How to read in-between the written lines: A Profile
By Jack Welch
It was perhaps the stimulation of an unchartered environment that excites one most when, by all accounts as a budding journalist, the golden rules of research, adequate preparation and precise open questions were all to become on this occasion indisposed when it came to this subject. Conducting an interview with two first year students of English and Creative Writing, Jack Wood and James Walpole, pressure for a fair and proportionate inquisition in a blatant parody style of the press junket would even make the biggest of Prima Donna journalists cry Swish and flee into the sunset. Both students entered Winchester University in September 2011 and, due to the chaotic environment which they appeared to be gratefully reassured that the subject of their preferred reading seemed to be their first question. Mr. Wood was happily the first to answer that the successful fantasy author Terry Pratchett, contrasting greatly with my other guest, citing the likes of Jane Austen and author of the controversial A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess. Pleasantries now aside, it was now to their personal assessments of their time so far at Winchester, as particular students in which the tasks of reading and writing are essential ingredients to their success. Mr. Wood presented his ideas as being somewhat cynical to his progress so far implied “I do feel like A-Levels challenged me more.” Surprised at this announcement, I challenged this theory, seeking further justification. Responding to the workload and pressure before exams he did concede, regarding the discipline of first semester was crucial to his future here. It was then by Mr. Walpole’s admission moments after that he had not taken any course in relation to writing, suggesting that his International Baccalaureate had different areas, whilst believing that his current course in Creative Writing had helped to develop new techniques, he surmised that it has so far been “a graduate thing”.
It was then moving onto the subject of our pitch presentation, which the story of journalists, politics and corruption, had been a challenge which these complex elements had to be simplified for a commercial feature film. I asked them what they felt were their biggest contributions to the pitch. Both seemingly finding it quite difficult to answer this question, it was eventually resolved best through good-natured diplomacy, which Mr. Wood concluded “It’s very difficult for me to point out any singular part that I was the biggest contributor of.” Sensing the trend of Mr. Wood’s answer, Mr. Walpole obliged that though he had his individual ideas of how the script should move forward, it was as a group that everyone would agree on the changes applied. Although Mr. Wood did highlight that it was he who suggested the need for a title of the idea, to which we were then all agreed upon. Asking further specific questions regarding their responses to negotiating with topics such as politics and the process of analysis for their essays, I asked the generic enquiry about their own futures as writers. I was pleasantly surprised when the answers of writing and directing films and successful novelists. For the latter, Mr. Wood did identify money perhaps being a slight difficulty for this ambition, and a difficulty to which we could all agree on. If there were to be any consolation prize, at least they would still have the novel to which they could all dream of. It was then my belief that it is all the more admirable that it is pleasant to see that come what may, the Creative Writing students set their ambitions clearly, and better still, high.
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