"You can write about anything you want," announced instructor Tim Tuck. This was music to my ears as the class was assigned to create and develop a blog. With an undergraduate degree in Political Science & Philosophy, I have had minimal experience with free writing. Even in the Public Relations program, while there is a degree of creative freedom, students are subjected to writing in a certain way.
However, I wasn't sure what to write about. Fantasy football? Soccer? Video games? I could not decide what to create a blog about. After some more thought, I remembered that we were given free rein on the topic of the blog — so I decided to write about my thoughts.
My friends have mentioned in the past that I provide them with great insight and raise questions that get them thinking. I figured that my thoughts have the potential to make interesting content.
My first post, The Importance of 'The Self,' is about the significance of understanding yourself. Saying that I enjoyed writing this post would be an understatement. It truly felt like I was journaling. While I had been writing for academic purposes my entire life, I never appreciated it as a form of creative expression.
Thus far, I only have two posts on my blog, but I am excited to continue developing and adding to it. Even if no one is reading my blog, I know I have an audience in myself.
Being assigned to develop a blog turned my skill for writing into a passion. The assignment helped me to see that writing is more than simply a way to convey a message. While this is the primary focus of Public Relations, writing is oftentimes forgotten about as an art. While being succinct is the best approach to writing in the field, I believe a PR practitioner must be able to make their writing exciting and engaging.
This is now the way I try to approach my writing for my other assignments in the program. Given how practical the assignments are, I am finding it to be excellent practice as I prepare to start a career. Beyond preparing students for what they will experience in their careers, the Public Relations program enables students to identify and develop a writing style they will use for the rest of their lives.
This realization helped me change my perspective on assignments. Once viewed as daunting, I now see assignments as an opportunity to learn and develop my skill of writing. Some assignments allow for more creativity than others, but all are equally enjoyable to work on.
As the first semester is coming to a close, I am excited to end it on a high note. I am even more excited to begin the second semester and digest new content that the program has to offer. Most importantly, I am excited to start a career in the field of public relations and corporate communications.
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