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Communicative Writing Week 6. MMC120 Instructed by Hillarie Zimmermann. Today’s Class. Review radio spots with Ron Lead writing practice Newsletter and magazine writing Complete an in-class assignment Review homework. The Lead – Engaging or not? Why?.
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Communicative WritingWeek 6 MMC120 Instructed by Hillarie Zimmermann
Today’s Class • Review radio spots with Ron • Lead writing practice • Newsletter and magazine writing • Complete an in-class assignment • Review homework
The Lead:For a magazine/newsletter story, there are two types of leads
Straight News StoryLead Writing Practice See p. 81 for an example The lead includes the most important details of the 5Ws & 1H
Find That Feature Lead Read p. 85 in the text describing the different kinds of leads, then search through a magazine to find two good examples of leads that are not straight news leads.
Newsletter and magazine stories Inform or inform/entertain Rarely announce breaking news Often target a well-defined audience whose members share a common interest
Newsletters Often not that expensive to produce Public relations tool that can draw attention to a business/topic Target audience is often customers, potential customers, the media, people with like interests
Newsletters - The Format Print or email Length varies Where will it be printed Often 2 column Often sent monthly, quarterly Often includes a boilerplate paragraph at the bottom of every issue Golden rule: a headline for every article, a caption for every picture
Newsletters - Hold the Interest of Your Reader Kick it off with catchy headlines Your writing style should fit well with your readers Know your readers (research) - what are they interested in, what information can you provide to benefit them Keep reader’s attention with pictures, short written pieces, personality profiles, editorials, new product announcements, Q&A, events, coming attractions, contact information
Magazine stories Many magazines have regular writers Can do a traditional pitch to a magazine or can research whether the magazine has submission requirements
Magazine stories - The format Consider the audience - magazines generally have a niche audience - write for their needs Magazine articles should be written so that they are relevant for a longer period of time Still answers the 5W’s and H questions Elaborates on these questions, often in some detail Goes into depth on a subject and provides detail and perspective Often incorporate story telling skills
Newsletter and magazine stories Three categories Straight news stories (to inform) – 5Ws &1H, inverted pyramid. Features (to inform and entertain) – Incorporates all of the important details in a creative way. Not in inverted pyramid form. Often incorporate a “nut paragraph”. Conclusions are strong. Hybrids (to hook with entertaining lead; then inform)
Newsletter and magazine stories Feature stories - organization Gold coin theory Wall Street Journal styles #1 and #2 People magazine personality profile Epic poetry strategy Bookend strategy Theme strategy
Analyze a Magazine Article What organizational strategy does the article use? Is the article a hybrid/feature/straight news story? Describe the lead. Does it incorporate the 5Ws & 1H or is it more a hook? Does the story follow an inverted pyramid format? Can you find the “nut paragraph”?
Complete in-class assignment Complete assignment number 5 – Newsletter/Magazine story. This assignment is due at the beginning of the next class.
What to expect next class… Overview of Writing Speeches Introduction of Second Portfolio Assignment
Homework • Read “Speeches” p. 92-97 • Due February 21 – Digital Media Kit • Due February 21 – Magazine/Newsletter Story