Writing for the Web: tips & tricks
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quizzical
Topic: Job Search
This morning, I am giving a presentation to the LSU Campus Communicators—a group of people on campus who, you guessed it, are in charge of communicating. These meetings are held once each month and there are usually three or four speakers each time, which focus on a common theme. This morning will be my first time speaking and luckily, I'll be discussing a topic I know and love—the practices of web writing.
Since most of you won't be able to attend, I'll go ahead and give you the play by play.
THE IDEA: this is where all content is born. Coming up with an idea isn't always easy, so we must figure out what is news? While news used to just be current events, today we can make news out of nearly anything—upcoming events, trends, pressing issues, lifestyle changes, etc. As a journalist, it's your job to decide whether your ideas are going to interest, entertain, inform, and educate your audience. So then, who cares? If there's a reason why YOU think it's a good idea, chances are readers will, too.
PLANNING: Looking ahead can really help with creating story ideas and make the entire writing process go smoothly. At my office, we host weekly meetings where we hash out the details of the next two weeks worth of stories. There, we also look at a month long calendar to see what's coming up around campus that we want to plan for.
THE INVERTED PYRAMID: There are two main writing styles that work for the Web. The first is the Inverted Pyramid system. This style is a very traditional way of journalism—a type of writing that was created for two main reasons. 1. The lead of the story should contain the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the text. 2. This enables the hurried reader to get through the first paragraph of a story and then move on. It also helps out an editor when trying to make space—the details at the bottom of the story can be hacked off because they are the least important.
Example:
Sampras and Blake Duel for Gustav Relief by Holly A. Phillips
"The LSU men's and women's tennis teams are joining up with Pete Sampras and James Blake for the Duel Under the Oaks II fundraising event December 14.
The event, hosted by the Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation, provides support to organizations who promote the overall well-being of families and communities. The funds raised will go toward grants to aid people impacted by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike."
See how that works? Ok, next.
THE FEATURE: this is my favorite type of writing and it's much more interesting than the Pyramid style. A feature story humanizes news. To me, it's the difference between showing and telling—telling is what happens in the Inverted Pyramid. In a feature, you show instead of tell. A feature story can be lighter, more laid back, and humorous in mood. However, just because it's a little casual doesn't mean you can slip your opinion in there. My favorite tip to tell writers when doing a feature—get the dog's name. We, meaning readers, love stories packed with details. We want to see the entire picture. These details are what a journalism instructor of mine called "gold coins." He told me a feature story is like a treasure hunt, where the chest is at the end and you must leave gold coins along the trail for the reader to remain interested. These gold coins can be details, quotes, fun facts, etc.
Example:
Quidditch Team Gains Collegiate Popularity by Holly A. Phillips
"LSU offers many sports other than just football. Some involve a track or a court, but one unique sport requires a broomstick.
Quidditch was invented by British author J.K. Rowling in her Harry Potter book series. However, fans of the movie have taken this sport into their own hands—or, rather, feet—and made it come alive.
Last May, several students in the Honors College started an LSU Quidditch team. The original members were mainly Harry Potter fans, but the teams has grown and includes a diverse crowd of about twenty members.
THE PROCESS: Every writer follows their own routine and methods. However this is the one that I was taught and is used by many journalists.
1. Observing.
2. Interviewing
3. Writing
4. Packaging
OBSERVING: Let's go back to that original idea. Is it an upcoming event? An event that already happened? Is it a personal story? Using the feature method there is a way to make a news story evergreen by featuring a personal story. A great way to learn about your subject or even begin your story is to observe it. Do your research! Find out as much as you can about your subject, so when it's time for the interview, you can use that time wisely. Jot down descriptions of the person and their surroundings. You may not use this information later, but at least you'll have it.
Example:
English Professor Recognized for Southern Fiction by Holly A. Phillips
"Books fill every inch of the floor-to-ceiling shelves in her office. She is sitting in a cherry wood chair, reading one of her favorite books, Edward P. Jones' All Aunt Hagar's Children. LSU English professor Moira Crone looks up from the pages, her eyes wide. "He's won a Pulitzer," she said. "He's going to be at the conference."
Crone and Jones, along with at least 30 other distinguished writers, will travel to the Arts & Education Council's Conference on Southern Literature in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on April 2. The Fellowship of Southern Writers will present the 2009 Robert Penn Warren Award for Fiction to Crone during the conference, recognizing her body of work."
The news here is LSU professor Crone was being recognized for her body of work; the story is that Crone loves to read and was getting to meet one of her favorite authors. The visual is the huge bookshelves in her office and the cherry wood chair she was sitting in.
THE INTERVIEW: I cannot stress this enough—the interview is the most important part of the writing process. A story is only as good as the interviews conducted by the reporter who is writing the story. Before an interview, I always prep. I research my subject and write at least 10-15 questions. I host the interview on the subject's turf, where they are most comfortable. This also gives the writer a chance to describe the surroundings. At the beginning of the interview, I ask the easy questions to ease myself and the subject, i.e How do you spell your name? Where are you from? The last question of the interview should always be: is there anything you'd like to add? Along with, just in case I have follow up, what's the best place to reach you? You can never write a mediocre story after you've have a phenomenal interview.
Example:
Golden Girls Celebrate 50 Years of an LSU Tradition by Holly A. Phillips
"At 13, Bogalusa native Tari Smith was a self-proclaimed tomboy who enjoyed riding horses and climbing trees. Occasionally her best friend would convince her to dance in her living room and then say, "Tari, you're really good at this!"
Restoring Hope by Holly A. Phillips
"Donn Young has been a photographer for most of his life; never guessing 35 years of his professional work would be lost in a storm. Three years ago, Young's New Orleans' studio sat under ten feet of water invited by Hurricane Katrina."
Both of these interviews were the only reason their stories came out a success. My interview with Smith for the Golden Girls story lasted three hours in the office of her dance studio—a place she called home, where the walls were covered in letters and photos. My interview with Young was held in the freezer in the basement of Hill Memorial Library, a place that held Young's restored work. I was with him when he saw his work for the first time in three years.
Both of these might be extreme cases and they took chunks out of my day. However, they gave me great opportunities. When else could I have had the chance to discover a photographer's work in a freezer? Or sit with a dance coach and her students?
WRITING: There is no real formula I can tell you about that will ensure you write an award-winning story. I will, however, tell you what works for me. When I interview someone, I write in shorthand. So after an interview, when it's still fresh in my mind, I go back and fill in the gaps of the conversation. Typically, I'll put the notes away for that day and look at them the next day. Either way, it's important to write when you're "hot"—when the information is fresh in your mind. Many people get intimidated by the blank white screen, but it's important to just write, write, write. Then edit later. Don't get caught up on writing the perfect lead, just write and come back to it later.
PACKAGING: Luckily for my office, we get to work with great photographers, videographers, designers, and coders. When writing for the web, content is number one, but great pictures are a close second. Web users want visuals! For photos and video, you want them to compliment the content and add something to it, instead of just reinforcing the same idea. We always include a list of related links next to the text and include the links in the story, too. Using pull quotes also provides a visual element to the story while adding information. I like to use a quote that didn't really fit into my story but is still a meaningful quote.
THE CONCLUSION: Brainstorm and be open to several ideas. Plan ahead to give yourself plenty of time to write a great story. Observe your subject before interviewing them. Host the best conversation of your life. Write, write, write, then edit. Create the package that will best fit and add to your content.
Posted by wittywriter7
at 12:01 AM CST
Updated: Thursday, November 5, 2009 6:32 AM CST
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