Category: Writing

News writing: writing great quotes

9/3/2014

News writing: writing great quotes
by Joanna Liu, Editor-in-Chief of Voice K

When I first introduced news writing to a group of 7- to 15-year-old students, I talked about the importance of using good quotes in their stories. Then when their assignments were due, I found many articles that looked like transcripts, consisting of several very long quotes.

I find writing quotes to be the most challenging concept for a young writer to comprehend. That is totally understandable, because writing good quotes is one of the most challenging aspects of journalism writing. I am also constantly reading and learning to write better quotes myself, so I gathered some tips that I found useful. Most tips are selected points from Bob Baker’s blog on a vocabulary list for editors and reporters on which I’ve expanded a little, and added some examples.

What is a quote in news writing?

A quote is written words copied from a text or speech. Basically it is about recording what people have spoken. A quote is different from a transcript; while a quote is often embedded in the story to illustrate a point, a transcript is just a record of exactly what is said.

A news article sometimes needs quotes because:

It repeats the exact words people said and reduces the mistakes in reporting.
It can give readers different point of views while the writer stays neutral.
It can make your story lively and make readers feel like they are at the event themselves.

Although quotes can make a story come to life, overuse of or poorly chosen quotes can also kill a good story. Here are some points to remember:

KEEP ‘EM SHORT AND POWERFUL

Bob Baker’s blog on a vocabulary list for editors and reporters said that we should think of quotes as the spices, the seasoning in your story. You should avoid having your sources drone on and on. A great tip to write a short, powerful quote is to use the ones you remember off the top of your head, and then check for accuracy later. These quotes are usually more emotional, leaving a permanent mark on reader’s mind.

Your quote should not be more than 3-4 lines long.

The other long, rambling, vague, or obvious quotes should be cut off or paraphrased.

DON’T ANNOUNCE THE QUOTE:

Announcing a quote is a waste of space and the reader’s time.

Example: Jonathan said that he could not remember the last time he got a good grade, “I’ve not gotten anything better than a C in many years,” he said.

It is repetitive. If you are going to tell your story in a quote, then let your quote do the job. If you think it is better to paraphrase or summarize it, then do so without the quote.

AVOID TALKING HEADS

Talking heads are faceless, personality-less people, speaking quotes in a story. We usually get a name, a title and a long, pointless quote from the talking heads. Some writers include them to show different reactions or convince an editor that many people were interviewed.

For example:

“I really like the rides here,” 6-year-old Jason Smith said.

“This is a great festival before school starts, I will come next year,” said Jason’s mom.

“I volunteer because it is fun and to gain some experience,” said Jenny Worth, a volunteer at the festival.

As Baker’s article phrases it: “Reading one of these stories is like going to a big party and shaking hands with 100 people, but getting to know no one.”

So the best practice is to go back and search for those most memorable moments, then develop those moments into a great quote with great description.

For example:

“I really like the rides here,” says 6-year-old Jason Smith as he charges into the bouncy arena with his balloon sword. This is Smith’s first time playing at a bouncy castle. He will be entering Grade 1 in September, and his mom thinks the festival is a great way to kick off a new school year.

CHANGE OUT-OF-TIME QUOTES TO IN-TIME QUOTES

Out-of-time quotes are quotes spoken to a reporter. The reader is reminded that he is reading a newspaper story. IN-TIME quotes make the reader feel in the midst of the story as it happened.

Example:

“The mayor told me right before his speech that he had forgotten his notes,” press secretary Bob Berg said.

An in-time quote about the same moment would read:

“Goddamn it,” the mayor muttered to his press aide moments before the speech began, “I forgot my notes.” (example from a vocabulary list for editors and reporters)

I hope these tips help. Here is a little assignment: try to rewrite the paragraph / quotes below to get rid of the long quotes:

“What inspired you to be in the race?” I asked.

“My dad and I used to always go rowing when I was your age and we did the same in Boy scouts too.” Hudson says. I asked him about the most challenging part of the dragon boat race. “The important part about racing is that everyone has to be in sync and you have to make sure you gotta listen to the man in the back and everyone on the boat has to know his instructions so you wanna start paddling very hard at the start, slow down in the middle, and then pick up at the end and you always have to be in sync. So that’s the hardest part.”(example from a young journalist)

See ourdragon boat race article to read the final version.

Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com

7 Comments

Learn to Write Better

1/29/2013

2 Comments

Anyone can learn to write better—by following these tips.

Executive Summary
Get rid of these three words in your copy:

Your writing will be tremendously improved. Read to see why.

Writing flaws are based on mistakes that individuals make repeatedly. Becoming a
better writer includes eliminating these most common mistakes.

