Writing Tips

Last Friday, Poynter’s Al Tompkins wrote about how cussing has increased with the downturn in the economy.  Tompkins’ article got me to thinking about cussing and its role in a variety of avenues — specifically the written word.

I suppose I should begin this post by saying that I don’t cuss either verbally or on paper.  That said, this is a discussion that has come up in every writing class I’ve taught, so I felt it was worth a post.  I’m talking nonfiction here, not fiction.

In writing for a specific newspaper or magazine, the first rule is to check the publication’s guidelines.  The vast majority of publications don’t want writers using cuss words in their text, but some are OK with them as part of a direct quote when warranted.  If you’re not sure what the publication wants, then ask.

Some publications may leave it up to you.  In which case, you have to have an idea of what you’ll do.  This hasn’t come up very often for me in the type of writing that I do, but it has come up.

For example, when editing autobiographies to go into the library of an aviation museum a few years ago, I came across cuss words from time to time.  I always edited them, usually using a cleaner alternative word such as “darn.”  I knew the library was used for education and school children were one audience.  Strong language was inappropriate.

In general, my personal philosophy is to not use quotes with foul language.  It doesn’t fit with most publications that I work for, and I just have a problem with it personally.  I don’t like hearing it or reading it, so for me it doesn’t make sense to write it.

How do you feel about cuss words in print?

One of the most frequent questions I get asked is where I get article ideas.  Sometimes I get article “ideas” from editors who call with specific article assignments.  Those are a bit easy in that I don’t have to do any work to develop the idea.  But, other times I am the one who has to come up with ideas and pitch them to editors.  I would like to say that I sit around and good ideas just spring into my head with little effort but that almost never happens.  Most ideas come from some of the following sources of inspiration.

My own experiences. Though 97 percent of my writing doesn’t include anything about me, I can draw from my own experiences to develop article ideas.  For example, if I’m going to be researching a topic for personal reasons, then I often try and find an article angle to pitch while I’m at it.

And sometimes I can throw in some personal experience.  I recently wrote an article for Discipleship Journal’s DJ Plus section that focused on how to reach out to those dealing with job loss.  That idea came directly from my own experience with my husband losing his job.  I briefly mentioned that in the short article to establish credibility.

Other media. I am most certainly NOT talking about plagiarizing here.  But many times newspaper articles, magazine articles and television reports can spark ideas.  So much so that I have a file folder in my office where I put articles of interest.  I might find a report on a study that gives me some jump-off ideas for a specific article.  I may find a profile in the local newspaper of a person who I think would fit well with a national magazine using a different angle.

The Internet. This includes everything online from e-mails to e-newsletters to random articles I come across.  The Internet is often my best source when researching an article, but it can also be a great source for coming up with ideas.  I subscribe to a few different e-newsletters that spark ideas for me.  Poynter.org has some great options, especially for journalists.  PewInternet.org is another favorite for studies based on technology that can spark ideas.

People around me. I listen to stories that people tell me.  They may come from my husband, my mom or complete strangers, but good stories are out there.  You just have to listen for them.  Sometimes you can even ask for them.  If I’m looking for a specific type of story, I tell people around me.  I’m often surprised at how I can find the best sources and ideas from unexpected sources. The more people who know what you do, the more likely you are to have people tell you things.

Another way this works is to sort of eavesdrop when waiting in line at places.  For example, if the people behind me in line at the grocery store are talking about the same topic the people in line behind me at the bank are, then that’s something to pay attention to.  Writers write for readers and have to be in touch with what readers care about.

Whether you’re launching a new business, planning a community event or organizing a church play, a successful press release can make your endeavor even more successful.

Press releases don’t take long to write.  The payoff of free publicity makes the effort worth it.  While big business launches can call for an entire press packet, most items don’t.  Generally speaking you’re looking for about 300 words — sometimes less and sometimes more.

Make sure you include the vital information in the beginning: who, what, when and where.  Be specific in giving the name of event, the time it starts, the address, etc.

Some press releases lend themselves well to being short and to the point.  Check out this one that I recently wrote for a local church and sent to the local newspaper: fpurelease.  It is short and concise.  The text lends itself well to copying and pasting into various community calendars.  I use the online community calendars for newspapers, radio stations and sometimes television stations in the area.

Other press releases work better as a longer format as a kind of article that a publication can pick up and run.  These can have a bit more creative lead, but still need to get to the main point right away in order to draw in the reader and the publication’s editor.  Check out this release I wrote a couple of months ago: danrelease.  This one went out nationally and got picked up by numerous media outlets.  It ran verbatim in a couple.

Whether you’re going with a short, factual release or a longer article-type release, make sure it is as print ready as possible.  The less work editors have to do, the more likely they’ll run the text.  Remember the following:

• Edit for grammar and spelling mistakes (remember that spellcheck doesn’t catch all misspellings)
• Read it out loud to make sure it flows well
• Read it from an outsider’s perspective to make sure you’ve included enough information for others to know what’s going on
• Make sure you’ve included contact information

Once it’s written, you’re ready to starts sending it out!  Check back tomorrow for tips on how to effectively submit press releases.

In a week filled with interviews, I’m compelled to continue sharing some interview tips that I’ve learned through the years.

Always ask if he/she has anything else to add. I save this question for the end and always ask it.  Sometimes I get totally new information on this question.  Most of the time, the person sums up the main points of what they said when I ask this.  It helps me understand their focus and viewpoint even better.

Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification. If your source tells you something that you don’t understand, don’t be afraid to speak up.  While you should do enough background research to be familiar with key terms and topics, you don’t know everything.  Never pretend to understand something you don’t.  It only leads to trouble.

Always take notes. Recording interviews is fine, but never rely completely on the recorder.  I don’t record often these days, but when I do, I take notes like I’m not.  Recently I conducted two phone interviews where my recorder had such bad electronic interference I couldn’t tell what was being said later on.  Without my notes, I would have been in big trouble.

Ask for suggestions of other sources. I don’t always do this, but if you’re covering a topic that you aren’t as familiar with or are having trouble finding people to interview, then don’t be afraid to ask who else the source suggests you talk with.  They may not have suggestions or they may have great suggestions.  I’ve never had anyone be offended by this question.  Most sources know that they aren’t the only person you’re going to talk with for the article.

This is one of those weeks where I have a lot of interviews for articles.  It ebbs and flows, but it made me think about what makes for a good interview.  I’ve shared these tips with students, but haven’t posted them before.

Do your background research. While the point of doing an interview is to find out more about your topic and the person you’re interviewing, you need to have done enough previous research to ask intelligent questions.  Asking basic questions you could easily find answers to will turn the person off right away and waste both your time and theirs.

Be professional. Some chitchat is OK to put people at ease and remind them that this is just a focused conversation, but keep on topic and don’t share information that’s not relevant.  For example, if you’re talking to someone for information on yoga, then don’t go into a story about how your dog got all muddy over the weekend.  Be sure also to use titles when appropriate.  Definitely do research to know whether the person has an academic title to use, such as “doctor.”  And, of course, speak with proper grammar.  Be sure to keep background noise to a minimum as well.

Have questions prepared. You need to know what you’re going to ask.  I always type my questions up in a Word document.  I bold the question, then type the responses in plain text beneath the question.  For in-person interviews, I write the question number in my notebook for each response.

Don’t be afraid to ask additional questions. While being prepared is important and keeps you from stumbling over yourself (and keeps you on topic!), make sure you are listening to the person enough so that you can ask additional questions relating to the topic.  Some of my best information from sources has come from when I asked a followup question.