As a journalist, you want to write stories that are clear, concise, and engaging. But how do you balance brevity and detail without losing the essence of your message? Here are some tips to help you craft stories that capture your audience's attention and deliver the information they need.
Before you start writing, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your story. What is the main point you want to make? Who is your target audience? How do you want them to feel or act after reading your story? Having a clear purpose will help you focus your writing and avoid unnecessary details that may confuse or distract your readers.
Write more than one story. I often will write one piece as an explainer covering the nitty gritty and subtler mechanics of the area I’m writing about. Then, I feel more free to write a more narrative-focused or high-level story. The higher level story is usually focused on following one subject or answering one central line of inquiry. The idea is to explain the results/outcome of the policy in question, without necessarily laying out every detail of how the system works. Then, readers who want to learn more can go to the companion explainer. I also will write long, writing out a rough draft with all the nitty gritty, and then sand it down to something more concise.
Focus on the essential. For a news story, try to outline the text you plan to write in three/four sentences. The summary should answer the basic five Ws plus, and most importantly, the ‘so what’ element, ie why a reader should care. That’s the heart of your article, which you can enrich with more precise details, colour, quotes, etc. If you are unable to write a short but clear summary, you are probably missing some key elements.
Focus on essential elements of the story: who, what, when, where, why, how. Outline these core components as bullet points to make sure you're covering them all. Simplicity is your friend. Use clear, straightforward language. Avoid jargon and complex sentences. Remember, you want your message to actually get across. Prioritize. What information do you most want readers to come away with? Feature it prominently. Use. Line. Breaks. Finally, a well-edited story is often shorter and more impactful than a first draft. Review your work with a critical eye, cutting out any parts that don't directly contribute to the story’s main message or purpose.
As a journalist, you should focus on the main subject, bearing in mind all different aspects in the background, that can make the difference in the understanding of the story.
Once when I was writing an article on music, I did not think of a target for it before putting the words down on my word processor. I just started writing. I thought I would be able to write easily on music, it was the one thing I loved doing the most. I was so wrong! The article ended up meandering into themes such as 'music and the human condition' and 'the timeless arts' quite easily without any structure to support such broad canvasses! I took the whole article apart and started writing again, but this time with a purpose. To my relief, I wasn't so lost anymore. I found it extremely helpful to have a purpose in mind before writing again.
The inverted pyramid is a classic journalism technique that organizes your story from the most important to the least important information. This way, you can hook your readers with the most relevant facts and give them the option to continue reading for more details. The inverted pyramid also helps you cut down on wordiness and repetition, as you can eliminate any information that does not add value to your main point.
Don't waste space on flowery language or unnecessary adjectives or adverbs. Always remember to use the who-why-what-where-when-how structure.
Sticking to the basics of journalistic writing is the ultimate tool. The 5W's and 1H approach should be used to be concise without missing out on important details. The use of inverted pyramid style helps prioritise, thus, helps in being even more concise. In addition, writing for your target audience, keeping in mind the goal of the 'sender' can help be even more concise and precise.
Cut the "literature way to tell a story" in the first paragraph and focus on what really matters: the 5W1H way to write (what-why-where-who-when-how) to be objective, efective and hook your public.
I worked for Reuters News Agency for many years where every split second counted in getting a story out to our clients. That's why the inverted pyramid model worked so well. Typically, for a breaking news story, the first sentence was crucial - it included the main newsworthy fact, the source, the day the event occurred and the location. The second sentence added context. The third would be a quote from the key source. So all your crucial information right up top.
Short sentences and paragraphs are easier to read and understand than long and complex ones. They also create a sense of rhythm and pace in your writing, which can keep your readers engaged. To write short sentences and paragraphs, you need to use simple and precise words, avoid passive voice and jargon, and break up your ideas into logical chunks. You can also use transitions and subheadings to guide your readers through your story and show them how your points are connected.
Use language that connects to your readers. Avoid using jargon without contextualizing it to your audience. Make sure to keep it short and simple. Write as if you're reading something out loud. You need to take a break to breathe at certain points, so you should also write your paragraphs accordingly.
Short and sweet. That’s something i tell myself whenever i’m writing about a complex topic. Always try to think about your reader as a general audience. Don’t assume they everything and don’t assume they know nothing. One tip I can offer is that when interviewing 'experts,' they might assume their language is widely understood, but it often isn't. Don't hesitate to ask your subject to break it down or rephrase it in simpler terms.
The KISS rule! Aka 'keep it simple'. There's no need to use elaborate sentences and flowery language. Tell the news, keep it punchy. You're not writing poetry.
Quotes can add depth, color, and credibility to your story, but they can also take up a lot of space and dilute your message. To choose the right quotes, you need to ask yourself if they are relevant, accurate, and compelling. Do they support or illustrate your main point? Do they provide a unique or authoritative perspective? Do they capture the emotion or tone of your story? If not, you may want to paraphrase or summarize them instead of using them verbatim.
