Hey there fellow otaku! For this week's guest post I'm actually gonna write something that might help you guys out in your own writing endeavors instead of a random rant about trolling. This week I'm gonna focus on the ever elusive art of writing in a journalistic style. Some people who attempt to write their own non-fiction works often see their piece be put through the shredder because of a lack of knowledge in the field. Well, fear not! I will go through a few different methods of writing non-fiction works that will hopefully aid you in your own writing.
The first thing you want to envision in your article is how you want to begin it. This what is known as a lead or "lead in". It is how you "lead in" to the main part of your article or work. It's an introduction paragraph in the purest sense. However, all news stories or reviews answer these four questions in the lead:
- Who?
- What?
- Where?
- When?
Some stories also answer the last W question (why?) but it's not really applicable to news stories, because it is just reporting what has happened. Here is a good example of a news lead for the game Legend of Zelda:Twilight Princess:
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, developed by Nintendo in 2007 has become a global gaming phenomenon, trend researchers suggest.
Here you see the questions are addressed:
- Who?= Trend Researchers
- What?= Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
- Where?= Global or worldwide
- When?= Present or recent past
Leads don't tend to go into much more detail than that, but you can add more to them if need be. Most leads don't tend to stray past one sentence.
The next part you want to feature in your article is what is called a concrete detail, something that is a proven fact. In our LoZ example, a concrete detail would be that Shigeru Miyamoto created the series. There is no fudging on this, a concrete detail can not be disputed because it is a proven fact about the topic.
After your concrete detail, you would add what is known as commentary. Commentary is opinions that back up the fact you have just stated. While commentary is opinion, it is not something where you can add whatever you please. "Miyamoto-San is the best game developer ever, no one can top him!" is an example of what NOT to do. A good example of commentary that backs up our stated fact is:
Ever since the series' inception in 1987, the series has been well received by fans and critics alike. Miyamoto, a game developer with a history of creating works that stand the test of time, reinforces the series's dominance with this latest entry into the series.
In that paragraph, you can see how the concrete detail (series's inception) was backed up by the commentary of "a game developer with a history of creating works....reinforces the series's dominance...". The second sentence may be disputed because it is sheer opinion. I may think Twilight Princess was awesome, you may think it sucks...but I used this to support my facts and add to my own opinion about the game. This doesn't necessarily mean that I'm directly stating my opinion, but it is implied through my commentary.
This pattern is repeated throughout the article until you're ready to include. I can not stress how important it is to end on a good note with a non-fiction work. Try to avoid phrases like "In conclusion" "To sum up" "Finally" to avoid patronizing your readers. We know it's the conclusion because it's the last paragraph. With your conclusion, you can sum up your article again and add some last words. This is a good place to add your personal opinion overtly, but still try to avoid using the words "I think" or "in my opinion". Yeah I know it's your opinion, because you wrote it. No need to tell me it is. A good example of a conclusion would be:
Overall, Legend of Zelda shines in many aspects and leaves hardly anything to be desired from fans. From it's stellar storyline to the exceptionally well done game play, Twilight Princess is a game no gamer should pass up.
Now it's very important when writing for non fiction works to try and leave any sort of personal bias out of the work. That's a load of hogwash, because most works do contain bias in them from the stance the author takes on his subject. It is his opinion, he just uses facts to back it up. That is what is important when writing works like that, to back up your opinions with facts to make your opinions seem more credible. Anyone can write a rant. That's what's known as the opinion section of the newspaper.
Now you have all the basic tools and how to use them, but one thing that plagues most non-fiction writers is the "snooze factor". Basically, it's when an article isn't read because of poor organization of facts. With non-fiction works, you want to put your most important facts first to keep your readers interested in reading your story after the lead. Then you add your commentary and then another fact, commentary...etc. This is what's known as the Inverted Pyramid style of writing. You put your most important fact first and then the least important tidbit of info at the bottom of the work. This will keep your readers interested in what you have to read. Otherwise, your article may fall by the wayside.
All right, young padawans, I have taught you all that you need to know. Now it is up to you to use it in your own works. May the writing force be with you.
Happy Writing!
Kaydirt
