Whats your story Jeanne Acton ILPC Director Columns

Columns • Personal experience – shows the reader a story with a clear, definite

Columns • Personal opinion • Express opinion about an event or issue • Often

Sports columns • Commentary about an event, incident, an athlete, an issue • Strive

What is the purpose? • • To help the reader think, act or see

Column characteristics • • • Often, informal Usually written in first person Focused with

What makes a good column writer? • • Research (if issue-driven) Interviewing (if issue-driven)

From The Radical Write … • Voice is difficult to define, but it’s easy

Why columns fail … the writer • • isn’t ready to expose him/herself has

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What’s your story? Jeanne Acton, ILPC Director

Columns • Personal experience – shows the reader a story with a clear, definite message. • Can be humorous, serious, sad, light-hearted, life-changing experience • Should connect to the reader at an emotional level • Filled with description and detail • Focuses on the writer’s personal experience – anecdotal

Columns • Personal opinion • Express opinion about an event or issue • Often connected to a news story in school, local or national news • Looks similar to an editorial

Sports columns • Commentary about an event, incident, an athlete, an issue • Strive to have sports columns about YOUR school

What is the purpose? • • To help the reader think, act or see things in a new way To entertain To inform To move

Column characteristics • • • Often, informal Usually written in first person Focused with a point Reflects the personality of the writer Expresses a viewpoint About a subject that appeals to the reader

What makes a good column writer? • • Research (if issue-driven) Interviewing (if issue-driven) Knowing the subject Finding a voice Seeing the world in a different way Creativity Having something unique to say

From The Radical Write … • Voice is difficult to define, but it’s easy to recognize • The best writing is not soggy or bloated. It’s raw and lean and real. • Raw and lean and real doesn’t mean it can’t be profound and sophisticated. • Great writers use all of the tools are their disposal.

Why columns fail … the writer • • isn’t ready to expose him/herself has nothing to say preaches to the audience chit-chats with the audience rambles fills the column with facts, rather than stories and opinions chooses a topic that doesn’t interest the audience fails to edit and rewrite

Preachy ….

Nothing to say …

Preachy…

No real point …

Really? ?

Doesn’t expose themselves…

Still doesn’t have a point …

Preachy …

A real story …

Another powerful story …

A beautiful story …

One more …