Journalism majors must not love their own writing?

Question

Will I lose my creative touch? As compared to being a copy writer?

Answer 1

If a journalist loves their own writing, they are less likely to keep up with changes, and trends, as they will believe they do not need to change.

Everything, including journalistic endeavor can be improved, and evolves.

Answer 2

I'm not sure what to make of this question or the posted responses so far. The only journalists I know of who have the luxury of multiple rewrites are educators, feature writers and maybe some big-city reporters. Most reporters have to learn how to sh*t it and forget it. And you have to get to the point where you're not emotionally attached to your writing.

There are two problems that I see in loving what you write. The biggest one is that you'll constantly argue with the copy editor, because he loves what he rewrites more than you love what you write.

The other problem is that you might make writing choices that serve your ego more than they serve the reader. If you place a coffee table in the middle of your living room floor, it might balance the room visually, but if it creates an annoying roadblock for people who have to walk through the room, then it's not a good thing. The same goes for that cleverly turned phrase.

That doesn't mean you'll lose your creativity. Instead, you'll hone your creativity. There is poetry to good journalism; it's what makes a piece a "quick read."

If your journalism starts to feel formulaic, perhaps it's time to change beats.

Answer 3

Your first sentence is one of my best pieces of advice. When I tell people that, I mean that you don't write a story once and forget about it. You look it over, figure out how to make it better, and get to work again. (Assuming there's time, of course.)

You'd be amazed how much different a story looks after a day, or even a couple of hours. You'll say, "How can I have written that?" It doesn't hurt your creativity, it makes you a better writer.