Sunday, October 26, 2008

Some general feedback

I've read through most of the first practice assignment submissions, and I have high hopes for this class. That said, we need to address several pervasive, fundamental issues in your writing before we progress to more advanced styles.

  • Accurate spelling, particularly of names is crucial. It's not an option.
  • Cut down on the length of those sentences. Some submissions contained sentences that began with one point, lost it, and then meandered into a totally different area of the interview. Keep it shorter and simpler for now.
  • Don't hype or market whatever you're writing about. Let the person or thing speak for itself.
  • Please adhere to the submission rules. Double-space and use the correct font size. And please don't send your assignments in the body of your e-mail. Attach a Word document to your e-mail. Use your name as the title of the document.

Read the first three chapters (The use of English, Grammar: the rules, and Grammar: mistakes and confusions) in your English for Journalists textbook. They'll act as a good primer for the work we'll be doing in class on Monday.


Also, a reminder: Don't forget to bring your newspapers and/or clippings for tomorrow's class. We'll be discussing the elements of newsworthiness, and I'll be asking you to identify and explain the elements that best pertain to the stories you chose.

We'll be doing a few other exercises as well.

See you tomorrow.

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