Tips for reporting, writing and self-editing

Readability requires a combination of factors:

Strong reporting

Purpose/focus

Strong writing

Clean writing

Entertaining writing

This seems obvious, but isn’t.

The goal with any writing should be to find a good story

A “good” story is one that people want to read and takes audience into account

A “good” story is one that interests you

A “good story” is one in which you take the time to report and learn your subject, usually ending up with too much information

A “good story” has a main focus

Focus means having one main point.

This doesn’t mean the story harps only on one aspect or detail but

Means the story ties together all its supporting writing to strengthen one point

This means making choices about what to use/what not to use, aka narrative intelligence

Narrative intelligence means choosing a lead and supporting detail to guide the reader through your piece.

Think of the lead as “the hook” or as crucial real estate

This applies not just to journalism but to all writing

Consider how you read: If the opening is boring, do you finish (unless it’s homework!

Many consider the opening sentences of any article the most important writing in the piece

You decide where your story starts

With a telling anecdote

With poetic language, use of rhythm and cadence

With a killer quote from an interview

With an amazing statistic

Start with an element from your reporting/thinking that grabbed YOU and make it grab your readers

Specifics and concrete details: description of people and places. Don’t just say a building is large or a person is tall. Again, show it, don’t tell it.

Use the show v. tell as well to set scenes and environment

Use numbers intelligently

Avoid jargon and explain what it means

Avoid vague subjects and verbs

Outlines are used frequently in journalism

Make a decision about the organization of your story

This will free you up to focus on language

What is the best form for your story: order of importance? Chronological? Format-busting? Taking two minutes to decide how to organize can have an enormous impact on the writing process and the final outcome.

Sloppy sentences are rewritten by editors and copyeditors

Clean sentences stand the test of editing (and usually win contests, jobs etc)

Use short simple sentences for complicated ideas

Use longer sentences for easier concepts

Don’t try to explain election law using a long and multi-compound sentence

Use long sentences to emphasize language when the idea is easy to understand

Vary the length and rhythm of sentences

Transitions are important in all writing

But particularly important in journalism

Transitions can create suspense and connectivity

Never assume the reader can connect one idea to the next

Consider your organization and use transitions in and out of paragraphs to lead the reader through your story and actually propel them to keep reading

Review stories for redundancy in ideas, information and quotes; eliminate repetition

Avoid unnecessary adverbs and adjectives, which are considered “telling” versus showing.

Example: The mayor wore a festive shirt (adjective/telling)

The mayor wore a pink and green shirt covered in balloons.

Don’t use 15 words when 10 will suffice.

Use subject/verb construction: keep sentences active

Self-edit for passive construction, which is clunky, tedious to read and often confusing

Review prepositions

Avoid negative construction: it’s long and usually muddles meaning.

Care about every word.

Be concise, don’t waste words; edit out unnecessary ones. (P. 207)

Everyone has elements of basic writing with which they have issues

Identify your issues, whether it’s plural possessives, misplaced modifiers, noun/verb agreement etc.

Tackling and mastering them now will improve all your writing FOREVER.

The goal is to use specific, well-considered language.

Clichés are considered gimmicky, jargon can be obtuse, profanity is generally inappropriate, unless related to the topic.

So, look on the bright side, shake your head in disbelief, and remember: Don’t take any wooden nickles.

Do not use the words:

Thing/things

Everything

Something

Pick a specific subject that describes that which you are writing about.

“Writing was something she had always liked.”

“English was a subject she had always liked.”

“Get” and “got” do not tell the reader anything about the action. Read through your work, and everywhere you see get or got, replace with a specific verb.

Got to get you into my life!

Catchy song lyric; poor writing.

I desire to suck you into my life.

For example:

“It is hard to believe Winter is almost here.”

“There are only 39 days left until Halloween!”

Instead:

“Unbelievably, Winter is almost here.”

“Halloween is just 39 days away!”

A comma splice is when you take two independent clauses and try to connect them with a comma. They are incorrect.

For instance:

I woke up this morning, it was early.

I woke up this morning; it was early.

I woke up early this morning.

Titles: Only capitalize proper titles and only when they appear directly before a name and are not separated by punctuation

Correct: Chair Matt Donovan

Incorrect: Matt Donovan, Chair of the Creative Writing Department

Incorrect: The Department Chairman, Matt Donovan

Spell out one through nine

Use numbers for 10 and up

Except when a number starts a sentence:

Correct: One hundred days until summer

Incorrect: 100 days until summer

Correct: In 100 days, summer will be here

Incorrect: In one hundred days, summer will be here

Ages: use numbers. She is 5 years old.

Spell out the month when it stands alone: February

Abbreviate when used with a date: Feb. 14 is Valentine’s Day

Don’t abbreviate single syllable months: March, April, May

Spell out Street, Road and Avenue when they stand alone. Abbreviate St. and Ave. when they are part of an address

I’ll meet you on Galisteo Street.

I’ll meet you at 111 Galisteo St.

Sounds silly, but having to delete an extra space after every sentence will drive your editors & copyeditors crazy.

Wrong: For breakfast, I ate: apples, bananas, and cereal

Correct: For breakfast, I ate: apples, bananas and cereal

Be attentive to accuracy and always double-check how to spell names of people and organization.

Wrong: St. Vincent’s Hospital

Correct: CHRISTUS St. Vincent Regional Medical Center

Avoid loading up a story with useless numbers. More than three numbers in a short story is too many.

Avoid jargon at all costs, even if you talk to people who use it. Make them translate so you can express ideas clearly.

We are going to pass each other’s articles around and each of you (and I) will mark the articles

Initial your comments

Look for unanswered questions, areas you think more info is needed

Look for the readability issues we’ve just discussed

Writers, you will then be able to review this feedback and look for common notations to consider for your final drafts