Writing Tips: The Big Five

Eliminate “of” by using apostrophes in possessive clause
“With the assistance of the manager of the home” becomes “With the home manager ’s assistance.” Tip: review the “of” in your copy and change them: ‘The Pride of Canada” becomes “Canada’s Pride.
"Is" can almost always be eliminated
Look at your own sentences and find all the ways you use it. "John is the best person for the job and he will begin his new assignment tomorrow" can be changed to "John, the best person for the job, will begin his new assignment tomorrow."
By: Avoid the passive voice
This is one of the most common mistakes made in writing. Tip: every time you come across the
word ‘by,’ it’s the passive voice. Even the appallingly literal spell check can recognize this. The ball was thrown by John. No: John threw the ball. Rigourously eliminate the word by from your copy.
It's and its
“Its” is the possessive. “It’s” is a contraction. Avoid this mistake.
It and they
Organizations, corporations and institutions take “it” in second references. People and descriptions of groups are they. The Golden Key Center launched "its" fall session – not GKC launched "their" courses. However, “the students of Golden Key Center started their courses.

Click through for some more good tips!

2 Comments

The Structure of an Article

1/29/2013

22 Comments

With any piece of writing, it is always wise to have a template to guide you. Here is a suggested article template to help you when it comes to structuring your article.

The Title

The title should be catchy, something that will catch the reader’s attention.
It should give the reader a good idea of what the article is about. If a title doesn’t describe the article well, some readers who would have liked it might not read it. It can help to try to figure out what the main idea of your article is, and then try to describe that.
Try to keep the title short.

Don’t use any punctuation in the title.

First sentence and first paragraph

The first sentence should also be catchy. Now that you have someone reading your article you want them to continue to read.
In the first paragraph you should describe what you are writing about, so that the reader knows where the article is going. For example, if you are reviewing an event, tell your reader where it was, who put it on, what it is, when it is, and why you are writing about it. If you are writing about a product, tell your reader where to get it, who makes it, what it is, when it comes out, and why you are writing about it.
Remember, your reader might have never heard about what you are writing about before. Make sure that you give enough details that readers don’t feel confused or in the dark.

Second paragraph

The second paragraph is a good place to start including some quotes. This will make your article more interesting.
Remember, in order to quote someone in your article you should have both their first and last name, so make sure that you ask them what their name is and make sure you have the right spelling.
When you are quoting someone you don’t always have to say what you asked them (question, answer, question, answer, etc.). Instead, you can build the quotes you gathered into your paragraph. For example, you could say, “While kids at the movie were just thinking about having fun, parents were happy to find good value for their money. John Smith, a parent of two, said, ‘This event was a great way to keep my kids busy without paying a fortune’.”

Next paragraphs

The next few paragraphs should add more details about your topic. For example:

Tell some stories about your experience. If you are reviewing a new product, try to tell the reader about your experience using the product. If you are reviewing an event, try to tell the reader something unique that happened.
Use some more quotes. For example, if you are writing about a product, you could interview other customers, employees at a store that sells the product or someone from the company that makes the product.
Try to think about what your reader will be curious about, and then answer the questions you think they would want to ask. For example, if you are writing an article reviewing a craft sale some topics might include: What kind of crafts did you see? Was it busy? Were there a lot of other kids there, or were most of the customers adults? What did other customers have to say about their experience? Did you buy anything, and why or why not? What was most enjoyable about the sale? Was there anything that you would change? What did you find out from people selling their crafts? (For example, how long have they been making their crafts? How long do they take to make? Why did they start making these crafts?) If you brainstorm, you will be able to come up with all sorts of ideas like these!

Conclusion paragraph

In the last paragraph you should sum up what the rest of the article said. To do this, try to think about what the main points are in the article. What do you want the reader to remember?
The goal of the last sentence is will make the reader remember what they have read, so try to think up something catchy.

22 Comments

10 Tips for Writing an Article

1/29/2013

6 Comments

1. Before you start writing, brainstorm ideas of what you want to include in your article. Write an outline with these points included, so that when you start writing your draft you will have an idea of what you want to say and in what order.

2. When you are thinking about what to include in the article, try to imagine what the reader will want to know about your topic. For example, if you are writing an article about a new iPod, your reader might be asking themselves questions like: “What makes this iPod different from the last one?”; “What kind of features does it have?”; “Where can I get it and how much is it?”; “Is it worth the money?”; and “When does it come out?”.

3. Try to come up with a strong first sentence. This will be the sentence that convinces the reader that they want to read the rest of the article, so try to catch their attention.

4. Make sure that your paragraphs are not too long, so that the reader does not lose interest.

5. If you can interview someone about your topic, that’s great. Including quotations from different people will make your article more interesting.

6. Include real examples of what you are trying to say. If you like something, why did you like it? Can you tell a story that helps to explain why you feel that way? What makes your experience unique?

7. For articles about community events or new trends, make sure to tell the readers when and where they can enjoy the experience or product – for example, if you are writing about a play you should include when and where it is taking place, or if you are writing about fashion you should include a store where that look can be found.

8. At the end of the article make sure to write one or two concluding sentences. In this conclusion you can summarize what your main points were. A good conclusion is one that will make the reader remember what they just read.

9. Think of a title. Sometimes it can be easier to think of the title last, because you now know exactly what your article is trying to get across. The title should be catchy, to the point, and let the reader know what the article is about.

10. Once you are finished the draft of your article, try reading it out loud to yourself. This will help you catch mistakes, and make sure that the article flows well.

6 Comments

News writing: writing great quotes

Learn to Write Better

The Structure of an Article

10 Tips for Writing an Article

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