Struggling Authors

I recently started an NCTJ (National Council of Trainee Journalists) Magazine Journalism course. It's fast track, which means I have 18 weeks to learn all the aspects - from law, to production, to subbing.

The worst bit of the course? Not the fact that I spend 6hours a day travelling there and back, not getting my head around the law - it's the shorthand! It's like learning to read and write chinese or something! It's supposed to make sense, and I have to say that some of it is slotting into place, but new things keep getting introduced! You can work out individual words now? Well that's great! Now let's try word groups! Grrr.....

Don't believe you.

Well it does

Managed to get 80wpm in 2 dictation tests this week (hurrah!), but suspect that was because I had basically learnt them by heart...

Have a proper test tomorrow (eek) including unseen dictation.

I may fail rather badly....

Good luck with the test, Sammi

Thanks Hedw . Friday is only day of the week we don't have shorthand, so won't get results until Monday. Don't think I did too badly, but I forgot some of the special outlines (either a letter, or a particular, shortened version of a word - eg, 'representative' is just rp.) and when she did the dictation she chucked in a couple of words we haven't done, so I had to guess.

We'll see though!

Oh my I am so behind with all the gos............Been Busy Busy Busy working all this week. Covering for my liaison officer who's sunning himself in hot parts.
Sammi your test
Coming - Been - Now Gone
Hope you did ok.
I thought I saw my twin this morning in the Nick but it was me coming the other way.
C.Q. Hows the synopsis coming along?
T

80 wpm !
Who speaks that fast?
The auctioner at Christie's perhaps??
Whatever, hope it went well S.
T.
The synopsis is getting to be a pain in my... never mind.
I'm still formulating it to be honest. My week at work has not been so good and I have to be 'in the mood' so my progress has been somewhat sluggish... But I promise to improve, honest.
It's a week excuse, I know, but it's the truth at least. Honesty is always the best policy, unless your POTUS that is. Then honesty is defintely not the best policy and it could lead to scandal and disgrace.
What am I wittering on about? I'm going to lie down.
Good night.

You'd be surprised, 80WPM isn't actually all that fast - the newspaper students have to pass at 100WPM.

Got 68% in the first test (I made some stupid mistakes although I knew the theory - for examply, you're supposed to disjoin T or D if it comes after R. In some places I had disjoined it and in other's I hadn't.) which was somewhere around the middle of the class. Lowest was 30 something per cent.

Had another test on Thursday so I'll be finding out how I did on that one next week. Think, well hope, I did better this time - I know I got most of the special outlines (a quicker way or writing a word, for example, recent is just RC), but I don't know how I did in the words groupings or unseen dictation.

Sammi
Good to hear from you again.
Sounds like your going great guns with shorthand..congratulations on the marks. I hated it to be honest but of course now...........well thats another story especially when I take minutes for a meeting. Ho hum keep at it girl.. It's eventually worth it.
Tee

84% in the test! Yay!

Well done.
What happened to the other 16%?


Just joshing, well done. I'm glad for yer.

It escaped my brain

Hang on, what brain...?

Well I'm with CQ on that one...............16%??????????????

Aw mega brilliant you must be very proud of yourself. Congratulations.