There are many ways to tell a story, but to entice readers to linger over the yearbook copy, the best writers follow basic story-telling rules. Most of those rules revolve around the stories of the people in the school. The events may not change year to year, but the people do, and how they participate in and react to those events makes each year unique. Consider these basic points ofcopy writing to tell the story of those people.
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HOW DO YOU PUT MORE INFORMATION IN A SPREAD IN AN EYE-PLEASING, EASY-TO-READ FORMAT TO ENTICE STUDENTS TO READ IT? There are lots of ways to be informative. Pie charts, bar graphs, quotes, polls, and lists are all ways to convey information. The key is to use them to impart information that is important to the students. A bar graph for a survey question on whether students were happy the football team won the homecoming game does not make for compelling reading.
Headlines set the mood and tone of a story, as well as hook the reader. As a rule, the main headline should be short and in present tense. If used, a secondary headline may be written in past tense, especially if it is placed after the main headline. The headline and lead paragraph should relate, but not repeat the same words. Now, consider these five ideas to generate greater reader interest.
School starts and the countdown begins. You have six weeks – may- be – to whip the new staffers into shape. And that means teaching them the basics of InDesign, a variety of strange yearbook terms (colophon? ladder? folio?), design rules that may or may not be broken, and the importance of meeting deadlines.
Mimi’s scream was almost primal. “I hate headlines!” rang out louder than OutKast from the back room. And yet, despite such agony, I knew I was winning.
After 14 years at a Texas high school, I spent my first year at Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kan., asking students to polish, refine and redo. I was evil incarnate.
The writer, Abby, told me they were like a family — sisters, really. But for some reason, I could not imagine a home with the closet space to accommodate the 32 members of the drill team. And there was another thing — something hard to place, like a melody to a familiar song but with slightly new wording.
Had I heard this story before?
Yearbook Copy Would Be More Readable if Writers Reported Defining Moments
Are your readers actually reading your yearbook? In many cases, the answer is “no,” and with good reason.
A note from doomed Russian submariner Dimitri Kolesnikov inspired TIME essayist Roger Rosenblatt to consider the reason compelling all human beings to record the events and relate the emotions that stir our lives. He concludes it is a basic human need for freedom.
“If your pictures aren’t good enough, you aren’t close enough.”
Robert Capa’s advice to photographers is just as true for those who create pictures with words instead of cameras. Rich Martin, managing editor of The Roanoke Times, Roanoke, Va., maintains if a story is not good enough, the writer is probably not close enough either. A photographer knows he has to move in close or use special lenses to get a photo that is good enough. But, how does a writer get ready for a close-up?
My mind was firmly entrenched in the third paragraph when my name was called. “Not now,” I whined as I scurried to finish an article in People magazine before having my teeth checked. Of all the days for my dentist to be on schedule! I had just found the ultimate story – an intriguing topic covered from an unusual angle and including a smattering of opinion, as well as multiple methods of reporting the facts.
