Response to "Odds and Ends" 9/20/11

       Donald Murray doesn’t exactly give a dictionary definition of the word “surprise”; however he considered his own meaning a very important aspect of journalistic writing. “Surprise” to Murray is when writers enter into a story with a certain expectation of the outcome and then are pleasantly “surprised” by anything that is unexpected. Murray discusses how journalists become desensitized to the everyday stories they write in the papers. Yet, when a story comes along and is seemingly routine then it ends up with a completely different outcome, it should excite and enthrall the writer!

“The best writers accept, even delight in the unexpected.”

Murray believes that “the effective writer must always have an essential naiveté-skepticism must be balanced by innocence.” I think that this “innocence” goes hand in hand with writing for surprise because when good writers maintain a childlike sense of wonder, then they will approach each story with a renewed sense of curiosity. This way it is easier for the writer to take a step back from the patterns they’ve become accustomed to and see each situation as an individual story with different backgrounds, specific details and varied motivations.

            When Murray talks about surprise, he doesn’t mean a party with balloons and frightened guest of honor. He means that it’s important as a good writer to view each situation, each story from a different perspective. Every story we write have numerous angles, and people who have seen the story from many vantage points. Te way to make your writing stand out from everyone else who is writing the same story, is to frame yours in a special way, different from anyone else. People will have a renewed interest in your version of the story because it will give a new twist on tired story that we’ve all heard before.

“We are not discovering a new planet, but we are assigning ourselves explorations of our craft that will make our work more interesting to ourselves and our readers.”

            Another quote from Murray that I really liked and think is important for reporting for surprise is when he talks about telling an old story in a new voice.

“Be selfish. Take command of your own stories. Make them fun. Risk. Try what you don’t think you can do. Teach yourself in print. On each story set up a new challenge. Our craft is, after all, based on play and we must never take it so seriously that we forget to play with what we see, how we order it and how we tell it to ourselves and our readers.”

            I love this quote because I don’t think that anyone is capable of writing an interesting piece or story without having fun and enjoying the experience. If the writer isn’t into the story; the reader won’t be either so it’s important to never forget that creative thinking is crucial when wanting to “surprise” or engage the reader and give a fresh look at a topic.