How To Make A Journalistic Text?
Answers
1. Find a Worthy Subject
One of the main goals with journalistic writing is finding a topic that people care about. The more interested people are in the subject, the more popular your article will be. It also helps when writing an article if you have real passion behind the “story” you’re telling.
2. The Interview
Journalistic writing is generally not about the writer’s opinion. Yes, that can be added to the mix in certain circumstances. But usually, the writer is capturing the thoughts and opinions of people more closely involved in the story or event. This actually makes it a lot easier. Instead of coming up with content, the reporter simply summarizes, paraphrases, and quotes. However, the content has to come from somewhere!
The reporter must seek out those involved in the story, which can often require critical thought. In many cases, the ideal number of sources ranges from 3-5 people, depending on the particular type of article. If the article is a spotlight on a specific person, it would be good to get a long interview with that person and then shorter interviews with others involved. Always record the interview. Taking notes is not the best idea, especially if you will be directly quoting someone (people simply talk too fast and too long for you to jot down everything they’re saying). In many cases, you won’t know what’s important until you’ve heard the whole story. At that point, you’ll need to be able to rewind and listen to it again to really comprehend what’s been said. I use an app on my phone called iTalk.
3. The Write-Up
Once you have the interview, it’s important to type it up. Most interviews are generally between 15 to 45 minutes, and typing them up usually takes about twice that time. However, as time consuming as this step may be, it really makes the rest of the process much easier. Note: You don’t have to write every word up. If there’s content you know you won’t be using, just skip over that part.
4. The Lead
When writing the lead, it’s worth it to take a few minutes and answer these questions in your head (or on paper, if that works better for you): What is the most interesting/important/hooking element of the story I want to tell? How can my article showcase that right off the bat and pull the reader in? Once you have these questions figured out, form the lead.