Reporterly Things

Image via WikipediaSo I may or may not have mentioned in an earlier blog post that I am a writer for my college's paper, The Vanguard. Since I have the memory of--and I hate to use this analogy--a squirrel, I really have no clue what I've actually talked about without going back and looking. But since I am sure I've told you I'm lazy, I'm sure you can understand why I haven't done so.

As it is, I have been promoted (without my knowledge, which is kinda funny) from "Contributing Writer" to "Staff Writer" on the paper. I don't know if that means anything in the long run, but I like to think they've grown rather fond of me and my often odd story ideas. (Refer to this post to get an idea of what I mean.)

Anyway, there's all of that and my continuing dislike of actually doing the actual articles. Don't get me wrong. I love my part-time job as a "Staff Writer" and it pays the coffee bill, but I hate writing in the journalistic style. It's so boring.

That's why I'm glad they don't make me do "hard news" stories. I'm pretty free to write whatever I want so long as they like it and think people will read it. So, I do book reviews and write crazy stories about squirrels, and I spout off my opinions about various things like Egypt and other stuff while citing sources to support me, and things are cool.

Yet...the idea of being a reporter just bugs me. I'm lazy. I love writing, but I don't like interviewing people or finding sources. I have to do that for my journalism class and it drives me insane. Mostly because I have to listen to my teacher explain things so thoroughly my mind shuts down and I drift into a coma, but also because we can't write creatively in that class.

I feel like I've come to the real problem. Journalism tries to contain me in a small space that has no room for my crazy, artistic side to breathe. It gets claustrophobic in the confines of journalism. Not to say that I'm not grateful to be a paid writer, but still...Bailey don't like being put in a corner.

Does anyone else have this problem? Do you feel like you're being slowly suffocated by the constraints of certain writing styles? Or does it not bother you at all?

I'd be interested to know. And if I'm alone in this, I will need to tell myself to suck it up and be a man. Rub some dirt in it. Or something.

Until next time...happy writing!

Squirrels. I told you.

Image by The Michael via FlickrThe article from my college paper, and...I may or may not be the author.

So there's been this constant debate among academians (I'm of course referencing myself and Slice of the Blog Pie's Alicia Gregoire), whether or not squirrels are in fact, evil. (Click evil to read Alicia's take on squirrel conversations and to find other interesting squirrelly stories.)

We both seems to agree that, yes, squirrels are evil. I know it. She knows it. And now thanks to my newspaper's April Fools edition, the whole of my campus knows I consider squirrels to be not only a nuisance, but dastardly plotters of man's downfall.

Okay, I didn't actually say that, because I didn't want to freak people out, but I did showcase the squirrel gangs on our campus. They really do exist.

I've seen some squirrel throw-downs and it ain't pretty amigos. Fur and nuts were flying everywhere and I considered myself lucky that I could (possibly) outrun them.

Now I'm going to go check my door and make sure they haven't marked me for termination. And possibly buy a Jack Russell terrier. Because they're the natural enemies of the squirrel.