#journeytomastery

Everyone craves the destination, but almost no one honors the stretch of road required to reach it. We love the vision of mastery - the flawless flight path, the effortless execution, the final masterpiece resting quietly at the finish line. But long before any summit is reached, there are hours spent in the quiet dark, repetition after repetition, building muscle memory out of friction and resistance. True craft is born in the willingness to endure the unglamorous grind, where discipline quietly replaces motivation. This Skin serves as a tactile marker of that commitment - a daily visual reminder that the process itself is where identity is forged. The reward isn't merely reaching the end point; it is becoming someone who enjoys the work it took to get there.

After taking Writing for Interactive Media this month, I am excited that I am exiting the course with a whole new outlook on how to successfully tell interactive, narrative stories using visual and digital media. From learning how to edit and publish content to identify my target audience, I am leaving this course feeling confident that I will be able to successfully publish digital content.

Going into this course, I was nervous after reading the syllabus as I can be quite shy and this course required that I interview multiple people.  As a journalist, I have to be able to conduct successful interviews to be successful in the field. As Chip Scanlan stated (2013), a journalist and author, “Interviewing is the heart of journalism.”  

During week one, I was able to begin my journey as a journalist by completing the first draft of my about me page after doing extensive research on great pages that helped spark my creative muse. The feedback from both my classmates and professor has helped me create a page that I feel represents who I am as a writer to my audience.  

Every week I was pushed outside of my comfort zone to craft stories that required me to gather factual information about relevant topics and interview individuals who added a personal feel to my stories. I learned that in order to construct a great interview I need the cooperation of a source to help my stories sing. The resources provided have helped me learn awesome interview techniques like how to actively listen while taking thorough notes.

Overall, over the course of four weeks I have been able to successfully create two stories, create outlines for two additional stories, and draft an amazing about me page for my site. I am excited to learn more as I transition into the Legal Aspects of Media course.

Reference:

Going into this class I was a bit intimated by the amount of information that I would be learning in just four weeks. I was also afraid that my creative writing background would clash with what some people thought a journalist should be. For a long time, journalists were portrayed as these “fact pushers” who had no time for storytelling. What kept that fear from distracting me was my need to learn and tell the truths of the world. ““I became a journalist because I did not want to rely on newspapers for information (Hitches, 2005).”  I was excited to jump into the world of journalism and learn the tools to create a great post that would help me reach my target audience.

Over the course of four weeks, I have learned so much! I learned the elements of a good story, how to develop a good story, and how and where to post the content. I have been able to narrow down my audience in order to be able to present current and relevant information that will benefit them. I also have narrowed down the social media platforms that I will be using to create an online presence and brand. I have been able to set up one active social media account thus far, Twitter, dedicated to my journalistic efforts and twitter handles that will help me on my journey.

I am leaving this course feeling confident and prepared to write my first article in my next course. I feel that this course gave me all of the tools and resources to present quality work to my professor as well as my audience.  I have learned that my background has a creative writer can benefit me in the new realm of journalism. I also feel that I could begin writing content outside of my school assignments. I want to dive into this new exciting sea of information and share my experiences as I learn.

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(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOMEnykYvck)