Marresa Burke

Marr

[itsamarresaworld]

The struggle is real

My struggles with these all these projects is fulfilling two tasks: the guidelines of the project and my needs as a writer. What I think is clear for me may not be clear for reader. It’s similar to people who are too smart for their own good and don’t know how to talk to people. They have all this knowledge that doesn’t mean anything if they cannot clearly explain it to someone else. True intellect is explaining clearly and educating at the same time. Then, what might be clear for the reader may lose the initial focus of meaning that I had in mind. This happy medium is hard for me. I have to learn how to balance both aspects. I think that my growth as a writer this semester has shown that. At first, I said thing as if the world knew what I was talking about. Now, I talk on a level that is clear for multiple people. The other struggles are time management. Beyonce even said she takes a day for herself. I try to give myself a day or a couple hours and then I miss an assignment. It’s hard balancing life and being an adult. My body says take a day to rest and my to-do list says you don’t have time. That’s a hard pill to swallow. Honestly, I have gotten to the point where I see that my mental and physical health have declined. I focused on school and “getting the grade” where I forgot to attend to my personal needs. Life is hard. School isn’t hard. Balancing school with life is hard. This class was not too much for me. Taking it my senior year with other classes made it more challenging. That’s a part of life. Expect the unexpected. This semester as a whole taught me a valuable lesson: I am better than I think I am.. I just have to do it.

[itsamarresaworld]

Project: Me

My favorite project… It’s hard for me to say. I enjoyed project one because I was learning how to like research and dive into my topic more. It taught me different things about myself that I thought I knew about writing. It taught me that I am not the writer I thought I was. Project two was an eye opener. I saw where my whole life I have been writing in a way that pleases the audience reading it but never satisfies my needs or goals as a writer. I was always taught that you put your ideas out there as a facts. In project two, there was a whole section dedicated to my thoughts and opinions, which made a difference in the overall goal as a writer: to illustrate my ideas as effectively as possible while educating the reader. In addition, project two showed me that I know what I don’t know I just don’t know I know it. In the instance, that statement means that I am more passionate about topic than I realize. This bled into why my project three was so meaningful to me. I dreaded project three. I waited to last minute to do but when I was done. I was proud of the work I did and all the work leading to it. I cannot say that anything needs to change about the style of this class. This class is called applied writing which does not give students much insight in what they will learn. From, my perspective, I have applied numerous principles and techniques which have shaped the way I write in other classes and in my profession. Don’t get me wrong, I hate unnecessary assignments. Yet, all the assignments made sense I was just too lazy to see the value in them. I would have to say this class as a whole was my favorite project. I discovered a new Marresa.

[itsamarresaworld]

What's going on?

It’s a project. It’s not easy, but the goal and the research, so far, have been worth it. My thesis has shifted, so my focus and arguments have completely different. My biggest issue with writing is finding the flow. My outline sounds feasible and flows seamless from one thought to the next. It also works because my supporting details lead to the next supporting point and their details and so forth. I think that has been the biggest success factor in this project so far. Now the issue will be shuffling the sources in with the points. I have eight strong sources and I want to use all eight because all of them contribute to the argument in different ways. Because my thesis is completely different from my original idea, I have to go back through my sources with the new thesis in mind. This will help me file my ideas into the categories I have in place. This may also allow me expand or add new areas in the outline. My fears right now is that my argument is not strong. I feel strongly about it, but I am scared that I am going to end up talking in circles. Or introducing a topic or a point too early in a paper. Or saying all the good stuff at the wrong time. Or saying the wrong stuff. I think the hardest part of this new topic is illustrating to journalist that it is our duty to INFORM and not CONFORM. However this is easier said than done. I think I need to focus on finding a mutual ground. The hardest part is fulfilling the journalistic duty, maintaining the station’s brand, and keeping the audience engaged. Each idea disagrees with other. So finding a common ground is idealistic. I will have to find an idea to argue.  

[itsamarresaworld]

The Awakening

Writing is hard. Period. Even harder as a journalist. I used to think I was decent writer. Honestly, I thought I was a better writer than my classmates in high school. I thought I possessed the “it” quality. Whatever “it” was. Then I come to college and I am surrounded by journalists, where writing is do or die. I quickly found out I was metaphorically dead before I really started. Looking back, I wasn’t dead or dying. For one, writing is personally. Everyone writes differently and has “it” about them.  I always felt like my writing sucked. It wasn’t that it sucked; it was that I was still learning. I was still learning the ropes. Learning me. Learning how to write AND incorporating MY style. That was the hardest. I had to realize that I wasn’t my writing wasn’t dead or dying… I just wasn’t awakened yet. This class and my other classes combined are driving me crazy. I feel like “Dave” in McCarthy’s piece. At the same time, I feel like they are all shaping me into a better writer which translates into me being a better journalist. I still have the love hate relationship with writing. I hate to start it… but when I do… I love it. I have to learn that my writing is me. It’s how I spill onto the paper. Not the content. It’s how my heart relates to the content. It’s my way of touching the reader. I have a big heart. I have to not only allow the content of whatever story I am writing touch my heart, but show others why it should touch theirs. This relates to artist. Artist pour their hearts into their work so that audience members can be touched and feel where the audience is coming from. All I saying is the bad writing has made me appreciate the writing I think it good. It shows growth. It shows me. It shows I have been awakened.

