A Tolkien Ending

The end of News Writing I feels like one of Tolkien's famous endings. Each time you think it's gunna end, it doesn't. And when it finally does end, it doesn't seem like it's really over.

I know we haven't dawned the final day of News Writing I yet. One last 2 hour-sesh is over yonder. But even the end of News Writing I isn't the end. I think in a lot of ways, the class changed my entire second-semester experience. I see the world differently. I see people differently.

I can see that every single person has a story inside them. I can see that by asking the right questions, you can get a lot out of a person, too. And I can also see that people are just waiting to share their experiences because pretty much everyone thinks they have something valuable to contribute to the world. And I haven't been let down since.

So what do I mean by a Tolkien ending in News Writing?

Well, it's pretty simple. We're at the end of a class that's shaped my viewpoints and my experiences. But a lot of us will advance to the next news writing class. Some of us will take even more journalism classes. Some of us will sit around a staff meeting at TNH one day. No matter what, though, we can't think of newswriting the same anymore.

So even though it feels like an ending, the doors are just being opened. I wish the doors were opening to Rivendell, but I guess I'll settle for the real world.