Readings and Resources for English 622, Advanced Newswriting



Advice to 622 students from previous 622 students, in their own words 

(a) First of all, don't freak out. The semester of newswriting sounds really hard (and it is, but in a good way), but don't freak out and think that you're not going to make it. You will make it, and you will be really proud of yourself when the semester comes to a close. Part of reducing the freakout factor is to get right to work. Don't leave everything to the last minute because you simply can't. Good stories take time. If you're super-involved on campus, make sure you leave out a good block of time each week for newswriting. This will also help you reduce the freakout factor.

(b) You will be challenged this semester. You'll write a type of story you're not used to. You have to dig deeper, get to know people better. You won't write about things simply because they happened. You'll write about them because people should care that they happened, and you're going to show them why.

(c) My advice for the next group of storytellers: Don't procrastinate. This class is a lot of work, but when done a little at a time, it's totally manageable and in fact, enjoyable. And speaking of enjoyable, HAVE FUN. This class lets you explore a whole new side of journalism that you couldn't in 621. It lets you be creative and explore the more personal aspects of news stories. The stories reflect you and your style as much as they reflect newsworthy events. Use this to your advantage - be creative and have fun while you do it. One of my favorite aspects of the class was the Inspiration Reading log, where we analyzed stories by well-respected writers. It was fun because we got to explore many styles of writing and it gave us *inspiration* for ways to write our own stories. Also, it showed us that even professional writers aren't perfect and that they're learning as they go just like we are. So don't be discouraged when the teacher writes all over your stories. They even mark up the stories of Pulitzer winners ;-) .

(d) Stop thinking it's a writing class. Doing well in 622 is ALL mental. If you start thinking that you're a REPORTER, and a writer only secondly, then you'll see how easy it will get. If you do the ground work, get out there, be chatty, curious, and energetic. Then when you get back the day before class and begin writing up a story, the words will almost flow out of your fingers, I swear. But the trick is to get the reporting done, and done well. THEN you can have fun with the writing part. No good class lets you off easy, including this one. If you could map out my responses this semester, it would look like one of those tremor charts for earthquakes: first offended at the masses of work demanded of me, then resigned, then angry at my seemingly dismal prospects, then flat-out determined to make something of the remaining time. Each class showed me the archives of knowledge I had yet to learn. I was humbled. I'm also grateful.

(e) Don't get frustrated! I mean this in so many ways. If you can't find story ideas, don't worry; go to a TNH meeting instead. If things seem hard, welcome the challenge; you'll be really proud of yourself in the end. Try to do stories you wouldn't normally be attracted to. I wish I had done this more. Always have a backup story (or two, or three) because you never know when a story will fall through. Look at the checklist and start filling it out early. Take advantage of your resources: TNH, peers, Jane, Lisa, stylebook, Editorial Eye, etc.
In terms of advice for writing stories: STAY AWAY FROM PASSIVE VERBS!! Ask sources a lot of questions so you can create characters for your readers. Make scenes, be original, make leads and closing paragraphs great. Don't be afraid to call sources back if you're not sure about something. Talk to as many people as you can. Think of all the people who would possibly have anything to say about the topic. Most of all, try to have fun with the class and your reporting and writing.

(f) This class will encourage you to learn more and push yourself beyond what you believe you're capable of. It will push you to be more independent and write about subjects that scare you because you don't know anything about them. Don't let yourself get discouraged, because you're moving closer to where you want to be. At the end when you look back at your old stories and cringe, you'll see how far you've come.

(g) My best piece of advice would be to ATTEND TNH MEETINGS! They last like 5 minutes, and they will tell you exactly what to write about if you are like me and struggling to formulate story ideas. Also, if you get a 'free day' and a 'late day,' save them until you really need them.

(h) This is *NOT* 621! Get off the facts and write some scenery. Figure out some aspect of the story you're on that's very cool, and make sure the reader knows with no uncertainty what it is. As you write, keep asking yourself, "why would anyone care about this?" and make sure the reason is in the article. I didn't figure it out till almost the end of the semester, but the point here is NOT to tell "just the facts," but to tell the facts along with the "here's why the facts are important." Make the facts important. If "one in ten people are now doing this," then make sure the reader knows how "doing this" is different from "doing that." Compare things. Give the reader site details that tell them where they are. Describe people.
Think of yourself talking to a friend, like "hey, you'll never guess what I just heard!" and then anticipate all the questions your friend would want answers to, all the sordid details your friend would want to hear about, and anything else that lets your friend know exactly why you think it's cool news. Then write it all! Good luck! And Jane isn't nearly as scary as everyone told me she'd be...

(i) This course is the follow-up to 621, but the approach is very different. The "inverted pyramid" style of newswriting isn't really applicable in most, if not all, of the stories you'll be writing in this class. For me, that was a huge adjustment. I was sort of programmed to go about newswriting in a systematic way, and when I was asked to change that rigid style, I had a hard time adjusting. But advanced newswriting is really about storytelling, and to tell a story in an engaging way you need to be creative and colorful. The sooner you can absorb that concept (and its easier said than done) the better your stories will be.