[itsamarresaworld]

Writing is everything

When making videos, the best way to tell the story is writing to the video. In other words, match the pictures to the words. Make them relate. This is similar to the principle of “writing is performative.” Writing to the video or matching the action reinforces the theme or idea of the story to the viewers. The key to doing this is not being boring but having fun with viewer and making them relate to the story overall. This same idea can be used in reading books. When authors write, the author tries to create images in the readers mind to make their stories memorable. Journalist have to do the same thing. Another concept to consider is that “failure can be important to writer’s development.” My mom always said, “Nothing beats a failure than a try.” You cannot fail when you try. You fail when you do not try at all. I have mixed feelings about how this relates to journalism. When your story does not tell the story, you fail and there is nothing you can do about it. You have to tell the story clear with good pictures and storytelling. However, you can never do everything right. You will fail and learn from your mistakes. That is where the true growth comes from. Lastly, the principle of “reflection is critical for writers’ development” is the most important. You cannot measure the growth of a writer without reflection. When I look back at the stories I have created, I see the good, bad, and the ugly. In the end, the ugly weights out the good. However, without the ugly, I could never see the growth of how far I have become as a journalist. To combine all three ideas: Match your words to your pictures and don’t be afraid to fail. Failures teach you more lessons than you know. Reflect back on your growth. Just because you haven’t made it to the final point doesn’t mean you haven’t made progress.

[itsamarresaworld]

Search the World one Term at Time

[itsamarresaworld]

Watch news like a Journalist

It’s kinda hard to apply some of Bunn’s questions to my topic because Bunn is teaching us to read like writers and the authors of one of my sources is explaining to write like you are the audience and a journalist. It’s two edge sword. The source is aimed at journalist to find new techniques for reaching the audience. Everything the audience does is being recorded for research and then the data shapes the way they tell stories. Bunn teaches us to use effective language. The biggest thing about Broadcast writing is that what looks good on paper may not sound good to the ear. Another thing about broadcast writing is that you have to write like you are having a conversation with the audience. Big words or anything that makes you think does not fly in broadcast. Bunn tells us to use language in the best way the genre. I think I pay attention to this more when I am trying to be punny with a lead in sentence. I want to grab the viewer’s attention, make them giggle, and keep them interested in what my story is about. In order to accomplish all that, I have to ask myself a couple of “Bunny”: questions. For example, are there areas I find confusing and what makes them confusing? Let’s be real if I am confused, the audience is too and they will turn the channel. I have to keep them hooked from beginning to end so smooth storytelling is my goal. The other Bunny question I ask myself is: How appropriate or effective is this evidence? I think about this more with my interviews. Stories need people and people want to see a story in the most non-biased way. I like to make sure my stories have good characters not the last resort. In one of my sources, they are explaining how manipulate the audience. The bunny answer here would be writing to your intended audience. Both of my pieces include statistics and numbers to show that research and experiments back up their ideas. In essence, Bunn and the writers of my sources are teaching me to analyze every aspect of the story I chose to write and figure what the message is how to explain that as clear as possible. If I was to apply the ideas of Bunn in broadcast would be the same as me watching professional stories on television and watch like a journalist.

[itsamarresaworld]

Once upon a NEWS

We all love a good fairy tale. A knight in shiny armor saving a princess that is trapped in a tower. A forbidden love shunned by two rival families who eventually mend ends for the love to be together. And the economy?

The news has adapted a storytelling process to tell hard news. Is it effective? Or does it give a false illusion that there will always be a happy ending? Why don’t reporters just tell it the way it is? Is it because the truth hurts? All these questions are hard to answer.

The idea that people remember stories but want to know what’s going on in society can go one or two ways... Either they love it or they hate it. The best choice for some may not be the same for others.

I want to focus on the audience. Does they watch the news for stories with happy endings or for what’s going on in the world? Before this idea of telling stories came into play, there was only way of telling the news: telling it like it is. Which method works better?

In my research, I want to focus on the question: what is best for the audience? Does the audience need to be told the news in a format similar to a fairy tale to grasp the concept of what going on in the world? Does the audience need to be told straight forward?

In both questions, there are other factors to consider. Besides which idea is better, what method does one choose to make sure they are getting their point across to the audience? Personally, I am interested in this because my findings could help me bridge a gap between the way I write and tell video/radio stories. In addition, my findings could help me find a balance of what makes me as a journalist stand out and memorable.

[bob-belcher]

How I do my homework

[itsamarresaworld]

How I write papers