A GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE WRITING BY.ppt
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Journalism is the act of writing about news related subjects for all mediums, print and non-print. It is also the complicated process of taking information and sifting through it, editing information, and giving it context.
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A GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE WRITING BY.ppt
- 1. An Guide to Effective JOURNALISTIC WRITING
- 3. Aim to write a story that is: >well organized >easy to read >clear >interesting
- 5. Think what you want to say and why you want to write about it
- 6. Only then you can expect: > Clarity > Consistency > Accuracy > Conciseness
- 9. > According to the most important point.
- 10. > According to chronology of event or logical order.
- 11. Use the pattern: - Who - What - Where - When - Why order of the story.
- 12. > State your main idea briefly at the beginning.
- 13. > Give the points and details supporting this idea.
- 18. > End up with something to be remembered.
- 20. The beginning of a story is the most important part.
- 21. > Start with a punch. – start with something that matters
- 22. > Get to the point. – be concrete and specific
- 23. > Give something that is of interest to the reader.
- 24. > Don’t start off in a round about fashion.
- 25. > Don’t bore your reader with a long-winded introduction.
- 27. Communicate with somebody the words he has in his head.
- 28. If he doesn’t understand some of the words you use he is likely to miss your meaning.
- 30. Complex Common Indisposed ill Contribute give Monumental big Request ask Terminate end
- 31. Complex Common Endeavor try Witness see Summon call Purchase buy Category class
- 32. Complex Common Utilize use Prevaricate lie Majority most Incarcerate jail Reside live
- 33. Complex Common Inaugurate start Procure get Facilitate help Proceed go Inundate flood
- 36. >for the -because reason that >united in -married holy matrimony >used for -fueled fuel purposes >at the -now recent time
- 37. >held a -met conference >tendered -resigned his resignation >in the -near immediate vicinity
- 38. >told his -said listener >was able -escaped to make his escape >affixed his -signed signature
- 39. The italic words in the following examples should be omitted.
- 40. -Advance prediction -Fatal killing -Definitely decided -New recruits -The other alternative
- 41. -Free gift -For a period of two weeks -Past history -Final conclusion -Dead body
- 42. The rule is: Chop out the verbal deadwood.
- 44. Readers can absorb the idea faster in short sentences.
- 45. Long sentence have more words. The more words, the more relationships.
- 46. The more relationships, the more effort for the reader.
- 47. The chance he will misunderstand, the sooner he will quit reading.
- 48. Average sentence length in words that fits an audience reading skill. Very easy -8 or less Easy -11 Fairly easy -14 or less Standard -17 Fairly difficult -21 Difficult -25 Very difficult -29 above
- 50. Short paragraphs are better: Visually, they are easy on the eye.
- 51. Short paragraphs act as a brake on the writer who strings too many ideas or facts together .
- 53. As a rule, begin paragraph with topic sentence or a transition sentence.
- 56. Use specific words that stand for things you can see, hear, taste, touch, and smell.
- 57. Use of Concrete nouns help focus your reader’s attention.
- 58. Always prefer the specific to the general, the definite to the vague, and the concrete to the abstract.
- 59. Tragedy (fire, explosion, drowning) Accident (collision, a fall from a building)
- 61. Legal action (suit for damages, criminal case) Document (deed of sale, diploma, receipt)
- 63. Vague His head was injured by a blunt instrument. Precise His skull was fractured with a hammer.
- 64. Vague Officers removed a gun from his clothing. Precise Police took a 32 caliber automatic from his hip pocket.
- 65. Vague A large number assembled for the protest rally. Precise Five hundred attended the anti-poor rally.
- 67. “Corazon Amurao walked a dozen steps from the witness stand here today, pointed her right hand at Richard Franklin Speck, and said, “This is the man.”
- 68. “There was absolute silence in the courtroom. Not a soul stirred as the words rang out in a clear girlish voice tinged with the soft Spanish accent of the tiny Filipino nurse.”
- 69. “Her extended fingers did not touch Speck, the murderer of eight of her classmates at the South Chicago Community hospital nursing school. But in that dramatic moment, they did not waver.”
- 70. “Her small featured, moon-shaped face was expressionless. It was in the depths of her jet black eyes that emotion showed.”
- 71. Four hours, Miss Amurao re-counted the events of July 13 which led to the death of eight girls, two of them Filipinos like Corazon. At one point…
- 72. “Her voice broke. She struggled to regain her composure, but failed. Finally she gave in to the tears that wracked her small body and flushed her face. She buried her face in the handkerchief and cried and cried, a silent grief that was more sensed than heard.”
- 73. X Be Positive
- 74. State a fact or an idea directly. Use direct rather than indirect sentences.
- 75. >Follow the natural order of thought: Subject-verb-object
- 77. “With respect to the question of pets, Mary exercised rights of ownership over a certain juvenile member of the sheep family.”
- 78. But a child simply says: >“Mary had a little lamb.”
- 80. Write according to natural order of thought, the subject-verb-object agreement.
- 81. >This is normally the way you talk. >It is the natural method by which a person breaks news to another.
- 82. We call this active voice. It gives snap and punch to writing.
- 83. Consider the following example from a local paper:
- 84. >The firing of all NFA officials was demanded today by congressmen. (passive)
- 85. >The demand for the firing of all NFA officials was made by congressmen. (passive)
- 86. >Congressmen demanded today the firing of all NFA officials . (active)
- 87. The habitual use of the active voice makes for effective writing.
- 88. >When a sentence is recast into the active voice, it becomes shorter.
- 89. >Whenever possible use verbs rather than nouns in your sentences.
- 90. NOUNS, especially abstract nouns tend to be static.
- 91. VERBS imply action, movement and make the story sparkle.
- 93. Using personal pronouns, contractions, and fragmentary sentences in writing are more effective.
- 94. A conversational tone makes for a readable writing. It increases interest and helps better understanding.
- 95. Oral reporting gives a natural, rapid narrative story telling, leaving out non- essentials.
- 100. >Look for paragraphs that don’t carry their own weight.
- 102. >Highlight thoughts by putting them into a separate paragraph.
- 103. >Repeat main point to make sure the reader gets it.
- 105. Writing is primarily to inform, use words generally familiar to the readers and keep sentences reasonably short and simple.
- 106. The biggest fault of most writers is they try to impress someone.
- 107. Lack of restraint in the use of words can lead to:
- 108. Euphemisms – the use of supposedly pleasing expression in place of the simpler and more accurate word.
- 109. Churchill told a colleague: “The Right Honorable Member is guilty of a terminological inexactitude.” What he meant: “You are lying.”
- 110. “The strong arm of the law is marching after the offenders.” An arm does not march!
- 111. Metaphor- The application of a descriptive term to an object to which it is not literally applicable.
- 112. End of Lecture may you enjoy writing having this guide now