Reading and Writing in a Digital Age

“Things that are really good are good because people are being really really tough, and you’re going to be really tough.” (2:42) Part 2

I think that this is great advice not just for radio broadcast and story telling, but for life in general. In broadcasting, it makes sense that you have to know when to kill a story. You may like it a lot because it may have some meaning to you, but if it isn’t good, it takes a certain attitude to step up and kill it. This gives way to the opportunity to make a better story which means that after time, you will have a great story because you killed all the bad ones to get there. By being tough on yourself, you make your story better, adding more details, always looking for a better interview, whatever it is. Just like in essay writing how you want to be a harsh critic on yourself to improve your work, the same goes for speaking. Settling for just an average or good story won’t keep you on the air because you will lose people’s interest.

But connecting this to a bigger picture, being tough on yourself for anything makes you a better person. Anyone can get by doing average work and passing. An average person doesn’t wow anyone just as an average story doesn’t keep people entertained. Being really tough on yourself always makes you want more than you have and motivates you to strive for the best. By doing this, you become really good at whatever you try, whether it be essay writing and radio broadcast, to sports and talents. You need to be tough on yourself or you just settle for average. I really like this piece of advice from Ira Glass because it connects to something bigger than the intended message.

One piece of advice from Ira Glass is that the two basic building blocks of storytelling are an anecdote and a moment of reflection. He mentions this at the beginning of part 1. The anecdote is a sequence of actions laid out at the beginning of the conversation in order to engage the listener.  Glass explains how the anecdote is like the “bait” that lures the reader into the story and that even the most boring anecdote can be captivating because it is a series of actions that the listener wants to follow. In Glass’ terms the anecdote makes you feel like “you’re on a train that has a destination.” And who wants to be on a train that goes nowhere?

The second building block- the moment of reflection-is the point of the story in general. The moment of reflection shows the reader why he’s listening to this story and what it means in a broader sense.  An anecdote that doesn’t tell you something new is of little value to the listener. Your job as a storyteller is not only to entertain the listener with a story or an idea, but also to make sure the listener realizes why the story or idea is important. Think about it. Every time you tell a story, there is a reason why you chose to tell it at a certain time to a certain person. Maybe you wanted to make them laugh, think, cry, sympathize, do something, stop doing something, etc. There is always something motivating us to speak up. When you’re speaking to a friend or a family member you may not have to have an actual “moment of reflection” because people close to you usually understand you well enough to know your intentions. However, when you’re relaying an idea to a broader audience who don’t know you well, you have to at least subtly hint to your point so that they understand why they are listening and why they should care.

I want to try to follow this advice as I work on my Audio Essay. I think it would work well to start with an anecdote of some sort and to end off with a subtle moment of relection.

At around 50 seconds in to part 3 of Ira Glass on Storytelling, he talks about something really interesting. In the beginning, most of an artist’s work is not so good. They have good enough taste to know that their work is not as good as i can be though, and they may get discouraged. Ira Glass advises us to not give up and get past that point.

I know, when i listen to the comings of my radio show, that if i heard it on the radio i would probably turn the dial. And im trying to mae it better, but a sheer lack of experience is really whats hindering my project. I have to take this advice to heart and keep trying, even after this assignment is over, and that is the only way my future work willbe any better.

Thank you, Mr. Glass, for those kind words.