What Not to Write
When you read guide books, they tell you step by step what should be done to get the job done. This is not so with Newspaper Style. When I first started reading the introduction, I believed that this would just be another dry “how to” book. I found that it is actually a very entertaining book: first because it is more of a how not to, and second because the examples given are quite humorous. One of my favorite sections was the one over cliches. Looking at the list of cliches, it occurred to me how much I use cliches without even thinking about it. I use them in conversation and in writing. They are cliches for a reason. They are overused and the meaning has been lost to them. When writing an article for a newspaper or magazine, there is only so much space allotted to you. The information that needs to be presented is important and can’t be bogged down by words that are unnecessary and hold no meaning.
chris horrie said,
February 19, 2008 at 10:24 pm
Evans is excellent. If there is one good you should read about news writing style – this is it.
chris horrie said,
March 22, 2008 at 5:00 pm
This is good. Can you write some more. How about something written from the point of view of a North American living in the UK?