One of my questions I ask myself when deciding which soundbites to use in a story is how does it amplify and contextualize the story. Don’t let your subject or interviewee repeat the same info you state in your narration. Attention spans are like locomotives. You want to build steam as the piece moves forward. Take out ums, long pauses without emotion, and aim for quotes no longer than 10-12 seconds unless they are dynamite.
Rather than saving the best for last, consider placing your most compelling quotes earlier in your writing. Capturing the reader's attention early on with your strongest voice ensures they stay engaged, setting the tone for the entire story. Not every quote is a good quote. Try to narrow transcriptions down to your best quotes that provide context to the story. Try to use quotes that have a purpose. The easiest way to achieve this is to ask questions with purpose—questions that target the points you want to communicate
Whenever I conduct an interview, I always take notes as I go of anything the interviewee says that is colourful and could be a great quote. Typically, I'll note down the time at which they said it too - so later on I can go back to my recording and find the quote easily and quickly.
I would also add: put the most important quotes in the beginning of the text, not in the middle and definitely not in the end. High chance the reader will not even finishes reading your text, you don't want to risk, do you?
Editing is an essential part of writing a concise story. You need to review your story multiple times and look for ways to improve its clarity, accuracy, and impact. You can use tools like grammar checkers, word counters, and readability scores to help you identify and fix any errors or weaknesses in your writing. You can also ask someone else to read your story and give you feedback on how to make it more concise and effective.
The trick to editing is to accept that your first draft is never your final draft. When I was an intern at Reuters, my seniors would get me to re-write my lead at least 5-7 times. Not because the first go was bad per say, but just because it could be better. Editing is as much a part of the process as writing is.
When writing, you may have to "kill your darlings." This idiom means writers have to cut phrases and stories that do not add to the main point that they are making. People can easily get lost when reading or listening. Keeping their attention is only half the battle. The key is retention. To help readers retain what they have read, writers need to cut anything that does not strengthen the central point of their communication.
It often pays to take a quick break and come back with fresh eyes. When you've been looking at the same wall of text for a while it is easy to miss errors and typos. Re-reading after a break may also give you alternate ways to structure a sentence for clarity or brevity.
A fresh pair of eyes is the best pair of eyes. When writing, we can easily get caught up in our own voice. Allowing your peers to read over your work is crucial; they might catch something you missed. Nobody is a “lone wolf” in this industry. Editing is meant to be a collaborative process. I encourage working with others. It’s better to be correct than publish something incorrect.
Finally, you need to test your story to see if it achieves your purpose and meets your audience's expectations. You can do this by asking yourself some questions, such as: Does your story answer the who, what, when, where, why, and how of your topic? Does your story have a clear and catchy headline and lead? Does your story have a logical and coherent structure and flow? Does your story have a strong and memorable ending? If you can answer yes to these questions, you have written a concise story without sacrificing important details.
Reading aloud is the first filter to identify convoluted sentences, jargon, and leaps in the story’s flow. If I find myself catching my breath while reading my own story aloud, it’s clear that these sentences need cropping and chopping.
There is also another good way of checking if your story is concise and at the same time has everything it needs. Give it to read to one of your friends or even family members, someone who has absolutely no idea about the issue you are telling in your text. If he or she understands everything and doesn't have questions after reading your article, then you did a great job!
Write your piece and put it in a drawer/folder. Then re-write from memory. The important points will have stuck and flow easily. The rest was fluff.
Consider using a 3 part storytelling structure which provides the reader with a sense of completion and follows the classic “person in a hole” approach: Part 1: Situation - describe the current situation focusing on the key points Part 2: Complication - flesh out why the current situation is problematic to provide some jeopardy for the reader Part 3: Resolution - provide some potential solutions and hope for the reader which ideally is evidence based
Delete every adjective and read the piece again. When you come to a place that used to have an adjective, ask yourself, "Did you lose or gain something by taking it out?"
Ros Atkins (Analyst Editor for BBC News, creator of the viral 'Ros Atkins on...' explainer videos) described the whole process perfectly in his recent book The Art of Explanation. The whole point is the read the book and try out for yourself. In essence, Atkins explains what to do through the following steps: 1- Set up (What is it about, who is it for, how do they want the info, how long do they have?) 2- Find the information (What's the source? Challenge the info: "Really"?) 3- Distil the information (Refine relevant info + discard info you don't need) 4- Organise the information (be clear on the strands) 5- Link the information (to bring people along) 6- Tighten (to get rid of the fluff). 7- Delivery (to feel comfortable) Have fun...!
Write your piece and put it in a drawer/folder. Then re-write from memory. The important points will have stuck and flow easily. The rest was fluff.