WRITING BASICS
“First you have to know the subject.
Then you have to know how to write.
Both take a lifetime to learn.”
—Hemingway
We only have 10 weeks, 12 at most.
So let’s get going.
Point 1: Writing is the tool we use to express ideas in print.
—Simple trumps complex.
—Short trumps long.
—Clear trumps muddled.
—The above is harder than it sounds. It requires vigilance.
Point 2: The primary job of people who write the news (along with accuracy and fairness) is to clarify, sometimes even translate, for a mass audience.
-- Clarifying a complex idea or bureaucratic mouthful requires that the reporter understand what’s going on.
-- One of the biggest mistakes beginning reporters make: Trying to write something they don’t fully understand.
-- Don’t ever be afraid to ask a source (no matter how “important"): “Can you please explain that in terms that a fourth grader could understand?” Eighty percent of the time they won’t flinch at the question. The other 20 percent ... well, that’s their problem. Just ask them again. Remember: It’s not their name that goes on the story.
Point 3: Adhere to the basic laws of organization:
-- Keep the stuff that belongs together, together.
-- Follow the basic laws of chronology: First this happened, then that, then the other, and then the following summer, this other.
(You would be astounded to know how many beginning reporters write the journalistic equivalent of, “I went to the store. I made breakfast. I woke up. I bought some eggs. I came home,” instead of the chronological, “I woke up. I went to the store. I bought some eggs. I came home. I made breakfast.")
-- Use quotes, examples and anecdotes as illustrations of a summary statement or main point. Put the quote/ example AFTER the summary/point so that the two become a complete informational unit. Otherwise, the quote/ example will just hang in the air like a bad burrito.
Point 4: Adhere to the laws of how the human brain processes information.
—In general, start sentences with the subject of the sentence rather than with an introductory phrase or clause. ("The dog bit the cat” versus “After what seemed like an unending standoff between the two domesticated animals, the dog bit the cat.") Your reader’s brain will thank you.
—In general, use basic subject-verb-object sentence structures.
—In general, place elements in a sentence where they would be if you were speaking. ("On Tuesday, the commission voted against the measure” versus “The commission Tuesday voted against the measure.")
—In general, break up long complex sentences into separate sentences. Again, your reader’s brain…
Final Point: In my view, the Internet and digital communication is one of the best things to ever happen to people who write the news.
—It forces us to pay attention to style matters that we should have been paying attention to all along: concision, brevity, getting to the point, strong simple sentences, bullet lists and bits of information, logical groupings for quick and easy review, etc.
-- PLEASE COMMENT, USING TOOLS BELOW
