Not the last of me....

I only started blogging because I was told to for a module assessment in my journalism course at Uni. We had to create 6 blogs…that was the brief, and this is my last. I had never considered blogging before. As far as I was concerned I had better things to do with my time, and I just wasn’t one of ‘those’ people.

Truth be told, when the assignment was set I didn’t really know what a blog was, I actually had to Google it. That sounds shocking for a journalism student but my short time on this course has shown me that it doesn’t matter if you don’t know something, as long as you make the effort to find out – that’s the sign of a good journalist.

First of all I had no idea what to write about. I don’t have any area of expertise. I don’t know loads about music, or sport, or films. But then I realised, that this wasn’t a problem. The one area I did have expertise in, was me. The world from my point of view, my opinion. No one could write a blog about that better than I could.

Each of these entries may not have been the most informed or intelligent, but they have been true to me, my interests and my experiences. I consider that to be a very important aspect of journalism. Yes, you need to accurately inform and convey information to the public which is in their interest but you also need to stay true to yourself.

I thought I would see blogging as a chore, as an assignment that had to be done every week. Instead I found myself inspired, constantly thinking of new subjects for me to write about. I was taking many more mental notes about what was happening in my life so that I could write it down later. It has become part of a routine which I really enjoy.

Not only does it give me a chance to practice writing, it lets me document what goes on in my life. Blogging gives me the opportunity to write things down, and ultimately share them with others. I had always been rather afraid of sharing my writing before this assignment. I had no idea if I was any good or not, and I feared criticism.

Writing a blog means people actually get to read it. The comments I’ve had from people who don’t even know me very well and people who didn’t know I could write, have been so encouraging.

So, this hasn’t just been an assignment, it has become part of my development into the journalist I want to be. Although I only need to write 6 blogs, I’m sure there are many more to come.