First term reflections...

On the eve of my last day of my first term of CreComm (wow, that was not an economical use of words!), I have made the conscious decision to put off studying and reflect upon all of the things I have learned this semester.

I was talking to some fellow CreComms on the bus on the way home today, and we decided that, even though it seemed to drag at times, this term flew by. We also concluded that we did a lot of very different, but complementary assignments. A lot. But I learned something new and important from each one!

For example:
Blue Bomber game: You cannot be afraid to talk to strangers!
Biography: Less is more. Only use relevant details and pare down sentences to the basics.
Brochure: I am terrible at layout and design things. I know it looks bad, but I don't know how to fix it!
Remembrance Day: Even when your arrangements fall through, persevere. You can't not hand something in!
Personal essay: Can get very personal! Writing can affect you more than you would think.
Streeter: I don't always crumble under pressure!
Live hit derby: Practice speaking in front of a mirror!
Advertising: You cannot be creative on the spot. The best ideas come from reflection.

Our bus conversation was followed by some reflective silence. I began thinking back to where I started at the beginning of the term and where I am now. It's really amazing how far I have come in three months and ten days.

I think that is a real testament to the program and to our instructors, who work very hard to teach us what they think we need to know. The more I think about it, the more I appreciate them and the work they do, both individually and as a collective, to teach us skills that cross the four disciplines and make us better communicators.

Another thing I have really appreciate is the guest speakers we get to see every week. It's interesting to hear from someone who is out in the "real world", doing what we all aspire to do.

My favourite guest speaker of the semester was Dawna Friesen, a foreign correspondent for NBC news, and a former CreComm student. As I aspire to do what she does, I was thrilled to hear her speak and see her receive her Distinguished Alumni Award at the 2009 alumni dinner.

She speaks with such composure, never stumbles her words, and provides real insight into the often harsh realities the subjects of her stories are subjected to.

I will leave you with her words of advice for us CreComms, and the video played at the alumni dinner, which I thought was very inspiring.

- Start small and work your way up.
- Be diligent in your work. Check your facts and double source.
- Find a mentor. Ask them for help.
- Find out more than you need to know. Get as many sources as you can. You will tell a better story.
- In interviews, listen more than you talk. Don't interrupt. Let people finish their thoughts. Let time fill the space.
- Trust your instincts.
- Don't do everything that you're told. If you are uncomfortable, say so and why.
- Don't feel you have to do things that will compromise your integrity.
- Don't take yourself too seriously.
- Accept failure and move on - don't get discouraged.
- Setting goals is important. It doesn't always work, but give it a shot.
- Make every story count.
- You're only as good as your last story.
- The more interested you are, the better your work will be.

Distinguished Alumni Award 2009 - Dawna Friesen from Red River College on Vimeo.

Happy holidays!

Starting that Christmas Reading List...

One of the things I plan to do over the Christmas break is get as much reading in as possible!

A few selections on my list this December are Wayson Choy's Jade Peony, Phillipa Gregory's The White Queen, and my old favourite that I haven't picked up in a long time, John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.

I always feel guilty reading for pleasure while I'm in school, so I tend to put it off for holidays. However, I did afford myself the pleasure of reading Dan Brown's latest novel, The Lost Symbol and reviewing it for a journalism assignment.

So before you add it to your Christmas reading list, check out my review!




The Lost Symbol
By Dan Brown
Doubleday, 509 pages, $37
Release Date: September 15, 2009

Secret Masonic rituals. An ancient map encoded on a small, stone pyramid. Science that proves mind can control matter. A severed hand covered in symbols found in the middle of the U.S. Capitol. And another powerful secret.

The Lost Symbol follows Dan Brown’s famous protagonist from Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code, Robert Langdon, on his third adventure. This time, the Harvard symbologist races through the streets of Washington as he tries, once again, to stop an evil force from revealing a long-hidden secret that could devastate mankind.

While Brown’s novel succeeds in once again taking its readers on a thrilling, mystical quest full of sudden twists, hidden symbols, and secret codes, it lacks the intrigue and urgency of his previous blockbuster novels.

The novel’s biggest problem is that the reader is never convinced that the stakes are high enough. In Angels and Demons, it was essential that Langdon find the antimatter canister before it destroyed the Vatican. In The Da Vinci Code, Langdon was on a grail quest – one of the most revered quests in literature.

In The Lost Symbol, the reader knows Langdon needs to stop an evil, tattooed antagonist from uncovering a secret. But for much of the novel, the secret itself and the consequences of Langdon’s possible failure are unclear. Even more disappointing, once the reader is enlightened, the secret and the power it holds is a letdown in itself.

Another weakness of the novel is that its setting is slightly dull. Brown tries too hard to convince his readers that Washington’s history is as captivating as that of the Vatican or ancient Europe. He even includes a cheesy flashback to Langdon in his Harvard classroom attempting to convert his skeptical students, hoping the reader will follow suit. However, unless you have a keen interest in U.S. history and architecture, the setting is much less romantic.

Though some big weaknesses keep The Lost Symbol from the acclaim Brown received for The Da Vinci Code, as an intellectual thriller, it is still a good read.

Brown knows better than to mess with a good thing. He keeps his standard thriller formula because it works for him. Brown has the ability to create vivid, startling snapshots, beginning with the severed hand standing erect under the massive dome in the U.S. Capitol. These pictures grip the reader, as they are both shocked and puzzled, and read on to hear Langdon decipher their significance.

Brown is also a master of impossible situations. Langdon and Katherine Solomon, The Lost Symbol’s version of Langdon’s beautiful, intelligent female counterpart, are always encountering unsolvable problems and inescapable circumstances. Brown does not disappoint, as their escape is always creative and dependent on the reader’s belief in the intelligence of his characters.

Ultimately, Brown’s success is dependent on his ability to balance fact and intrigue. He is only able to include hoards of research and explanation if it is balanced with a gripping plotline. Unfortunately, Brown upsets this balance at the end of the novel. The heart-pounding action is completed with 50 pages left, and the long conclusion lets the novel fall flat.

In his next venture, Brown will have to find a more intriguing premise if he wants to match his Da Vinci Code success.

I Twittered, wait... uh, Tweeted? What?

Image from vator.tv


So I just joined Twitter in PR class. I know, our assignments are pretty tough! But I just realized that I have blogged AND tweeted within five minutes of each other. Frightening.

It's going to take awhile for me to get used to Twitter I think. I'm still not quite sure what the point is, and I can't see myself rushing home after school to see what everyone has Tweeted or anything. We'll see how it goes.

But feel free to follow me. Maybe it'll boost my PR mark, Kenton?

Tomorrow I Tweet...

Well, tomorrow is the big day.

Tomorrow, I will officially be on Twitter.

Wow. First a blog, then Twitter? What's happening to me? I'm becoming technologically capable! By the end of these two years, I will be so well-versed in social media, I won't even recognize myself! But darn it, I'll be ready for a communications job!

Here's to taking the plunge!


Image from blog.writersdigest.com