can i issue a personal challenge to you for this assignment?Though, yes, it's slightly critical, he's also completely right. That sort of detail is something that I struggle with in my reporting; I know that and I know I need to work on it. To me, it's not even criticism really, though. My professor took the time to reach out to me and say that he sees something in me that he wants to help cultivate. It made me feel really good about myself.
i get the sense you are a good reporter, and you know how to write, and you have a future in this field. i can't say that about everyone in the class. but i still feel when i read some of your papers that i'm watching something from a distance, not up close. i want you to get up close with something in the north end and let me feel it, see it, hear it, smell it, etc...i'm not seeing enough of that in your stories and to really be a success in this business.... not enough good quotes, or telling details. you have to be able to do that; sort of grab the reader by the throat and get their attention. i am teling you this not as criticism, as you may interpret it. but because i want you to be the best you can be, and i think you have it in you. i don't think i've seen the best yet that you are capable of. far from it. and i'd hate to see you go through the whole succession of emerson classes and have each teacher say hey, great job caitlin on everything because that wouldn't be fair to you. just a small example.... in the wicked review, i got no sense of what these characters look like! in a story about Oz, i was hoping for that, or some other details about the amazing special effects, or whatever. i just felt when i was reading it that i was in the back row of the theater. put me in the front row!
does this make sense to you? i hope so.
This was especially well timed because last night I was having a little bit of a freakout/depression, and one of the things I was upset about was my career path. Though most of the time I'm extremely motivated and determined about what I want to do, I occasionally feel overwhelmed. What do you mean you're going to go to the Middle East? What do you mean you want to cover revolutions and wars? What do you mean you're willing to sacrifice the comforts of life in America?
Honestly, I feel like I was meant to do this; I feel very deeply that this is what I was made for. Most of the time this is reassuring and motivating, but at other times it's a little scary. It's not exactly an easy career path. But getting the email from my teacher quelled any anxiety remaining from last night. I'm sure there will be many more times in the future when I feel unsure, but I know that everything will happen exactly the way it's supposed to.
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. (Eleanor Roosevelt)
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