Step One: Forget everything you've learned in your English classes about academic writing.

Journalistic writing is very different from the average essay you'll write in an English or other Liberal Arts class. In journalism, crafting your writing means ordering information. Stories are structured on what journalists call the "inverted pyramid." Unlike your English essay where you build up to your main point, saving your juicy stuff for later on, Journalism works backward, giving you the most important information first.

Step Two: It's all about the lead. Having a short, concise lead in thirty words or less will set the pace for your story. It's kind of like a thesis statement; it tells you what’s going on and what you’ll be talking about.

Step Three: Check your style guide. Unlike academia, which often uses MLA style or even APA or Chicago, journalistic writing uses AP style, which means there are a lot of differences, such as how to use serial comas, which states have abbreviations, when to write out numbers, and how to spell Web site. There are tons of rules. Fortunately there's a style guide. Use it: AP Style Guide (PDF).

>> Drew
    Writing Consultant

Click Here to View a List of Writing Consultants Who Specialize in Journalism

Resources for Journalism Writing

Rules and Guidelines for Journalism (Gallaudet University)

Hard News Stories and News Features (Seton Hill U.)

Journalism: On Writing Well (Journalism.org)