Qualities of Good Writing

Journalism Neuman

Short Paragraphs

In English class, you may have been encouraged to write long paragraphs for your essay.

In news writing, though, your paragraphs are kept short. – Short paragraphs look better when typeset into a

long, skinny column in a newspaper.

Traits of Good Writing

Take charge and develop your own ideas Develop strong leads Examine the story from all angles Revise and rewrite Do an “AP style” check

Principles of Clear Writing

K.I.S.S. – Keep it short and straightforward Avoid tangled sentences Don’t show off with “big words” Use active voice not passive voice

Active Voice

Active voice uses a subject-verb-object structure

ACTIVE: Joe Smith wrote the book. PASSIVE: The book was written by Joe

Smith.

Spelchek Yer Werk

Everyone makes spelling mistakes…so use computer spellcheck technologies to your advantage

Proper Nouns

In reporting, it is critical that you get the name correct of the individual or business

Many well-known businesses are commonly misspelled

Common Mistakes

J.C. Penney – not Penny Marriott: hotel chain Men’s Wearhouse: not warehouse Procter & Gamble Berkeley, Calif. Columbia – University or Washington, D.C. Colombia – South American country

Commas

Use comma with semicolons when dividing complicated materials, such as names and titles– Example:– “Alexis Lew, president; Stephen Ro, vice

president; Cathy Smith, treasurer, and Natalie Hack, secretary.”

– Note that you switched from the semicolon to a comma before the “and”

Beware! Exclamation Point!

Use exclamation points sparingly Usually a period or question mark will be

sufficient

Hyphen

Use hyphen as follows: 13-year-old girl 30-second commercial One-minute break 15-page paper Three-day cruise 24-hour hotline Queen-size bed

Quotes

When quoting a source, make sure that the quotation marks are placed outside the other punctuation.– Example:

“I enjoy teaching,” she said. “I created this guide to help you.”

Writing Tight Sentences

Do not repeat key words in the same sentence

Example:– “The University of Hawaii students have been

attending University events…”

Numbers & Things

Spell out single-digit numbers (nine and below)

Use figures for numbers 10 and above unless:– the sentence begins with a number– You are expressing money, dates, etc.

Writing Tips

When writing about the current date, do not use the year. It’s obvious.

When dealing with money, omit the decimal point when the amount is even– $25 not $25.00

In writing amounts with many zeros, use the word “million,” “billion,” etc.

Said vs. Says

Use “said,” NOT “says” in interviews and quotes

Use “says” when referring to a printed document or sign

Other common mistakes

“In regard to…” NOT “In regards to…” “Toward” NOT “Towards” “Often…” NOT “Often times…”