Pitch Ideas
- How students of UNE spent their snow day
- The UNE bomb threat from semester one
Early Draft
What do the Nor’Easters do during a Nor’Easter?
The inside scoop on the first-year students of UNE during the blizzard that rocked the country.
By: Syd Fye
On the weekend of January 24th, the University of New England Nor’Easters rejoiced at the news that they would have a 3-day weekend to spend either hunkering down or playing about due to a massive snowstorm. This snowstorm allegedly sent New England into “Apocalypse Mode”, but that was nothing for the natives of our frigid region.
For the non-natives however, such as first-year marine biology major Abby Zamora, who is far from her home in Edinburgh, Texas, there was some serious shock at such a major blizzard.
ABBY QUOTE
“Seeing someone experience snow for the first time reminded me of my younger self, it was almost nostalgic to see her in such awe,” stated Zamora’s roommate, Delainey Dunkerley, also a first-year marine biology major.
Though many students decided this weather was a perfect opportunity to cozy up and watch a movie, Zamora’s friends were not letting her miss the chance to have a blast in the snow. She got all bundled up with her brand new LL.Bean winter clothes, and outside she went.
LUCA QUOTE
Though it was Zamora’s first major snowstorm, it’s safe to say that even for those who’ve lived through a million of them, there was equally as much fun being had. With plenty of fresh powder on the ground, and more still falling, how could you not enjoy tackling your friends with a soft cushion underneath?
DANTE QUOTE
To some of the students, this snowstorm definitely meant that going outside was not an option, that is until they realized they had to move their cars. First-year student, Julia Graham, got a phone call at around 8 pm on Saturday night, informing her that she needed to relocate her car due to plowing.
JULIA QUOTE
Developing Draft
What do the Nor’Easters do during a Nor’Easter?
The inside scoop on the first-year students of UNE during the blizzard that rocked the country.
By: Syd Fye
On the weekend of January 24th, the University of New England Nor’Easters rejoiced at the news that they would have a 3-day weekend to spend either hunkering down or playing about due to a massive snowstorm. This snowstorm allegedly sent New England into “Apocalypse Mode”, but that was nothing for the natives of our frigid region.
For the non-natives however, such as first-year marine biology major Abby Zamora, who is far from her home in Edinburgh, Texas, there was some serious shock at such a major blizzard.
“I got to see a few storms before, but nothing like this one. At first the snow was really fun, but I honestly got tired of it pretty quickly,” said Zamora.
“Seeing someone experience snow for the first time reminded me of my younger self, it was almost nostalgic to see her in such awe,” stated Zamora’s roommate, Delainey Dunkerley, also a first-year marine biology major.
Though many students decided this weather was a perfect opportunity to cozy up and watch a movie, Zamora’s friends were not letting her miss the chance to have a blast in the snow. She got all bundled up with her brand new LL.Bean winter clothes, and outside she went.
“She was in awe, but also became pretty fed up with the cold and snow almost immediately. I think it was just an overall weird but exciting experience, it was pretty awesome that we got to be present for it,” said another first-year marine biology major, Luca Matos.
Though it was Zamora’s first major snowstorm, it’s safe to say that even for those who’ve lived through a million of them, there was equally as much fun being had. Matos took pride in being the first one to shove his southerner friend into a giant pile of snow. With plenty of fresh powder on the ground, and more still falling, how could you not enjoy tackling your friends with a soft cushion underneath?
“I don’t know, it was fun to go out there with my friends and just mess around. It was even better getting to push Abby in the snowbanks,” Dante Howard, a first-year athletic training major commented.
To some of the students, this snowstorm definitely meant that going outside was not an option, that is until they realized they had to move their cars. First-year student, Julia Graham, got a phone call at around 8 pm on Saturday night, informing her that she needed to relocate her car due to plowing.
“I wasn’t planning on going outside, and I certainly was not planning on driving in this storm. Imagine my surprise when I found out I had to do both. Luckily I was able to drag my friends out there with me, and it ended up being kind of fun,” Graham said.
The first-years of UNE certainly were entertained by their first major college snowstorm. With the opportunity to hang out with friends, and everyone being in the same place at once, it was certainly a new way to experience a snowstorm for these freshmen.
Workshopping Draft
What do the Nor’Easters do during a Nor’Easter?
