Tips for developing your writing skills

Part I. INTRODUCTION.

Writing a good article or story is easy, once you have learned the basics. Pay attention to the page one stories in your favorite newspaper. Or listen carefully to your favorite newscast. What do you notice? The writer of either newspaper story or broadcast merely did what you should do.The following tips will help the reader gain confidence and practice the basic rules and fundamentals in writing a good article without a sweat.

Part II. THE ABC's OF GOOD WRITING.

On whatever type of article you are writing on, there are three basic rules on writing. It is called the ABC's of good writing.

A - is for ACCURACY. Every article involves a presentation of facts, not opinion. There must be no room for the person being written about to deny the story, or for the reader to question what he reads. Accuracy is commonly observed on news reporters as they not only inform the reader or listener but gives them the exact factual events of the news.

B - is for BREVITY. An article should be as factual as possible. Remember the basic formula is writing : Start at the beginning. State all the necessary facts. Add your personal experience. And end your article.

C - is for CLARITY. As much as possible, use language that the the reader understands. Don't use big words to impress the reader. instead use words that will inform the reader.

Part III. WRITING STYLES.

You can choose your writing styles based on the following suggestions :

1. Writing in the first person

This writing style is most common if the writer has its own personal experience, draws more attention to the writer. The disadvantage is that the story has no credibility especially if the reader does not know who the writer is. Writing in the first person works well when relating an extraordinary event.

Example :

The scent of the wild boar was unmistakable. The air in this forest was musty with the smell of deer, monkeys and other wildlife, but that of this ferocious pig stood out. ......This was not the first time I would hunt for wild boar, but it would be my last. After killing this one-a fully grown adult female, black with a silver stripe down its back- I would hunt no more. Because this one had killed Brandon; more than my pet, Branny was my best friend. Tonight, my friends and I would have a wild boar to go with their drinks........ It saw me at about the same time as I saw it. The distance was about 50 feet. I aimed my gun as it charged at me. I fired, but nothing happened. My gun had jammed.

2. Writing in the second person

This type of writing style is less personal. It draws attention to the reader and is informal and the conversational tone is easy to read. It disadvantage is that it may draw attention away from the subject being written about.Writing in the second person works when the reader is emotionally involved in the subject like politics, religion, career, etc.

Example :

What do you think of the current vice president of USA? Do you like him? Did you vote for him? Your answer to these questions will be important, very important if several psychics are to be believed.

Three of them say that the incumbent president will not finish her term. One even said she will die in a plane crash. This means that the present "spare tire" will be the third consecutive vice president to become president in the last decade.

One of the psychics claims that he has never been wrong where the presidency is concerned. In fact, he has newspaper clippings to show that he has correctly guessed who would win every presidential elections since 1986.

3. Writing in the third person

The least personal of the three types. It draws attention to the subject matter. this type of writing skills are commonly used by the professional writers and newsmen. But unless the writer has a distinctive and appealing style, his article would end up boring.

Example :

Expect the price of pandesal (a common Filipino bread) to go up in the next few days.This is unavoidable, according to the department of trade and industry, as the most important ingredient in creating this daily bread is flour, which is imported.With the peso now at 50 to the dollar, "importers have to pay more to buy the same volume," Trade and Industry Undersecretary Lilian Palma said in a press conference at the Manila Hotel yesterday. Moreover, with the global price of oil breaking the $60 per barrel mark, the cost of importing anything will certainly go up, she added. There's not much anyone can do but grin and bear it.

Part IV. ADDITIONAL TIPS.

1.Organize your facts and make sure they are accurate. When in doubt, double check.

2.Be guided by these six words - who, what, when, where, how, and, if possible, why?

3. Write in the form of an inverted pyramid. This is the most common form of straight writing.The lead should contain the most important facts.

4.The lead sells the article.Grab the reader's attention. Put yourself in his shoes.Keep it short.Use action verbs to make it more lively.

5.Include all essential facts to give the reader a full and fair understanding of the story.

6.Stick to the facts. Write your opinions if it warrants.

7.Leave no questions unanswered in the reader's mind.

8.Include direct quotations from the people you are writing about or whom you use as writing sources.

Have a happy and fruitful writing.