Journalistic writing style is different from writing done in English class and for business. To teach journalism style, you may incorporate the Associated Press Stylebook since it is the standard for journalists everywhere.
Copywriting
Here are some old magazine/feature writing tricks that might help those word nerds shave a few off the top and get to the fun.
Copy editing and fact checking are crucial to the production of a strong yearbook. Responsibility for keeping details accurate belongs to the copy editor.
Some staffs are devoid of dedicated writers and have regulated copy to languish in mediocrity. Even if your staff loathes the written word and your copy editor jumped ship, it is still possible for your publication to have wonderful writing.
For some schools, a healthy portion of the yearbook should already be done. But almost half the school year is left, which means most staffs still have events to cover and plenty of work left to do. It’s not too late to examine your coverage and writing to make sure it is providing an interesting variety to the reader.
You can fine-tune the writing on your yearbook’s sports pages with these easy tips on word usage and coverage.
Even outstanding quotations should not be out standing alone. Quotations are like grout: we cannot leave them out. Grout fills the crevices to make the wall or floor complete, but it is no substitute for tile. Quotes can fill in gaps in a story, but they cannot be substituted for a story.
Material presented in the clearest, most obvious way. Commonly presented preceded by numbers or bullets. Great way to unload lists of names, awards, etc. from the body of feature copy.
If a theme is truly relevant to a specific school and the student body of that year, it will be reflected throughout the yearbook in non-theme areas by the topics that are covered and the reporting methods used. In the mini-mag of the 1998 Lair, the staff covered a variety of issues in a round-table, conversational-style format that was inspired by their theme, “Communication.”
There was no room in the inn. The Holiday Inn, that is. And no room at the Sheraton or Marriott either. In fact, when a fire damaged the ballroom of the Old Town Country Club, reserved for the prom since last June, every ballroom within 80 miles was already booked for the evening.
