I
like writing about myself. I find
myself in bizarre places, in funny situations, and I reflect. I make connections from one experience
to another and I want to share those connections with people. That’s why I write creative
nonfiction. This quarter, I added
journalism to the mix. I
reported. I learned about the
concept of timeliness, even if I don’t care about it. I read other reporters work, this time imagining crafting a
complex piece together.
Though
this work, I still do not consider myself a journalist for a few reasons. First, I don’t like approaching events,
situations and relationships as a documenter. I am an actor, a planner, an organizer, a do-er and a
reflector. I lost my camera on
study abroad and never looked back.
If I have time to stop and document at an important event, I am not
doing enough. I am not emerged in
the action, enough. That being
said, reporters and recorders are intrinsic to an event, a situation, a
movement and relationships.
Information and communication through journalism can be a catalyst. It can improve lives, inspire movements
and grow understandings. I
participate in these aspects of journalism in reflection. Though I am a mover, I am also a
reflector. After an event, I write
down everything from my memory, from my eyes and the new connections I made
through observation and conversation.
Through the interviews I conducted in this class, I realized that I can
be more strategic about my observations and conversations. Community members harbor so much
information that can be revealed by simply asking questions. That was my breakthrough of the
class. When I was forced to ask
questions about a subject, I realized how easy it is to figure out an answer to
a question.
I
will continue digging up stories and writing narrative non-fiction about those
things that I find inspiring, frustrating and confusing in my life.
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