BEANERY ONLINE LITERARY MAGAZINE
TIPS ON HOW TO WRITE
The first two newspapers I worked for basically took the articles I submitted and published them “as was.” Errors, incoherencies, and all.
Then I met Paul Heyworth, editor of the Fay-West section of the Greensburg Tribune-Review (PA). Having recently moved to Connellsville, Pennsylvania, I hadn’t been motivated to approach the newspaper about writing for them until I signed up for a conference on gangs. In my previous community, where I headed a family support program and was a pastor’s spouse, I had often submitted articles to two newspapers on conferences and seminars I attended. I believe it’s called “multi-tasking.”
I set up an appointment to speak with Paul—I believe it was an “interview.” He told me to bring in several clips. When I arrived, he used speed-reading to evaluate them before asking me how many articles a week I was planning to submit. I only intended, at that point, to write the one.
After getting by that bump in the interview, Paul told me he expected me to be in the news office when the articles were edited.
In a very early submission, he questioned a word I used.
“Don’t you think that word is too large for Fayette County readers?”
I said that I was a county resident who read the paper, that not all readers were unable to understand that word. Not all readers were uneducated.
“Besides, don’t you think that some readers will look the word up in a dictionary and learn something?”
After that, I made certain there was one challenging word in each article I submitted. These words were never removed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is a roundabout way for me to introduce a post I read: 11 Smart Tips for Brilliant Writing. And in using “larger” words, I violated Tip number (more…)
Tips on How to Write
Tags: All, All posts, Avoid redundancy, Avoid repeating, Blog writing, blogging, Commentary, Contemplation, Don’t overwrite, English, How to write, Know when not to do editing, Latest post, Misc., Miscellaneous, Move from the specific to the universal in writing, Op Ed, Paul Heyworth: Tribune-Review editor, Ruthless editing, Universalize your writing, Using the active voice, Write-Wait-Edit, Writers need to be specific, Writers need to have something to say, Writers should use simple words, Writers shouldn’t ramble, Writers: read your work aloud, writing, Writing short sentences, Writing tips
BEANERY ONLINE LITERARY MAGAZINE
TIPS ON HOW TO WRITE
The first two newspapers I worked for basically took the articles I submitted and published them “as was.” Errors, incoherencies, and all.
Then I met Paul Heyworth, editor of the Fay-West section of the Greensburg Tribune-Review (PA). Having recently moved to Connellsville, Pennsylvania, I hadn’t been motivated to approach the newspaper about writing for them until I signed up for a conference on gangs. In my previous community, where I headed a family support program and was a pastor’s spouse, I had often submitted articles to two newspapers on conferences and seminars I attended. I believe it’s called “multi-tasking.”
I set up an appointment to speak with Paul—I believe it was an “interview.” He told me to bring in several clips. When I arrived, he used speed-reading to evaluate them before asking me how many articles a week I was planning to submit. I only intended, at that point, to write the one.
After getting by that bump in the interview, Paul told me he expected me to be in the news office when the articles were edited.
In a very early submission, he questioned a word I used.
“Don’t you think that word is too large for Fayette County readers?”
I said that I was a county resident who read the paper, that not all readers were unable to understand that word. Not all readers were uneducated.
“Besides, don’t you think that some readers will look the word up in a dictionary and learn something?”
After that, I made certain there was one challenging word in each article I submitted. These words were never removed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is a roundabout way for me to introduce a post I read: 11 Smart Tips for Brilliant Writing. And in using “larger” words, I violated Tip number (more…)