The inside scoop on the first-year students of UNE during the blizzard that rocked the country.
By: Syd Fye
On the weekend of January 24th, the University of New England Nor’Easters rejoiced at the news that they would have a 3-day weekend to spend either hunkering down or playing about due to a massive snowstorm. This snowstorm allegedly sent New England into “Apocalypse Mode”, but that was nothing for the natives of our frigid region.
For the non-natives however, such as first-year marine biology major Abby Zamora, who is far from her home in Edinburg, Texas, there was some serious shock at such a major blizzard.
“I got to see a few storms before, but nothing like this one. At first the snow was really fun, but I honestly got tired of it pretty quickly,” said Zamora.
“Seeing someone experience snow for the first time reminded me of my younger self, it was almost nostalgic to see her in such awe,” stated Zamora’s roommate, Delainey Dunkerley, also a first-year marine biology major.
Though many students decided this weather was a perfect opportunity to cozy up and watch a movie, Zamora’s friends were not letting her miss the chance to have a blast in the snow. She got all bundled up with her brand new LL.Bean winter clothes, and outside she went.
“She was in awe, but also became pretty fed up with the cold and snow almost immediately. I think it was just an overall weird but exciting experience, it was pretty awesome that we got to be present for it,” said another first-year marine biology major, Luca Matos.
Though it was Zamora’s first major snowstorm, it’s safe to say that even for those who’ve lived through a million of them, there was equally as much fun being had. Matos took pride in being the first one to shove his southerner friend into a giant pile of snow. With plenty of fresh powder on the ground, and more still falling, how could you not enjoy tackling your friends with a soft cushion underneath?
“I don’t know, it was fun to go out there with my friends and just mess around. It was even better getting to push Abby in the snowbanks,” Dante Howard, a sports leadership and management major commented.
To some of the students, this snowstorm definitely meant that going outside was not an option, that is until they realized they had to move their cars. First-year student, Julia Graham, got a phone call at around 8 pm on Saturday night, informing her that she needed to relocate her car due to plowing.
“I wasn’t planning on going outside, and I certainly was not planning on driving in this storm. Imagine my surprise when I found out I had to do both. Luckily I was able to drag my friends out there with me, and it ended up being kind of fun,” Graham said.
The first-years of UNE certainly were entertained by their first major college snowstorm. With the opportunity to hang out with friends, and everyone being in the same place at once, it was certainly a new way to experience a snowstorm for these freshmen.
Though the buzz of excitement was prominent at the Biddeford campus, there was some more excitement, coming from down south.
Zamora’s mother, Jill, was curious to see how her daughter would handle the blizzard, and was insistent on getting plenty of documentation of the storm. She herself is unfamiliar with our New England winter weather, so it can be imagined she lived vicariously through her daughter for that weekend.
“I have never encountered snow like y’all did that weekend! It was so exciting to see pictures of my tiny baby in her first major snow storm. I can’t imagine she loved it for long though, that girl has not been enjoying the cold,” Jill shared.
“I seriously don’t know how y’all live through this every year,” Zamora laughed, “sure the snow was fun but this cold is starting to get harder and harder to handle.”
Workshop Reflection
I found this entire workshop process to be extremely helpful. I got a lot of notes on how my quotes were set up, and how many I had. This allowed me to interview more people and rearrange my quotes to fit my story. I also was told that I was pretty repetitive throughout my feature, and can use this information to cut out sections where I repeat myself, and fill the space with different information that my readers may want to see. Finally, the workshop reminded me to add where each my of my quoted interviewees are from, as most of my story revolves around someone who isn’t from around here. Luckily this is an easy fix.
Revised Draft
What do new Nor’Easters do during a Nor’Easter?
The inside scoop on the first-year students of UNE during the blizzard that rocked the country.
By: Syd Fye
On the weekend of January 24th, the University of New England Nor’Easters rejoiced at the news that they would have a 3-day weekend to spend either hunkering down or playing about due to a massive snowstorm. This snowstorm allegedly sent New England into “Apocalypse Mode”, but that was nothing for the natives of our frigid region.
For the non-natives however, such as first-year marine biology major Abby Zamora, who is far from her home in Edinburg, Texas, there was some serious shock at such a major blizzard.
