I know that writing is one of my strengths, but I never realized that good journalism is so much more than sentence structure or the way an article flows.
When I first entered the class last semester, I soon discovered that the actual amount of effort involved from start to finish can become tiring. One must write questions, interview sources and put all the information into an applicable article.
However, when I’m able to muster up enough drive to finish the process, it actually turns out to be quite rewarding.
So far in my “journalism journey,” I have experienced a wide range of emotions — which was not something I anticipated when I first entered the class. I thought it would be like writing short papers in English class; I never foresaw the roller-coaster ride that comes with the job.
The funny thing is, journalism tends to poke holes where I am weakest and most vulnerable, forcing me to grow in those areas.
For one, I have always been hard on myself. So when my first “finished” article came back cluttered with the red squiggles of adviser Greg Stobbe’s pen, I tore myself apart. I retracted and ended up believing my own lies of “I’m not good enough,” thinking, “Why can’t I get anything right?”
But I have learned that there is a huge difference between being hard on myself and holding myself to a high standard. Whether in journalism or in life, it’s impossible to accomplish anything when I’m too busy examining my mistakes.
I have also found that there will always be another challenge waiting for me. Occasionally, I am assigned a topic that I believe no one will read (besides my mother), and it has been one of my biggest challenges to overcome frustration enough to buckle down and finish the article in the hope that a more interesting one will follow.
This also applies to my life and dealing with the challenge of the death of the senior pastor at my church. I’ve learned that it is essential to trust in my abilities and what I know to be true about my faith. And as in journalism, there will always be another obstacle waiting. Yet with every difficult article or life situation comes a greater appreciation for the times of smooth sailing.
Journalism continues to expose parts of me that I never knew needed fixing. It has shown me the correct balance of discipline and passion which has directly translated into my life and faith. Though more struggles await, I now understand that the end result will be worth it.
For more content related to JEA’s Scholastic Journalism Week, read the Feb. 24 column, Journalism develops sophomore’s team mentality.
