blog – Playing with Paris

I am Paris Fieldings, a broadcast journalism student at Howard University who also happens to play golf. As a journalism student, I have learned how to ask better questions, how to sit with discomfort, and how to turn simple moments into meaning. On the other hand, as a golfer, it has taught me something just as valuable. Because of golf, I have learned how to navigate the highs, the lows, and everything in between that this game brings. This blog exists not only as a safe space for golf and journalism, but as the crossroads where those two worlds meet.

Although golf and journalism may seem completely different, they are roughly built on the same foundation.

They both require you to trust the process. Even though the outcome may be unclear, they both demand consistency, self-awareness, and resilience. As a golfer who had to engage in a competitive environment where performance and proof are constantly expected, journalism is definitely a change of pace for me. Golf demands more than physical skill. It requires grit, patience, and the ability to trust the process. Journalism has taught me the power of slowing down, paying attention, and allowing stories to unfold naturally instead of forcing them.

My mission in this space is not only to document my journey through golf and journalism, but to grow in how I see people and how I see myself. This blog is my safe place to reflect, learn, and tell impactful stories both on and off the course. I want my blog to be more than just fancy aesthetics and half-truths. Instead, I would like to be intentional and explore what it truly takes to grow emotionally and creatively. My mission is to share the parts of this journey that are often overlooked.

For this semester, I would like to be challenged both emotionally and creatively. I think these are the skills that I currently need to improve on. In addition to this, I want to tell stories that do more than simply describe what occurred. I want my reporting to make people feel something and encourage them to ask deeper questions.

I hope to learn how to connect with audiences in a way that feels genuine and impactful, rather than surface level or performative.

Overall, I want to discover and strengthen my voice as a storyteller. It is easy to imitate trends or even chase approval from others, especially in media-driven spaces. However, I want my stories to sound authentic and honest, because those are the stories that truly stay with people long after they are told. This semester, I want to learn how to report with intention, write with clarity, and speak with conviction. Through this blog, I am learning how to become a stronger journalist, a more reflective athlete, and a more intentional storyteller.

A blog is like a conversation. At first, I was slightly confused by what Mark Briggs meant by this statement. However, after I finished reading Chapter 5 of How to Blog, I think I understand.

Before this chapter, I believed that blogging was where you could share your personal thoughts. It was a place where you could be less formal, a little chaotic, and do journalism in your pajamas. However, Briggs explains that blogging is much bigger than that.

When reading the chapter, I found Kevin Cullen’s story particularly interesting. He wrote a blog post and a newspaper article about the exact same event. To his surprise, the blog post was better. The blog was not better because it was flashier or bolder, but because it had room to breathe. Unlike the newspaper, the blog post included personal, human details and colorful storytelling that made it stand out.

Briggs states that blogs thrive on three simple points: frequent updates, connection with analysis, and reader comments. It may seem a bit technical or even a bit boring, but once you break it down, it actually clicks. By focusing on these points, a blog becomes a public thinking space. While traditional journalism has the journalist talking and the reader listening, the blog invites everyone to pull up a chair and join the conversation, where your opinion can be heard.

Ben Mutzabaugh, USA Today’s business travel blogger, states that “readers are our friends.” In fact, readers help make the blog stronger than any author could alone. Because of blogs, the audience is not just a shadow anymore. Instead, readers become co-builders. They not only support the author, but sometimes even help shape the content. In a way, this can be both beautiful and terrifying, because a blog does not let you hide. Blogging showcases not only your voice, but your blind spots, your curiosity, your mistakes, and your growth in real time.

Briggs does not romanticize blogging at all. He emphasizes that it is hard work and recommends posting at least once a day. While this advice can already feel exhausting, he offers a different perspective. He suggests that a blog can become your notebook, a cozy home for your ideas and emotions. Why wait to share information until it is “perfect”? Allow readers to challenge your ideas or your story. After all, journalism is never truly finished. It is a narrative that constantly keeps evolving.

Perhaps that is the main lesson of the chapter. Blogging is not just what you write. It is how you stand before your readers, open and human. Briggs firmly believes that blogs are more authentic. They are plain, yet honest. Blogs are available to anyone who can type, click, and publish.

Overall, blogging may appear simple at first, but it reveals much greater depth once you truly engage with it. As Mark Briggs suggests, a blog is just a conversation. However, blogging only reaches its full potential when presence matters more than perfection. By inviting dialogue, connection, and shared perspectives, blogging creates a space where voices meet, ideas evolve, and stories continue to grow.

Tag: blog

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