My Writing Technologies

I find myself going back to writing technologies I used when I was younger. By this, I mean I have gone back to using pencils.

I carry a pencil and steno book with me everywhere I go. In my journalism classes, we learn that pencils are the best writing utensil for a journalist because the ink in a pen can freeze. A pencil cannot become unusable by freezing.

I use my steno books all of the time because they are smaller than normal notebooks so I can carry them with me easily. I can also write in them on the go, because there isn't always a table to sit and write at.

The other benefit is that I can separate interview questions and answers by the dividing line on each sheet of paper. It makes interviews much easier.

What is style?

The question posed was: What is style?

I am assuming this is meaning what is style in writing. Whether that is what the question is or not, that is the question I intend to answer.

Style in writing is everything that makes writing exciting. It takes the mundane and turns it into something beautiful. Take an article in a newspaper, for example: it tells the story and does so accurately (hopefully). The best articles, however, also add things to make the story interesting and fun to read. The best writers in most media use style to make the writing simply better.

Examples of style are things like repetition, rhyming and alliteration. These things, if used well, can truly turn a piece of writing into something extraordinary.

The best example of style (and voice) in writing that I can think of to link people to is Rick Reilly. Reilly wrote for Sports Illustrated for years, and now writes for ESPN the Magazine. He is a columnist, and his writing is all about style. Here is a link to some of his stories: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/inside_game/archives/rick_reilly/

My First Post

I really haven't got much to say as of right now. I have been writing for a few hours working on an article for one of my Journalism classes, so my brain feels a bit empty. Anyhow, I hope I can get by with posting a few random nothings and playing with the fonts and uploading images etc.

Here we have a picture of my parents dogs. No real significance, but I was using it as a screen saver so I felt it would be an OK picture to post:

The white one is Charlie, the brown one is Gracie. They are a pain.

I haven't yet set up links to some of my favorite blogs and websites, but when I do you will be sure to see a link to Poynter Online. It is probably the best website for Journalism based information, and a website I spend a lot of time on.