Word choice
Picking the right word
21 articles tagged word choice, drawn from across the archive.
Adjectives: A Trap for New Writers
Adjectives a trap Do not depend on adjectives, use strong verbs. This is still one of the best pieces of advice I was given early...
Are You a Real Journalist?
Return To Simon Townsend With Next Assignment, Not By Itself STUDENT's NAME ??????????????????????????? What makes a REAL journo...
Blah Blah Blah: Empty Writing
Blah, blah, blah By Paul Sheehan Re-printed with kind permission of The Sydney Morning Herald World Youth Day is going to be a...
Brevity: Every Word Must Earn Its Place
Brevity Sometimes you use unnecessary words. BREVITY is one of the basic elements of good writing. You need to go over your work...
Buzzwords: Stop Using Them
Buzzwords Careful of using too many buzzwords But , you might enjoy this interview!! Frank Lingua, president and CEO of...
Characteristics of a Good Journalist
What are the tried and tested main characteristics of a successful freelance journalist? Well, my answers are all cliches, and...
Cliches - corny
'*' What a corny cliche. You can say that about anything. Will your dog win the lottery? Will the sun come up tomorrow? Will...
Computers: Best to Buy
You ask about computers. My son worked for IBM for 11 years and now works for Dell. He assures me you can't buy a bad computer...
Elmore Leonard's Rules: Hooptedoodle
Easy on the adverbs, exclamation points and especially hooptedoodle By ELMORE LEONARD Elmore Leonard's Rules of Writing 1170...
Fictional stories
Fictional stories There is no point in writing fictional stories if you want to be a journalist. This is journalism, not creative...
How to Become a Columnist
How to be a columnist A columnist is a person who has a regular spot in a publication and usually writes on the same topic each...
Importance of happenings quotes anecdotes
Importance of happenings, quotes and examples (Adjectives are a trap) Allow me to explain the statement: 'Do not depend on...
Indirect quotes
You may misunderstand the term 'indirect quote'. A quote is something someone says. Your interviewee might have said verbatim...
Inspirations for Writers
Some inspirations for you I hope In the hope of inspiring you, consider these two matters: cliches, and your first. Cliches I...
Journalism Across Australia
Simon started his career on the NSW Central Coast. He worked in Sydney, moved through Melbourne for television, spent time...
Manuscript - your novel
Regarding your book manuscript. Well, I love novels. I've even started and abandoned writing two. I never showed my progress to...
Opinions, columns
You seem keen to write expressing your own opinion. I do not agree with your journalism journey which expresses a lot of...
Quotes of the famous
Famous quotes MUST be accurate If you use a famous quote from a famous person, you must get it 100% accurate. Your editor will...
Quotes without adverbs
When you quote someone, let their words convey the emotion. Do not describe the speaker's delivery yourself. For instance: 'You...
Sic
You use sic as [sic] or (sic) when something (a name, a fact, whatever . . .) APPEARS to be an error, it's not - at least not...
Vagueness is a Journalistic Sin
Vagueness is a journalistic sin Vagueness is one of the most common sins in journalism. Think about these questions: How many is...