Discussion Questions- comm 337

1. What does Don Murray mean by "Surprise" What do you mean by it?
I think that Murray means look for the story that isn't expected when he talks about surprise. He talks about how there are different angles you can go when writing about a story and you don't have to just write the same thing over and over again. If you use your sense it is easier to find these new angels and not just see what is there but you can also see what isn't there and what should be there.
I have the same feelings toward "surprise" after reading this chapter. Usually when one is reading a story on a accident they are expecting to read the events and details on how the accident took place. However, why not write a story on perhaps the doctors or police officers who took care of the accident on the scene and add a different twist. Surprise your audience by something different.

2. The element of suprise has a lot to do with writing. Like I had previously said, the reader expects something from the story due to the head line, but if you deliver something new and suprise them, you then in turn stand out as a writer. Perhaps its just what you may need to get your start in the writing career.

3. I agree with Murray with the relationship between reporting and writing. You need to go into both events using your ten senses, these senses help you see what is there, what could be there, and what should be there. Its that extra "something" that helps get the element of "Surprise" to your audiance.

4. "Delight in what they do not expect to find. They come to the story with a foucs, an expectation, but they treasure the contradiction, the traitor fact, the quotation that goes agains the grain, the unexpected that reveals.