Writing & Re-Writing

Writers Must be Versatile▪ To be successful

They must learn to▪ Write in different voices▪ Cover wide variety of topics▪ Deliver topics as expected by readers▪ Dry & newsy▪ Dramatic & suspensful

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A good article▪ Needs to have ▪ An attention getting beginning▪ A good middle▪ A solid ending

▪ Additionally▪ Have clear writing▪ Accurate & thorough reporting

To become a great feature writer▪ You should absorb lessons, techniques & pitfalls

In order to become a great writer You must▪ Learn to use words as tools▪ Stand back from your own copy▪ Study it on its structure and thoroughness

▪ Be able to spot your mistakes ▪ And weed them out

Tip for good writing▪ If time allows▪ Wait a couple days, then re-read your article

Who is James Lake? From Chapter 9?

Someone tell me who James Lake is▪ How did James Lake become a feature article

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Revising Your Copy▪ One of the toughest things to learn

Good word order, Tone & Quality▪ Come after copy has been refined

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Use anecdotes in your copy Giving a story to show your subject

▪ In action▪ Going through an experience▪ Dealing with life

▪ Keeps your readers interested To get info for anecdotes – Ask leading

questions▪ What’s the strangest thing that’s occurred on the job▪ What’s an embarrassing moment you’ve had

▪ However, many anecdotes come from just listening

Show, Don’t Tell▪ Use language to give the reader a visual▪ Remember from earlier - Be Specific

▪ (Ex, The professor acted strange…)▪ Does this give you a visual?

Describe Scenes▪ Use vivid details to put your reader in the scene▪ Strong scene and setting descriptions help immensely▪ Can also help hold readers attention

▪ Someone describe the picture in this slide

Use vivid figures of speech Be creative, make sure it’s fitting▪ Avoid clichés▪ Avoid dull or boring statements▪ (ie, “That’s all folks”, “A friend in need…”)

Use analogies▪ Comparisons that give readers understanding▪ Good ones can create amazing clarity in copy▪ Poor ones can confuse the readers▪ “The young man has the talent to be the next….”

Use Humor▪ For quotes and analogies (if applicable)▪ These can spruce up your copy▪ Be careful though

▪ Humor can be difficult ▪ Usually is poorly applied when forced

Use direct address Put your readers in the story

Use the question asking device▪ Ask readers a question▪ Then provide the answer shortly after

Use overlapping words or ideas▪ Both are ways to bridge sections of your paper

together▪ Transitions

Above all▪ WRITE CLEARLY

Audience can’t read your mind They only have your words▪ Give them what they need for clarity &

understanding▪ Incorporate YOUR style as you improve

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Avoiding Common Mistakes▪ Speling and grammer mistake can hapin too

enyone Work with copy editors

▪ Get feedback▪ Learn from your mistakes and improve on them

Writers who repeat mistakes▪ Will lose their sales, article placements or job

Learn when to use ▪ Formal, conversational, and informal language

Common writing problems▪ These often creep into general English

Eliminate Unnecessary Words Eliminate Clichés

▪ Needle in a haystack▪ Busy as a bee▪ Straight as an arrow

▪ If they sound too familiar avoid them

Don’t overuse adjectives & adverbs▪ They can be juicy for your copy▪ They also can slow the pace

Don’t use too many big words▪ You feel smart, but the reader quits reading

Don’t misuse words▪ A very common error▪ Use a dictionary when writing▪ Lie/Lay, Sit/Set, Affect/Effect, etc

Other things to avoid Jargon Sexist language Mind-read▪ Used when say a person feels▪ “The mayor feels businesses are struggling” Poor▪ “The mayor SAYS businesses are failing” Good

Partial Quotes▪ Get a full quote to give reader best understanding

More things to avoid▪ Redundancies▪ Switching tenses▪ Keep it consistent▪ Especially in the same sentence

▪ Inconsistent style▪ Grammatical errors ▪ Exclamation points!!!▪ “Punctuation & quotation mark errors”.▪ Going, comma, crazy,

All of you received at the beginning of the semester an AP style guide for writing feature articles for Magazines and newspapers

How many of you have referred to it when writing your articles?

Writing Subjectively▪ Many writers love opinion pieces▪ They allow you to incorporate your▪ Thoughts ▪ Viewpoints

To be successful you need to ▪ Be able to remove yourself ▪ Write based on facts & information

Even a well rounded writers▪ Have trouble “breaking in”

Some writers (especially reviewers)▪ Demonstrate their abilities for free or low pay▪ Build up a portfolio then get regular work

Putting It All Together Be able to ▪ Write for the specific audience▪ Be versatile

▪ Revise your copy▪ Using various writing devices

▪ Spot and avoid common mistakes▪ Spelling, grammar, etc

▪ Write subjectively▪ Opinion is easy