Without a Topic

As the semester progresses, it seems as if this blog gets easier and harder at the same time. It is easier to write and to fullfill all of the requirements such as a link, picture and overall content, but it seems like it is harder to choose a topic that has not already been done. This is why I choose to write this weeks blog about choosing a topic. This may seem like a easy task but in many cases you must be able to think up a worthwhile topic in a short amount of time. This is especially important in the newswriting field. Below, I have seven tips for choosing a topic. 1. Know your audience. If you are writing an article addressed to teenage girls you most likely don't want to write it about baseball. 2. Have the topic be relavant. If it is the middle of winter, you do not want to write about the newest style of shorts on the market. 3. Consider your personal interests. If you hate the story, you are not going to put all of you effort into the story. 4. Brainstorm possible approaches and topic ideas. What style are you going to write in? Who can you interview? 5. Narrow it down. After brainstorming, narrow your desired topic down into a more specific and measurable story. 6. Do background research. A little bit of background research will help you get the basic understanding about your desired topic before you dive head first. 7. Make a list of words that describe your topic.The last suggestion is the write out key words that you can either use in your research of as descriptive details. An example of this is Alzheimer's disease. You can relate this topic to words such as memory loss or amnesia. You can also realte it to aged, aging, elderly or seniors. I hope this will help you in your future blogs or even your other classes where papers are assigned. Photo Credit: Via Creative Commons