“I got to see a few storms before, but nothing like this one,” said Zamora. Prior to her move up north, Zamora had never seen more than a flurry. A Nor’Easter, one of the windiest and snowiest kinds of storms, certainly had to be an adjustment for someone used to seventy degree weather year round. “Snow is such a foreign concept to me, it’s so strange that it’s completely normal for y’all.”
“Seeing someone experience snow for the first time reminded me of my younger self, it was almost nostalgic to see her in such awe,” said Delainey Dunkerley, a first-year marine biology major from Massachusetts.
Though many students decided this weather was a perfect opportunity to cozy up and watch a movie, Zamora’s friends were not letting her miss the chance to have a blast in the snow. She got all bundled up with her brand new LL.Bean winter clothes, and outside she went.
“She was in awe, but also became pretty fed up with the cold and snow almost immediately. I think it was just an overall weird but exciting experience, it was pretty awesome that we got to be present for it,” said another first-year marine biology major, Luca Matos, also from Massachusetts.
Though it was Zamora’s first major snowstorm, it’s safe to say that even for those who’ve lived through a million of them, there was equally as much fun being had.
“I don’t know, it was fun to go out there with my friends and just mess around. It was even better getting to push Abby in the snowbanks,” Dante Howard, a sports leadership and management major from Massachusetts said.
A few of these first-years took this storm as an opportunity to get creative.
“We wanted to go sledding, but didn’t have a sled. So we improvised and went trash-bagging! It was honestly more fun than regular sledding would have been,” said Tess Bolduc, a first-year exercise-science major from New Hampshire.
To some of the students, this snowstorm definitely meant that going outside was not an option, that is until they realized they had to move their cars. First-year student from Massachusetts, Julia Graham, got a phone call at around 8 pm on Saturday night, informing her that she needed to relocate her car due to plowing.
“I wasn’t planning on going outside, and I certainly was not planning on driving in this storm. Imagine my surprise when I found out I had to do both,” Graham said.
The first-years of UNE certainly were entertained by their first major college snowstorm. With the opportunity to hang out with friends, and everyone being in the same place at once, it was definitely a new way to experience a snowstorm for these freshmen.
“I was just grateful for a day to binge watch The Sopranos. I don’t think I left the dorm pretty much all day,” said first-year Jared Beale, a political science major from New Hampshire.
Though the buzz of excitement (and a little bit of a dismay) was prominent at the Biddeford campus, there was some more excitement, coming from down south.
Zamora’s mother, Jill, was curious to see how her daughter would handle the blizzard, and was insistent on getting plenty of documentation of the storm. She herself is unfamiliar with our New England winter weather, so it can be imagined she lived vicariously through her daughter for that weekend.
“I have never encountered snow like y’all did that weekend! It was so exciting to see pictures of my tiny baby in her first major snow storm. I can’t imagine she loved it for long though, that girl has not been enjoying the cold,” Jill shared.
It’s safe to say that similar to how New Englanders feel about snow, those from the south can agree. At first it’s super exciting and beautiful, but very quickly becomes the one thing people can’t wait to see disappear.
“I seriously don’t know how y’all live through this every year,” Zamora laughed, “sure the snow
was fun but this cold is starting to get harder and harder to handle.”
Project Reflection
Throughout this entire writing process, I found myself going back and forth on whether or not I was fully grasping how to apply what we learned about writing a feature in class to my actual writing. As I was first developing my feature, I thought I had a good angle, enough quotes, and plenty of background that doesn’t contradict each other. After the workshop, and reading over my work with a fresh brain, I realized that I was not in fact doing as well as I thought I was. Everything I wrote felt either too scattered or too bunched together, and it did not flow well at all. This was probably my biggest roadblock, and for a while I quite literally stared at my piece trying to figure out how to fix it to fit the new criteria that I had for it. I kept adding and getting rid of things but nothing was fully working how I wanted it to. I was definitely annoyed for this process because I knew exactly how to help others update their work but I could not for the life of me figure out how to make mine better. Eventually I was able to get a few more quotes from different people who had yet to make an appearance in my story, and I sort of threw their quotes in at random. This was the point where I started to figure out how to pull things together. With the new quotes in place I was able to fill the space between them with background and storytelling that almost connected the quotes to each other. This also allowed me to move around some of my older quotes until the feature came out making sense to me. It flowed better in my head, and I finally was able to add the finishing touches.
