09/04/07 Choose a fairy tale or well-known story, and write a hard-news lede for it.

Police search for missing girl in ruby slippers and her dog Toto after apparently losing their way on the winding yellow brick road.

8/29/07 "Still Singing Those Post-Katrina Blues"

Great story, very insightful. Although the content is not so uplifting, the main points remain true. Throughout the story, Wiltz maintains the same depressed tone, or voice that Robert mentioned. Wiltz's melancholic style was a great tool used to, as Robert also said, sympathize with the people of New Orleans. She did a great job of painting the picture as seen by the people of New Orleans. The people of New Orleans suffered huge losses. The musicians, those who survived, not only lost material things, they also lost many fellow musicians, and a life of entertaining that they were so accustomed to. The way of life as they once knew it is now gone, and many believe it will never return.

8/22/07 Is there anything in his last few columns that you can learn from in your own career as a professional writer?

After reading only his obituary and his last column, I have gained a deep respect for Mr. Donald M. Murray. I'm sure there are a countless number of things I could learn from his writings. However, the one thing I take away from today's reading is the amazing heart and soul he put into his writings. He wore his heart on his sleeve when it came to writing. He wrote about real life situations that he went through, and the feelings he experienced throughout those situations. The two experiences he wrote about in his last column were very sad, unfortunate ones, that most people wouldn't want to discuss, let alone write a column about, knowing that thousands would read it. Murray wanted to share his feelings with the world, in order to express the learnings he gained throughout his unfortunate experiences. His readings were enjoyable because they were real. His love for writing is extremely apparent, but his talent for writing proved to be even more apparent. The one thing I take away from Mr. Murray's writings is the method of writing meant to touch the hearts of everyday people.