Been away for a while

Cutter's Blog - Stardate 8002.01.90
Current Song - Right Now (Van Halen)

I virused the computer last week, and I'm having to go to the library, and Sauk to get Internet access. My Sauk account still works on their computers even though I'm not a student anymore. Then when I'm in class, I'll get all the internet I need.

Journalism class is going great. I'm writing a couple of stories that are due tomorrow. One is about the Highland Volleyball team, and the other is Cougar Athletics 101: An intro to athletics at HCC. The commute is great, but sometimes I get stressed out driving up and down those hills on Freeport Road. I found an alternative route through Milledgeville and Shannon. That way seems to be less stressful. As I said before, we have a terrific staff this year and we'll be making some serious noise this semester.

Since the computer has gone on the DL, NISB work has been taken aside. I'm still partaking in the pick'em contest, doing those results, compiling scores, conference standings, and writing weekly observations. I also brought back the Fake Polls for this season. Other than that, I haven't found time to do a whole lot with school and Shell.

There are nights I think about quitting Shell and powering up NISB for the long run. Truth is, I just don't have the resources to do that. It also seems as if advertisements will be too distracting for everyone, and would be costly. I'm also working Friday nights :(

While I am making my twice-weekly commutes up the the frigid north, I thought about doing the ol' NISB flyer thing throughout the Upstate Illini.

Since I've been gone, I have always been thinking about the state of journalism. Here in the Sauk Valley, we have a Weekend Edition that is distributed every Saturday. I've also pondered change from game article writing to feature writing. Gamer writing seems to be becoming a dead writing form.

Thus, I've been examining the wrap-up style versus the feature style of gamer writing.

Wrap-up style was how I started in journalism at Prep Sports Online. When I first wrote, it was all stat and chronological writing, and no quotes. It was "lead, chronological, stat, mini-preview". That form featured more individual names than usual, and forced the direct imacts of the game to be fully analyzed. That is the "why and how" of the game. Why did such things happen, and how did such things happen. It is more analytical.

The feature style of gamer writing is what you see in the Gazette. It is an effort to get people noticed and written about by observation. A typical Gazette lead has ""so-and-so" (insert action verb here) at ..." Feature style takes a central focus and lets you know about it throughout the entire article. While it is a fact that scouts rely on local newspapers for information on athletes, sometimes the fluff doesn't work.

Both wrap-up and feature have its weaknesses.

Wrap-up's biggest weakness is that what you see in the article had already been seen by the crowd, and heard on radio. In high school sports, those interested in the particular subject are already going to be at the game. They already know what happened.

Feature's biggest weakness is that there are things that just aren't mentioned that should be.

My preferred style (wrap-up) has been declared dead by today's journalists, but is it for the audience of the piece? That's who I write for. Do the fans know what's going on in the minds of those playing and coaching? Not just their own team, but for the other team as well? I'm not trying to say that the fans do not know, but my writing is simply an alternative, more analytical, take on the game. I can still write how I write so that people will be informed of a more detailed manner.

It's true, fans want to know more. That's why they turn to the newspaper, for more detail. My job is to inform them moreso.

I'm getting tired. Later on, I'd like to explain why I don't do stories on athletes themselves.