Mastering Writing: Crafting Engaging and Accurate Reports

The Writer’s Art Chapter 7

Reporting and Writing • Relevant factual material from personal observation and physical sources. Gather details and specifics. • Authoritative and knowledgeable human sources for additional information. • Significant and complete background information. • Simple language • Incidents, examples and quotes that document the lead • Human interest • Appropriate style

Accuracy • Avoid vague terms, euphemisms and jargon. • Sketchy • Optimistic • Progress • Freedom • Big Business • Liberal • Conservative • Define specialist terms • Avoid inside speak

When in doubt, use said. • ‘Put it down!’ she shouted.‘Give it back,’ he pleaded, ‘it’s mine.’‘Don’t be such a fool, Jekyll,’ Utterson said. • In these sentences, shouted, pleaded, and said are verbs of dialogue attribution. Now look at these dubious revisions: • ‘Put it down! she shouted menacingly.‘Give it back,’ he pleaded abjectly, ‘it’s mine.’‘Don’t be such a fool, Jekyll,’ Utterson said contemptuously. • The three latter sentences are all weaker than the three former ones, and most readers will see why immediately.

Spell Check is limited • Homophones are one example

Sentence Length • Balance short and long sentences for effect • Try for one idea per sentence • Banish the semicolon

Transitions • Pronouns • Key Words and Ideas • Transitional Expressions - Additives - Contrasts - Comparisons - Place - Time • Parallel Structure

Other Tips • Style and pace should match content • Story should flow in logical order • Verbs should outnumber adjectives • Adverbs should be used sparingly, if at all

Mastering Writing: Crafting Engaging and Accurate Reports