Writing, writing and more on writing!

Journalism Lectures, Day-11

The finer nuances related to journalistic writing were discussed today. Notes were provided. The lecturer mentioned about the importance of adequate planning before one begins to write a story.

Adequate preparation, organization and analysis of data is required in order to achieve clarity in thinking and writing. A journalist needs to attain a desirable level of proficiency in the use of his or her chosen language.

One must remember the fact that a newspaper report is read by a wide cross-section of people. Thus the need arises to write in a language that appeals to, and is understood by, people of all ages. The readers of a newspaper could hail from diverse backgrounds. A journalist must understand and acknowledge the readership of the newspaper that he or she writes for.

A sign of mediocrity in journalism is the use of too many words in a sentence, when a short sentence can drive home the point. For instance, instead of using a phrase like "ahead of schedule", a journalist can use the word "early".

Similarly, instead of the phrase "at the present moment", one should use the word "now". Newspaper writing calls for economy of words, a journalist must always keep that in mind.

You can never go wrong when you follow the KISS policy. Keep It Short and Simple!