Writing Yearbook Copy

The first point to consider in writing yearbook copy is that the staff or writer must find out what is the most important story in the reader, rather than pursue a topic that you personally think is a good story. Take into account what your readers would find most interesting and informative. Keep in mind that any important event or topic that you don’t cover will not be remembered by everyone.

The most important part of a writer’s preparation is to personally attend all events he or she is covering. Only first-hand knowledge of what happened at a certain place or time can give the reader a clear, vivid picture about the topic. Student journalists should be encouraged to avoid “butt” journalism, a term used for journalists who never get off theirs to experience firsthand what is really going on with their story topics.

Writing journalistically entails more than just sitting at a computer and compiling your ideas. Read any background information that you can find related to your topic and select information that you might want to use in your story to back up all of your personally information. Remember, any information you use from another medium, whether it be from a magazine, newspaper or television, must be given proper credit.

The physical process of writing starts with a lead. The lead is the first sentence or paragraph of your copy. Metaphorically, the lead is the bait on the fishhook, meant to draw the reader into your story. A bad lead will discourage the reader from finishing the story, no matter how well-written the rest of the copy is. Angle

The angle is the approach you will take in writing the story. For example, for a story on the spring play, you may choose to write about the preparation that goes into putting the play together, working behind the scenes or problems that may be funny in retrospect even if they were not funny at the time. A topic has many possible angles, and different angles can make equally good stories. Inverted Pyramid

One way to organize information in a story is to arrange the facts from most important to least important. This “inverted pyramid” ensures that the writer includes all the information needed in the story. To get started, list all the facts you wish to include in the story, then rearrange them so that the most important ones come first. Quotes

Quotes change a story from a series of facts to something that has a human voice. People are part of every story, and those people should be included through direct, indirect and partial quotes.

A good rule of thumb is to include quotes from at least three sources for the average story.

A complicated or controversial story, like a story about a change in the school dress code, will require more quotes than a simple story.

Be sure to balance your quotes so that you are using a variety of sources: male and female; adults and students; freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors; different races and ethnic backgrounds; different opinions on the topic. Stories should be fair and balanced. The Story Itself

The Body of your copy is where the real information is stored. Your story’s body should rely on hard facts and evidence. Asking the questions who, what, when, where, why and how will tell you want information needs to be included. As you write, your focus becomes sharper and your point becomes clear.

You must use strong verbs if you want to keep the reader reading. Don’t become monotonous or focused on one side of the story. Use quotes not only to break up the monotony of facts, but also to present the views of someone else beside yourself.

Be concise. Do not lose the reader because your story is “padded” with excessive sentences or phrases. This can draw attention away from the actual story and allow the reader to let his/her mind wander.

Without direct involvement, your reader becomes detached from the topic and will not feel as though he/she had any part in the events discussed. A Strong Finish

Your conclusion should logically create the point of the story, coming full circle with the lead. The reader should leave with the feeling that the whole story has been told without any questions that the copy didn’t answer. Step By Step

Step 1: Write a lead.

The opening sentence captures the reader’s interest and promotes the unique angle of the story. It should showcase the most interesting information. Also, it will establish a thread of unity for the story.

Remember that you can use the lead to set up a tone for the whole story. Everything you do after the lead should fit in with that tone.

Step 2: Making the Transition

When you are writing a story, you are really taking a bunch of quotes and putting them together into one story. The way that you put these quotes together is through the use of transitional paragraphs. What makes these paragraphs work is the use of transitional words or phrases.

When you are putting your quotes together to form a story, you will select a transitional word or phrase and use it to develop a transitional paragraph based on the way you wish for the quotes to relate.

You can tie quotes together if:

← They are basically about the same thing. Use also, in addition, likewise, etc.

← The next quote expresses an opinion opposing the previous quote. Use however, while, despite, even though, etc.

← The next quote you wish to use takes the story in a different direction. Use besides, not only, but, etc.

When you are making the transition to a long quote, one technique is to take the first sentence and paraphrase it -- put it in your own words -- and make that the transitional sentence.

For example:

“This is the second time we have been nominated for a star award. It is really a terrific achievement. We have worked so hard, and it is nice to be recognized.”

Becomes: Mrs. Negri said this is the second time the yearbook has been nominated for a star. “It is really a terrific achievement,” she said. “We have worked so hard, and it is nice to be recognized.”

Step 3: Write the Body.

The middle part of the story covers all sides and viewpoints. It emphasizes the 5W’s and H of journalism. Your story should be based on facts and quotes to back up those facts. Don’t speculate: save that for the reader.

Follow the “fact-quote-transition” formula: write a fact, follow it with a quote related to that fact, then use a word or phrase to link to the next fact.

← Lead

← Quote – use one that captures the mood and tone of the story, logically follows the angle of the lead, and tells a story from an individual’s perspective.

← Transition – bridges the quote before and the next quote

← Fact – more information that adds to the story.

← Quote – logically follows the transition, tells the story from an individual’s perspective, provides more information…

← Continue with more transitions, facts and quotes.

Step 4: Write a Closing

There are two options to close the story:

← Make it clear that you are closing through a transition that leads to a final quote (should be your second-best quote, with the best at the beginning) or

← Write a summary paragraph that refers back to the angle or lead. Writing Stories

Name______

1. True or False: A paraphrase changes the meaning of what a source says.

2. True or False: A lead should emphasize the current or future angle of a story.

3. True or False: A participial phrase lead often answers the news questions "why" or "how.

4. Short answer: In addition to balance, what are the four things journalists use quotations for?

5. Direct news leads are used on what kind of news stories?

6. True or False: Conjunctions are common transitional terms used in news stories.

7. Where does the direct news lead put the most important information?

8. How many paragraphs do indirect leads run before the reader discovers the story's subject?

9. Short answer: Explain how quotations are used in different kinds of writing (i.e., hard news, opinion/ editorials, sports). Are there any kinds of writing that would not use quotations?

10. What details are included in a direct news lead?

11. True or False: It is not necessary to include a person's full name in a lead.

12. True or False: It is always necessary to begin writing the story with the lead.

13. True or False: Labels and yes/no questions make good leads.

14. True or False: Most stories don't identify key ideas in the lead.

15. What information should NOT be attributed to a source?

16. In what types of stories are quotations used to capture emotion?

17. What is the preferred lead style for news stories?

18. How do most pulled quotations appear in publications? 19. Short answer: Write sentences using the following examples: direct quotation, physical attribution paraphrase, fragment quotation, and partial quotation.

20. What types of stories are usually written with a direct lead and inverted pyramid organization?

21. True or False: The angle is the central idea needed to give focus and direction to a story.

22. True or False: There should be more than one attribute in a paragraph.

23. Quotations are used to do what?

24. When should a transition be placed in a story?

25. True or False: Using partial quotations in a broadcast is better than using a sound bite.