Following the Style Book

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 447.

Paragraphs

Sentences

Your sentences should be short and to the point but there should also be some variety to their length as this will make your story more enjoyable to read. But while there is nothing wrong with having a few longer sentences, never include a sentence that is so long that the reader is likely to have difficulty following it.

When you check your story, make sure every sentence is easy to understand and can only be read to mean one thing. “The most common mistake journalists make is to think that because they understand what they are writing, everyone else will too,” according to Chris Walker, regional managing editor for Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales.

Your writing should also be active rather than passive, as this makes articles more readable. This means that you should structure your sentence so that people are doing things rather than having things done to them.

Try to keep your paragraphs short. Generally, each one should only be a sentence or two in length and each paragraph should only be making one point.

This will help make your story easier for the reader to digest and having plenty of paragraphs will also make the text look less dense on the page.

Every newspaper should have its own style guide and it should be a reference tool reporters refer to on an almost-daily basis. Make sure you read it from cover to cover and aim to remember as much of it as possible.

This is important because if different reporters are following different rules (such as one article referring to “10” and another referring to “ten”) then it makes the newspaper seem inconsistent and unprofessional. Also, the sub-editors will be likely to notice and appreciate your efforts to stick to it.