Comments on some more thoughts: Young Journalists' Camp 2008

hi daniel. joyce here. i just found your blog so t...

2008-12-12T20:31:00.000+08:00

hi daniel. joyce here. i just found your blog so this comment is a little late. i do agree with you on some points. such as where creativity was stunted. i dare say i didn't find ywc as enjoyable as i thought it would because almost 90% of the camp emphasized on journalism and that wasn't why i signed up for this camp. emily mentioned that you don't have to like writing to be a journalist. you can hate it and still be a journalist. exactly. to me it can work the other way round - i can love writing but hate journalism.

but true, we can't always get what we want in life. i'm grateful for the exposure and experience that this camp has given me. i agree that this camp may not be welcoming for newcomers (that would be.. uh.. me) or less seasoned writers, but i guess this is teeny taste of the real world. people don't really care if you're new or old, you just have to get it done.

jared, i think everyone else hasn't warmed up yet when you read your piece. i do remember that i liked your piece very much, just that i hadn't had the guts to speak up then. have you thought of posting it in your blog? i think we would all love to know what was the exact quote in which lisa misquoted you. something to do "writers we will stay.". ;)

I actually enjoyed the complete turnaround of this...

2008-12-10T23:57:00.000+08:00

I actually enjoyed the complete turnaround of this camp. As someone used to writing whimsical "fluff pieces" I thought it was really exhilarating to be put in a situation where you're pressured to get the facts right and do it on time. Sure it was vaguely reminiscent of college assignments. But I think I got far more fulfillment out of it than the former.

On the philosophy of the camp. I do agree that it was a large deviation from the norm. Sessions on creative writing, fiction vs. non-fiction, poetry and the like were wholly absent. But I do think that they encapsulated the spirit of writing very well. See, we were analyzed and critiqued and read and exposed to the best and worst of our writing. And yes, while the style of the camp probably wasn't very welcoming for the newcomers or less seasoned writers, I still think it was done pretty well.

Writer's Slam. Ugh. I got SLAMMED. To be honest, I was kinda...put down. Being the first to read. I don't know if people hadn't "warmed up" to "praise mode" yet. But like, if you want to get mathematical. My improvement feedback grossly outnumbered my "awesome" feedback. And when other campers KEPT ON SAYING NICE THINGS ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE'S ARTICLES even when it was time for the "improvement" feedback. It didn't really lift my spirits. I'm cliche. :(

I guess in any program, there are its flaws. Somet...

2008-12-07T00:24:00.000+08:00

I guess in any program, there are its flaws. Sometimes due to factors beyond control. But this being my 1st YWC and all, I found it pretty interesting though. Maybe the aim was for exposure. True, I did expect like seminars on how to improve your writing, tips and stuff like that. But reflecting on that, that would be rather boring as compared to experience actually producing our own newspapers, with other young writers such as the bunch we had. Experiences many of us would not have the opportunity to experience elsewhere.

As for me, I've come back from the camp feeling an...

2008-12-04T23:17:00.000+08:00

As for me, I've come back from the camp feeling an urge to write. I didn't really write because i ahd to but because I wanted to.

Hehe, like I said, college (and for others, school...

2008-12-03T18:45:00.000+08:00

Hehe, like I said, college (and for others, school) taught me about compulsory writing a long time ago. I guess it was my bad for assuming the YWC was going to give me a respite from that. :P

Don't worry, you'll get your taste of deadlines (and adrenaline) once you go to college. More than you can ever dream of. ;)

(True, there wasn't a lot of time, but there weren't a lot of people who wrote their pieces either, as per my conversations)

You've got a point. But I think there's some value...

2008-12-03T18:24:00.000+08:00

You've got a point. But I think there's some value in learning to do what we -have- to instead of what we -want- to. Life, after all, isn't always about what we want.

(there wasn't enough time for everybody to speak at the writer's slam btw)