Shut Up and Dance! Sit Down and Write

Sit Down and WriteAn Introduction to Writing for the Media

Sit Down and WriteTheres nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein.- Red Smith (Sportswriter for New York Times)

What is good writing?

PreciseClearModest

What is good writing?But it is preposterous to imagine that we ourselves are determinate, and hence susceptible both to correct and to incorrect descriptions, while supposing that the ascription of determinacy to anything else has been exposed as a mistake. As conscious beings, we exist only in response to other things, and we cannot know ourselves at all without knowing them. Moreover, there is nothing in theory, and certainly nothing in experience, to support the extraordinary judgment that it is the truth about himself that is the easiest for a person to know. Facts about ourselves are not peculiarly solid and resistant to skeptical dissolution. Our natures are, indeed, elusively insubstantial notoriously less stable and less inherent than the natures of other things. And insofar as this is the case, sincerity itself is bullshit.Harry Frankfurt, On BullshitWhat is this passage about?The author has limited his audience with his pretentious writing style

What is good writing?EfficientConsider this piece of flash fiction:For Sale. Baby shoes. Never worn.An entire story is told above with six words. We dont have details, but this simple, efficient set of words is far easier to follow compared to the quote from Harry Frankfurt on the previous slide.

Writing for Mass AudiencesAre films/movies formulaic?Yes. The common story arc is illustrated below.Media writing also has formulaic styles, but they differ from the narrative story arc.

Writing for Mass AudiencesIs writing collaborative?YES!Writers share drafts of their works with colleagues, peers, etc. to gain a sense of what changes need to be made.No good writer ever settles on a first draft. Sometimes, business demands require that quick works be created to meet tight deadlines, but these are seldom quality works.

Be Willing to ImproveWriting is an art, and practitioners of any art must practice to improveAnd yes, those shaking their heads at the above bullet point should know that everyone is capable of becoming a better writerIt requires:Understanding of languageUnderstanding of subject matterExpectation of rewrites (multiple drafts)

Basic TechniquesWrite simplyYou will either step forward into growth, or backward into safety.Abraham MaslowI have not failed. Ive just found 10,000 ways that dont work.Thomas EdisonThe best way to predict the future is to create it.Alan KayEveryone is trying to accomplish something big, not realizing that life is made up of little things.Frank A. Clark

Basic TechniquesUse simple wordsOne of the really bad things you can do to your writing is dress up the vocabulary, looking for long words because youre maybe a little bit ashamed of your short ones.- Stephen King, On Writing, p. 117.

Basic TechniquesThe five most important writing techniques for media professionalsWrite simplyUse simple wordsUse simple sentencesPractice BrevityEliminate Jargon, Clichs, and Bureaucratese

Media WritersMedia writers have three primary objectivesInformEntertainPersuade

The Profession RequiresVersatilityBe open-minded about topics, approaches, ideas, etc.No successful writer will survive as a one-trick ponyAdaptabilityYou never know what kind of writing assignments will come your wayMy first professional project was to write and produce a video about how factory employees could reduce listeria outbreaks in poultry processing equipmentI didnt even know what listeria was, but I accepted the project, did my research, and wound up with a happy client

The Profession RequiresDeadlinesEvery writer in a media-related profession has deadlinesYou MUST meet your deadlinesMissed deadlines = angry clients, bosses, consumers, etc.Missed deadlines = job lossMissed deadlines in this course = zero score on assignments

WritingIt is a skill that can be learned/developedIt requires discipline and desire to improveYou have a vested interest in being a good writerIt is very difficult to succeed in the field of mass communication if you cannot write

WritingConsider some basic writing examples that are common in professional mass communication jobsEmailing coworkers/supervisors/clientsWriting scripts for video/filmWriting stories for journalistic professionsWriting scripts for news reporters/anchorsWriting copy for print advertisementsWriting instructional/training documents and/or videoWriting content for social media outletsThe list goes on

WritingThe key takeaway from this lesson is that you should embrace writing as a necessary tool for successYou can improve your writingThis class is designed to help you accomplish this

This concludes the presentation