes when I am forced to complete grammar exercises. Because someone else wrote the sentences, and rewriting it is not an option, and I must follow strict grammar rules. I was taught most of these rules over six years ago, and have had little practice since. This forces me to relearn most of the material.

Challenges in Writing Correctly for Mass Media

I was on my high school's TV station for three years. During that time I learned how to write broadcast scripts and news stories. Now that I'm in college and enrolled in Writing for Mass Media; I struggle to learn different writing styles for other kinds of media. There are more restrictions, and I have to pay attention to grammar and punctuation. When I write for the camera it has to be clear and concise for a listener to understand. When I write for this class it has to be brief and grammatically correct for a reader to understand.

Can I write anymore?

I have never had any problems with punctuation, grammar, spelling or writing - until now.

Honestly: I do spell well. I do not struggle with punctuation or grammar. I write articles that are well-received.

The issue I have had is more of an information overload and worrying about every rule the class has presented. I now second guess myself in other classes when writing papers. This class calls for short paragraphs short sentences. All of my other classes ask for nearly the opposite.

However, as I move forward in writing, I am thankful for what I have been taught my last year in high school English: Write as much as you can, you will only learn more about it, and you will only get better at it.

Challenges of Writing: Jennifer Bradley

Spelling and grammar has always been one of my strongest academic suits. I always participated in the spelling bee in grade school, and I loved knowing how to spell difficult words. Today, all of my friends come to me when they need to know how to spell something, or if they need their papers revised. I think the reason that I know how to spell so well is because I loved reading as a child. I even started reading chapter books by myself in first grade. The knowledge that I gained from reading so much has turned me into the writer that I am today.