Elements of Good Writing

Precision

A good editor must always obey the rule of precision. Words should be used and they should mean exactly what you intend them to mean. You should never use for example “uninterested” when you mean “disinterested”, nor should you use “farther” for “further”. For instance, if you report that fire has destroyed a house, you mean it must be rebuilt, not repaired. If you say fire fighters donned oxygen masks to enter a burning building, you are impugning either their intelligence or yours. Oxygen is dangerous around fire; fire fighters use their tanks.

Words are the tools of your trade and the editor can use only certain words in certain situations. In addition, the editor can choose from many words. That freedom can be both exhilarating and dangerous.

Clarity

All news reports and stories must be clearly written. Every reporter should be aware of the following when attempting to write clear stories.

• Use simple sentences and familiar words.
• Use correct grammar and punctuation.
• Structure the story to have a beginning (lead), middle (body) and end (conclusion).
• Make use of the active voice.
• Avoid adjectives and exaggeration.

Pace

Good writing must have a pace appropriate to the content. Sentences and words give a story mood. Short sentences convey action, tension and movement. A series of long sentences conveys a more relaxed mood; long sentences slow down the reader. Between these two extremes are sentences of varying lengths, and good writers use them all. Not all sentences should be long or short. Nor should they all be of medium length. An abrupt change in sentence length draws attention to the sentence. Try it sometimes.

Transitions

Good writing uses transitional devices that lead the reader from one thought to the next. A transition is a bridge, which assures the reader that the editor has a sense of direction. A transition can be a word, a phrase, a sentence or a paragraph. Common transitions are “and,” “but” and “however.”

Sensory Appeal

Good writing must appeal to the reader’s senses. Good writing appeals to one or more of our five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch.

Analogies

Good writing uses analogies. Analogies permit writers to show similarities and contrasts. Similes and metaphors are often used to achieve this purpose. Where the simile compares one thing to another, a metaphor says one thing is another. With similes and metaphors, writers draw word pictures.