This document provides tips for reporting, writing, and self-editing articles. It emphasizes finding a good story with a strong focus and main point. The opening should grab the reader's attention. Specific, concrete details and a clear organization help readers follow the story. Self-editing ensures clean writing without unnecessary words or poor grammar. Feedback from others can help writers improve readability and address any issues in their drafts.

1. Tips for reporting, writing and self-
editing

2.  Readability requires a combination of factors:
 Strong reporting
 Purpose/focus
 Strong writing
 Clean writing
 Entertaining writing

3.  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

4.  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.

5.  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

6.  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

7.  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

8.  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.

9.  Sloppy sentences are rewritten by editors and
copyeditors
 Clean sentences stand the test of editing (and
usually win contests, jobs etc)

10.  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

11.  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

12.  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.

13.  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)

14.  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.

15.  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.

16.  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.”

17.  “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.

18.  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!”

19.  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.

20.  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

21.  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.

22.  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.

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

24.  Wrong: For breakfast, I ate:
apples, bananas, and cereal
 Correct: For breakfast, I ate: apples, bananas
and cereal

25.  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.

26.  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