Week 6 Story Lab: Writing Smarter, Not Faster

Because of time constraints caused by other commitments, I chose to do a story lab for this week's assignment. I decided to watch some of the TEDEd videos on creative writing and style because, when it comes to my journalism work and even classwork, I struggle at times to find creative twists to throw in my writing. I was actually really enthusiastic for this assignment because I'm very open when it comes to criticism or improvement in that regard.
I related to the video on creative constraints a lot because I think that idea in particular is very unique. The concept that the constraints motivate people to find unique solutions to issues is one that I had not thought of before, but that made sense to me. I think that idea also relates to diversity; not diversity of physical appearance, but diversity of thinking. Everyone has a different perspective on aspects of our world, but everyone has something to bring to the table.
I also really enjoyed watching the video on writing descriptively. I learned a lot about putting yourself in the perspective of your audience and asking yourself whether the audience is feeling what you want them to feel. That's definitely something I can apply to my journalistic work because the job revolves around telling stories. Especially in sports where the news isn't as serious, it's crucial for the reporter to be able to pull the viewer's strings.
I think that as a whole, this assignment gave me some really interesting perspective on how I can improve my writing, That aspect is critical for the field I want to enter after graduation, and it's something I'm striving to work on everyday. While there's no perfect way to write, I think there's some qualities that good writers hone in and emphasize in their writing, which helps them convey their message clearer as a result.

I don't have time to write my story this week because I'm in Grapevine for a
College Football Playoff mock selection. Look out for my story next week!

Reading Notes: Raja Rasalu, Part A

Story source: Tales of the Punjab by Flora Annie Steel, with illustrations by J. Lockwood Kipling (1894).

This week of readings is different from those to this point because I went in with no preconceived knowledge about this topic. It helped in some ways because I went in with such an open mind, but I definitely had to work a little harder to go through and comprehend all the readings.

The biggest reason for that is some of the language used in the stories. While the readings to this point had adaptations with more current language, the wording was clearly a little older and more difficult to understand. With that being said, I think I could turn some of these stories into a more 21st-century tale. The tales are also very unique in that they combine some parts of prose with some of poetry. This would definitely be an element worth keeping in mind when I write my story later this week.

I also think Raja Rasula is unique from some of the protagonists in that he's more independent as a hero. For example, Hector has a trusty sidekick in Paris, but when Raja Rasula shows his friends the creature that he killed while keeping guard overnight in "How Raja Rasula's Friends Forsook Him", they beg him for permission to return home. This protagonist is a hero capable of, and seemingly fine with, taking care of dangers to his people on his own.

Raja Rasula