Surf and Journalism

Since Iz wrote about his dream of one day writing for a video game magazine, I thought I'd write about something similar...writing for a surf magazine. While he enjoys playing video games (I think? No worries, I do, too...bowling on the Wii with my grandma), I enjoy surfing. I like to surf and often go every weekend and in the morning before class.

So what would be better than to write about the ocean, waves, sand, etc.? I ended up doing that a few years ago, writing for Makai Ocean Lifestyle Magazine. It was pretty cool, actually really cool - to write about all of the above and get paid! I was a poor high school student, and a little cash didn't hurt. I wrote a monthly profile on a water person in Hawaii.

The upside of writing about something you love would be (in my case, surfing): 1) meeting famous people (I met world champion longboarder BONGA PERKINS) 2) not having to dress up for an interview 3) taking a tan while interviewing someone 4) using surf jargon in writing.

But the downside would be that you don't get to expand beyond your comfort zone. The surfing community is pretty small in Hawaii, and everyone knows each other. So what happens when we run out of people to interview? Stories become repetitive, and the writer doesn't develop his or her skills. I think it's important to have a balance between comfortable stories and challenging, more investigative pieces. Makai is all about ads and pictures because it's given out for free at surf shops around the island. Therefore, I can't really write about a deadly jellyfish outbreak or land sales in Kakaako...it's strictly profiles..the flowery kine. That's why I believe Ka Leo complements Makai very well, where I can report on big issues to a broader audience in the university community.

My point is, it's definitely important to find your niche in writing and reporting - topics you are passionate about. But challenge yourself. Do a little bit of everything: hard news reporting, feature writing and even commentary.

K-den, shoots! :P