Submitted by Chris Thomas on Mon, 01/18/2016 - 02:25
Growing up in newsrooms with tough editors has turned out to be a great advantage in all kinds of writing. Today, I’m a tough editor myself – and proud of it! A few quick tips:
Lead with the meat. Particularly in radio and TV news, when time per story is so short, it’s best to start right up front with the main point to be made – it’s meat first, then the necessary attribution. Example:
As gorgeous as they are, many orchids have no scent at all – but the Oncidium “Twinkle” is an in-your-face exception. Some people describe its aroma as vanilla, or cotton candy. It is definitely sweet, and so pronounced that a single plant can perfume my office for a few weeks. What a treat, particularly this time of year.
