WRITING YEARBOOK COPY The Basics of Traditional Copy

FIRST, LET’S AGREE… …that yearbooks need words in addition to pictures to tell the complete story of the year.

THINK ABOUT IT The yearbook is the only permanent written record of the school year.

DESPITE WHAT SOME SAY… …if you write great copy, they will read it. Here are six tips for writing amazing copy:

TIP #1: DO YOUR HOMEWORK • Research • Interview • Be there

TIP #2: DEVELOP A FEATURE ANGLE • Find a focus

TIP #3: GRAB ‘EM WITH THE LEAD • You’ve only got a few words to get their attention • Focus on what’s most interesting • Avoid “this year” and vague words like “many”

TYPES OF LEADS • Allusion • Compare/contrast • Descriptive • Direct quotation • Narrative hook • Shocking statement • Suspense/teaser

ALLUSION • Alluding to a familiar person, event, line or song • To be effective, the allusion must be familiar enough for the audience to recognize It looked like an episode of “Friday Night Lights. ”As the Trojans took the field against arch-rival Okemos, the fans erupted, filling the stadium with noise.

COMPARE/CONTRAST • Points out opposites or extremes She stands a mere five feet, one inch, a full foot shorter than most of her teammates. But junior Samantha Smith towers over the rest of the varsity football team when it comes to kicking ability.

DESCRIPTIVE • Paints a vivid word picture by describing sights, sounds, smells, tastes and feels Smells of sweaty bodies punctuated the steamy locker room as players hung their heads, slumping in silence after their loss to Hudson.

DIRECT QUOTATION • Uses a direct quotation • To be effective, it must be a powerful, memorable quote “I heard my shin bone crack and knew that my season was over, ” senior Joe Jones said.

NARRATIVE HOOK • Create a situation • Can be either factual or fictional As the rain dripped off his helmet, senior Ryan Holt watched the final play of the game against Mason. After three years as part of the starting line, his high school football career had ended.

SHOCKING STATEMENT • Uses an unusual or shocking fact • Aims to catch the reader off guard Three sprained ankles, a broken arm, two concussions and one heat stroke. All were the result of the first week of varsity football practice.

SUSPENSE/TEASER • Holds back on the main focus of the story to build suspense It started as a sprinkle, then built to a shower and finally became a downpour. The rumble of thunder, distant at first, became louder. With just three minutes left, the refs postponed the game.

TIP #4: ADD LIFE WITH ACTIVE VOICE AND GREAT QUOTES • Say “John scored the touchdown, ”not “The touchdown was scored by John. ” • Give students a voice --- and get more of them in the book • Be sure the quotes are meaningful

TIP #5: KEEP YOUR OPINIONS TO YOURSELF • Present the details and the facts without commenting on them • Be careful of adjectives and adverbs that offer an opinion

TIP #6: REMEMBER, YOU’RE RECORDING HISTORY • Write in past tense • Write in third person • Include specific details like names, dates, scores, costs

TIP #7: WRITE TIGHT • Keep sentences simple • Keep paragraphs short • Keep the fluff out

TIP #8: CONCLUDE WITH POWER • Use stylistic devices or information from your lead to bring the readers full circle • Find the perfect summarizing quote

1 OR 2 MORE THINGS • Learn from the professionals • Practice • Be open to revision and editing

GO FORTH AND WRITE …yearbook copy that’s grammatically correct and well-thought out. Your third-person, past-tense stories should have specific angles that tie them to the school and the coverage year. The best of the best begin with enticing leads and are filled with great quotes from a variety of sources and specific details that add to the photos and captions to create the complete story of the year.

WRITING YEARBOOK COPY created in conjunction with Lynn Strause Herff Jones Special Consultant