The Power of Constructive Criticism

In last week’s tutorial we were given an assignment to write a fairy tale as a news story. I was very keen to start my assignment. I had a hard time choosing which fairy tale to depict as a news story. I decided between Sleeping Beauty and Little Red Riding Hood. Ultimately I chose Little Red Riding Hood because the plot of Sleeping Beauty became very complex. I figured out the angle of my news story for Little Red Riding Hood first and as a child I really enjoyed this story. 

Today, during tutorial everyone in my class brought in their fairy tale news story. There were some really great angles people took with their story’s. One classmate, Rachel, chose Hansel and Gretel. In her story she used very descriptive words. Another classmate chose The Wizard of Oz, his story was incredibly witty. After listening to my fellow classmates stories I was inspired to become a better writer. I realised the faults in my writing. I need to use more descriptive words. I can’t be afraid to go outside of my comfort zone and try to write a witty satirical story. 

In previous classes at my university at home I have presented my work for constructive criticism, but I rarely find this activity useful. During my journalism class today I found the constructive criticism I received to be very useful. I really enjoyed hearing feedback from other students. I want to become a strong writer and hearing other students writing styles was really helpful. 

This week’s tutorial was very helpful because I was able to see the writing styles of my classmates and learn from their writing skills. Also, I was able to receive useful feedback from my professor, Marie. I took a journalism class at my university at home, but being in a different country changes the rules. One of my weaknesses of writing in Australia is the different spelling of words. I will need to constantly be aware of my spelling. Hopefully my classmates and Marie will be able to help me. 

In my journalism class at home we didn’t share our stories and give each other feedback. I really enjoyed this exercise because I feel everyone in the class benefits from listening to criticism of their work and other people’s stories. I am really looking forward for more exercises during tutorials. This assignment was one of the best journalism assignments I have received thus far.