Week 2 Blog Forum

Topic 1:

I found the end of Section 18 very interesting as I believe he has had the same experience as many writers and artists do. Struggling to convince themselves and others that what they are doing and pursuing isn’t a waste of time.

The most useful thing I have read for feature writing and my favorite quote happen to be one and the same.

“By the time I was fourteen (and shaving twice a week whether I need to or not) the nail in my wall would no longer support the weight of the rejection slips impaled upon it. I replaced the nail with a spike and went on writing.”

This stood out to me because he never gave up. That kind of optimism is inspiring to me, as it can be easy at times to get discouraged. But to quit will never get someone anywhere. Constant practice – through times of incredible inspiration and complete voids of motivation is what will make someone succeed.

Topic 2:

Two possible review subjects for me are Shawn Mendes’ album “Handwritten,” and Dutch Bros. coffee.

I found a published example of a review of One Direction’s album “Four.” Link here: http://www.billboard.com/articles/review/album-review/6319861/one-direction-four-album-review.

The review started off with a little background from the band, criticism for lack of a creative album title, and the stating of an obvious struggle that most boy bands go through trying to grow up as stars in their music.

It takes note of co-writers, and also the various styles they go through in this one CD. The main message is that it could have been better, but if they want to succeed they need to experiment with style anyways.

I think the part that stood out to me was the brutality of the words. Not that they were outright mean, just painfully honest. I tend to want to paint the best sides of people, but sometimes in order to be truthful reviews can’t hold back the biting remarks.

I will be sure to make note of the varying styles in each song, which is the most successful type, co-writers, background, future direction, and a whole lot of honesty. I need to have all the facts, and know what the general public thinks already to establish common ground with my readers from the start.