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10 tips for getting emotion and detail into newswriting

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September 1, 2001 12:00 AM

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  • "Objectivity is a set of journalistic conventions that dulls language, quoting and reference to make newswriting sound scientific." [Fry].

  • You won't put detail in a story unless you put it in the notebook. If you don't put it in the notebook, you won't see it in the first place.

  • Write what you experience, not just what people say.

  • Real people don't sound like the newspaper.

  • Showing has more power than telling.

  • Detail clutters the story; "telling" detail tells the story.

  • Emotion results from artfully selected details put in effective places.

  • Trust your own judgement that what moved you will move the reader.

  • Readers get more impact when the writer gets out of the way.

  • Simplicity conveys complexity best.



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