Imporvements to My Writing Style

Throughout the course of the semester there have been many stories and blogs that I have written that have challenged me. Whether it be an advanced obituary or a story covering a local government meeting, these assignments have helped me broaden my writing style and improve my news writing ability.

On the first day of class I thought that I had a pretty good sense of news writing style, but I was definitely wrong. I did not know proper AP style when it came to leads, interviewing techniques, and simple writing style. I have learned so much about how to write proper leads, how to write different styles of stories, and also how to keep myself out of the news writing process.

There have been a couple of distinct habits that I was so accustomed to using in my writing style that I have had to change this semester. They have been simple changes, but they make a difference in the overall quality of my writing. Here is a list of 25 of those bad habits that I have learned to change, therefore improving my news writing skills.

1. Do not use the term "spoke" in the lead.
2. Do not use the term "met" in the lead.
3. Do not use the term "gathered" in the lead.
4. Web site, not website.
5. Never use a hyphen in place of a dash.
6. Do not use semicolons if possible.
7. Tri-State, not tri-state
8. Always use a strong verb in the lead.
9. Use a direct quote in every story.
10. Who= subject of sentence
11. Whom= object of sentence
12. Internet, not internet
13. e-mail, not email
14. Ph. D., not PH.D.
15. Only use the term "very" in direct quotes.
16. Do not use the term "several".
17. Keep the lead short and concise, about 25 words.
18. If a person has more than one title, make sure to use them both.
19. Do not say obvious things, only what is important and crucial.
20. Do not use "said that", just say "said".
21. Use the term Faculty instead of Staff.
22. People are "who", not "that".
23. You can only report from your 5 senses.
24. Only use the actual date if an act of God happens, like Jesus coming back.
25. Attribute every sentence.