Eastview Broadcast: Reading

Read, in Dotson’s book, pages 43 thru 55. Respond to what you read, and use these questions if you get stuck: What strikes you as interesting? In what ways do you agree or disagree with him? How does this fit where you are as a writer, and how will it help you become a better one? 
(100 words minimum). 

Dotson's comparison of great stories being like onions is an interesting one. I agree with him totally. You need to peel of the layers of an onion to get the the center. Dotson peeled back the layers of the onion to give a fresh spin on the pearl harbor story.You need to delve into the details and gain more information for your story. I also found his techniques on how to defeat the remote, being conversational, an the use of active voice interesting. I agree with his use of active voice and using a conversational style. The use of these techniques help me as a writer. I find it much easier to write when I am being conversational and using a active style. If I remember and use these three techniques and remember the others it will help me to improve my writing.

So, Dotson highlights the following:
- How to defeat the TV remote control
- Be conversational
- Gobbledygook and clichés
- Active voice
- Write in threes
- Surprises


Read this story and watch this one (a bit of a sports theme this week). Write two paragraphs (one about each) that explains how the story uses/handles at least three of these aspects. Give specific examples (100 words in each paragraph, so at least 200 total words).

In the story "Doing the Right Thing" the writer uses the following three aspects: be conversational, use active voice, surprises. He writes in the story in a very down to earth, conversational manner. One example is when he refers to the insurance behemoth who donated the prize. He uses a question to gain more insight. He does a good job of storytelling. The use of active voice makes me feel like I am there at the event watching everything unfold. I can hear the smack of the stick against the puck as it slides toward the goal. His use of active voice makes a person want to read further. The ending of the story is a great use of surprise. The fact that the boys won (even if they switched places), gave the money back (by being honest about the switch), and in the end received even more memorable rewards from the Vikings, the Wild and other things is a great ending to the story.

The story "End of a 12-son football dynasty for Minnesota Family" is handled much in the same way as the other one. The writer uses the following techniques: defeating the remote, be conversational, and write in threes. The remote is defeated in the very first sentence we hear. For a mom or dad, one of the great days of life is watching your kid compete on the athletic field. A person can relate to that and it makes them want to listen further. The reporter is very conversational in his storytelling and the way he interviews the Ahos. You feel like you are a part of the story. The way he explained the how cold it was really set the scene. It was cold enough to make your eyes water. I can almost feel it. It was interesting to see how he wrote in threes when describing how they supported their sons. Screaming like teenagers, cursing like Minnesotans and cheering each one on like they were an only child. The use of these techniques makes a story timeless.