From workshop, a reminder of a love of journalism

By Mekeisha Madden
Entertainment Reporter
The News Tribune, Tacoma, Wash.

Posted: May 13, 2003

It’s easy to forget how fun journalism can be.

The deadlines, the office politics, the thin assignments -- they can be enough to make the most driven among us forget why we entered the news business in the first place.

That’s why workshops like Poynter’s Newspaper Reporting, Writing & Editing are so reassuring and inspiring. For six muggy days in St. Petersburg, Fla., I was reminded of why I chose journalism.

Or better, why it chose me.

As a TV critic and general-assignment entertainment reporter at The News Tribune in Tacoma, Wash. (130,000 daily, 150,000 Sunday circulation), all I can do is think about what’s next. Turning out a weekly column can be invigorating -- but also a grind. Add to that stories on toys, hair, fashion, books and the next trendy thing, and you get the perfect recipe for burnout.

At Poynter, 17 workshop members and I looked to writing coach Roy Peter Clark to make us believe once again in the paths we had chosen. And in ourselves.

Each day there was something new to discuss and learn. We had sessions on everything from the power of narrative stories to music appreciation. The latter had us sharing songs that inspire us while we write. My song was "Everything is Everything," by Lauryn Hill. More on that later.

Clark even had updated his "Writer’s Toolbox" for us. Over the years, Clark’s toolbox has increased from 10 tips to 30.

Before we arrived, our homework was to set aside four kinds of stories:

• The story that best represents my work
• A story that did not work the way I hoped it would
• A story that reflects my sense of mission and purpose
• A short story or passage from a story written by someone I admire

We also had to write a passage explaining why we chose each of the stories. I later learned that this had several purposes. First, it forced me to reflect on my work from the previous year. As I said before, the daily grind can make me forget why it’s fun. The exercise also let me disregard all the hard work I’ve put into past stories and move on.

Sometimes I feel I haven’t accomplished much at all. So the exercise was encouraging.

When we arrived, we were separated into groups of three to share our story selections. The trios in turn critiqued stories, giving positive feedback and constructive criticism.

This was one of my favorite parts of the workshop and something I hope to incorporate in my day-to-day life. The two women in my group, Melissa Williams-Robinson of the Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune and Laura Ehret of The Dallas Morning News, were receptive. At times, it seemed we were preaching to the choir, but it was nice to have two people with whom I could dissect the perils and triumphs of journalism.

None of us regrets going into this field. All of us want to stay. But to do that, we realized, we need a support system. We started with each other.

Now, more on my music appreciation selection, "Everything is Everything." The message proved prophetic. In the song, Lauryn Hill says, "What is meant to be will be." That’s how I feel about journalism. There is a need to work hard and write and report well, but there is no need to kill myself in the process. I was meant to be a journalist. I can’t let the daily stresses override that.

Journalism is a calling. But it is also a support system, a handy box of writing tools, a song.

Mekeisha Madden was a Summer 1998 Scholar at the Star Tribune in Minneapolis. Reach her at mekeisha.madden@mail.tribnet.com.

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