Details, Details

Academic writing has taught me to focus on the details. Not necessarily the facts, but rather the perceptions, the descriptions and the adjectives. My high school English teacher told us to put "beautiful language" in everything we wrote, and I took that to heart. But I've learned that's not how it's done in the journalistic world, where every interview and article must be clear, concise, and informative. I've had to make a big change in my writing style since deciding on a career in journalism in order to streamline my writing, and that has been the biggest challenge for me because I'm used to elaboration instead of condensation. My goal is now to inform rather than entertain, and the details have taken on a whole new meaning.