So far, Journalism has been what I expected, as far as the writing goes.
I think I have improved at interviews. The tips we got on the field trip at the very beginning helped a lot. They pointed out things I had not considered, such as avoiding yes or no questions. And I am not afraid of interviews anymore.
I was surprised at how easily an interview became a conversation. I was reminded, time and time again, how much easier interviews were when you had planned them out and written loads of questions down, should the conversation slow down a bit or in case the conversation went in the wrong direction.
I expected to do the writing that I am doing. I expected to do a certain amount of interviews. I think those have been the most fun part of the course. I have been fortunate enough to have interviewees who wanted to cooperate with me. It is amazing how much they will tell you and how helpful that can be in not only giving you the information you want, but giving you other potential sources to further the story. This class is not 100% what I expected, but so far, I do honestly enjoy it. Sometimes the stories are really fun to work on.
