BLOG CLOSED & RELOCATED: Read the first entry of the OLD blog

The inspiration for starting my own blog came from an extra credit opportunity in my Mass Media Writing class, I am taking this semester. In order to get a few extra credit points the teacher encouraged us to begin writing a blog that we could use for our professional career.

When I began my first blog, it was just an extra credit assignment. Over the past few weeks I have been really thinking about how I can use this and in what direction I want my career to go.

So, below is the first blog I wrote toward my extra credit assignment. I hope that you will see that this blog will become more of a combination of what I am learning in writing and my future goals.

1^st BLOG

A journey starts with a first step and a story starts with a Lede. The two are much alike, both can set the mood for what is ahead, they can be exciting or scary, encouraging or discouraging. But without a first step a journey would never begin and without a Lede a story can not begin.

The first step of my journey was my first class last night, MMC3105 Advanced Writing for the Media, with Professor Amy Parmelee. And in this first step of my journey, she taught my first lesson.

Lesson 1: How to write a Lede. 

In last nights class we began going over how to write a lede for a story. A lede is the first sentence in journalism. When given a set of facts, I learned you start by organizing your information into the 5W's & H. Who, What, When, Where, Why, & How. 

I was thinking, what would the lede be to my story?

Who: Whitney Croxton, PR student, new wife, & new mom

What: Getting my BA in PR

When: NOW

Where: University of North Florida

Why: to work in a job I love

How: by attending school

New wife & mom begins class at the University of North Florida, on a journey to receive her Bachelor's Degree in Public Relations.

That would be how I would write the lede for my story. Is it right or wrong? According to Professor Parmalee, a story can have different ledes depending on who is writing. Next week in class we will learn what can make a great lede, capturing our audience to read our story.

While the class lesson last night was how to write a lede, I learned a little personal lesson myself, Trust yourself and your work. As I sat next to someone who seemed to have every answer before we even made it to that question, I was thinking to myself, "How do I not know this?" I began doubting myself and wondering how I was going to make it through this class. 

While I was thinking I was falling short, it turns out the Mr. Know-It-All beside me, works in PR for the National Guard & had taken a similar class before up North. Side Note, Mr. Know-It-All was a very nice and polite guy. I was happy to find out that I wasn't stupid, he just had previously learned what I was just being exposed to.

After reviewing the first lede we wrote in class, seeing that what I had come up with was almost exactly what the teacher had put up, I learned to trust myself and my abilities.

With my first class completed and now my first Blog post almost finished, I am excited about this journey to be a public relations Major.

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn the more places you'll go.” -Dr. Suess