Another tip I have for this class concerns interviews. Great quotes are vital for a great story, and to get great quotes you really have to sit down and spend time with the people you plan to write about. Observing them in their environment is important because it gives you the opportunity to incorporate scenes into your stories. For example, if you're writing a story about Bob Smith, a teacher at Dover High School, don't just call him on the phone for an interview. Go to the school and watch him interact with his students, then show the reader why they should care about Bob Smith by relaying important details about what he does at work, what he looks like, etc.

Last words of advice for 622: be prepared to work hard, because you'll definitely be challenged. Put time and effort into your stories and take the time to revise them. Be vocal about your frustrations and your accomplishments.

(j) Start out the semester with a clean slate. Don't bring in any assumptions or presumptions that you originally had about newswriting. Be willing to look at all the possible stories around you with a fresh mind, because as a good journalist you need to be able to get rid of the attitude and instead always be willing to learn. That is my biggest piece of advice: BE WILLING TO LEARN. I know it sounds silly, because if you are in the class obviously you are willing to learn. But when you start to look at all the possible stories the world has to offer you, you realize that the stories aren't just going to always be so obvious. Be curious. Someone down the hall from you may know about a person who is really interesting on campus to profile. You never know where you'll come across stories, but be a reporter and a storyteller 24/7. Read, read, read because that is what makes you a better writer.

(k) This semester I learned that most people are happy to talk, mostly about themselves. Everybody has a story. This made me more confident in my ability to be an effective medium between the story and the audience. I've learned the value of good reporting, from doing your homework thoroughly before interviews to researching facts so you don't waste interview time. I've learned to take criticism constructively rather than personally. I've learned that sometimes you need to go through a bunch of different sources before you come to someone you can actually use. Writing journalistically makes me feel I'm pursuing a profession that means something, that maybe someday I'll make a difference by using what I love, writing, to help people whose voices aren't usually heard.

(l) To the 'new' class of 622 students: When and if you think you like to do something, such as journalism, stop to ask yourself the same question that works in interviews: "Why's that?" Each time you begin to construct an article, no matter what portion -- the interview, the follow-up, the actual composition -- ponder what effect that piece will have on the lives of others. Advanced news writing is about people, place, and the way in which we all relate to that subject. Find an angle, make it fresh, and add a liveliness you wish you could have done in 621. Never forget the facts, but intermingle them with all the fine detail – it will come together. The task of creating a 'storytelling' piece is not easy, and often, daunting, and even not fun. And then, there are times where it will just work. If you can be critical of your own work and look to see what makes your story original, you will succeed in one of the hardest goals of the class" answering the question "Why's that?"
Before taking this class, I was most definitely leaning away from journalism. I love to write, but the standard newswriting style seemed way too limiting for me. Then imagine, the opportunity to incorporate creative writing into a news story! The idea seemed preposterous at first. The concept of melding good writing with newsworthy material began to make sense only when I got out into the middle of the things I was writing about. I was writing about a program for kids, and I was out in the woods with the kids when they were jumping around and screaming and laughing, and suddenly I thought, "THIS is what the story's about! If I can recreate this feeling, the writing will be easy." I'm still not completely sold on journalism, but I'm much more aware of how much journalists can accomplish.

(m) We heard this advice over and over again, but I never seemed to be able to follow it, and I wish I had: Don't worry about whether you want to be a writer for the rest of your life. You have the rest of your life to figure out what you want to be. Take the semester for what it is -- a few months to dabble in writing and see where it leads you.

(n) This kind of journalism, news storytelling, is much more challenging that straight newswriting, but I realized that in the end, it's much more effective. I want to engage my readers; I want them to care about the news. This kind of writing gives people a voice. It has characters, scenes and dialogue, but it's not fiction. This is real stuff, the stuff that's happening everywhere, all the time.


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Beat Reporting Guidelines 

Things to find out about your 622 community:

 

  • What are the basic numbers? How many people, what kinds of people, how much money coming in and going out, what kind of spending priorities, who's benefiting and who's hurting. Change over time?
  • Meet the officials. Who's the boss of your community? Who's the boss of THAT boss? (Education example: from students to teachers/parents to principal to superintendent to school board to state board of ed.)
  • Know the rules. What rules/laws/ordinances govern this community? Where are they written?
  • Who enforces those rules? When recently has your community interacted with those enforcers?
  • Who has the power to change the rules?What have they changed lately, and what are they thinking of changing next?
  • Where are the documents? For example, can you get minutes of previous meetings? Records of awards for good stuff or punishments for bad?
  • What professional organizations do people in your community belong to? Look for local, statewide, regional (New England) or national groups that, even if people in your community don't belong, have outside perspective on how other communities are dealing with the same issues.
  • What do people in your community READ? Every profession and interest group has its journals, Web sites, listservs. Every geographic beat has small local publications in addition to the larger ones.
  • Who covers your community? What's been written in the last year about your community specifically? Check googlenews and Foster's, Portsmouth Herald, Union Leader, weeklies. From reading previous stories, what changes do you notice? What proposals can you update?
  • What's been written about your general subject area on a statewide or regional or national scale? Localizing is a great way to develop story ideas.
    • If you don't know how to use Lexis-Nexis click on it from this site), let's practice in class.
  • Professional reporters on similar beats (education reporters, environment reporters, business reporters, religion reporters) have their own organizations and Web sites where they give each other tips and share good stories. What can you learn from these groups and from the stories they write and give awards for? Try reporter.org and the "Links for Journalists" as places to start.

 

Some articles on beat reporting:


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