Class Notes – 2/18/19

By Meredith Bonington

NOTE: Pictionary Story due 4 p.m. Tuesday – Don’t be late!

What’s giving you trouble in this class?

-        Most are just getting used to the writing

Tips for editing, and getting used to writing:

-        Do one edit for grammar, one for spelling, one for structure, one for tone.

-        Read it out loud. Lots of times when you read in your head you fill in missing words and punctuation that isn’t really there for it to make sense.

-        Read feedback and criticism.

Neuman story, went over specifics/examples.

-        “When” is very rarely the most important part of the story

-        Name isn’t notable unless person is famous

-        Attribution is important and needs to be first and foremost

-        Do not have to explain quotes to the reader

-        Comma proceeds, comes before open quote

-        When quoting back to back, you need a transition. Put the person's name before the quote and keep it simple, introduce it. Clear that someone new is speaking.

-        Ask yourself when editing if extra words are absolutely necessary

-        Attention spans, youtube statistic, 4 seconds.

Reminders that will help grades:

-        Keep leads to one sentence, 25 words or less

-        Prioritize the 5 w’s in order

-        Stress the unusual

-        Human biting a dog is news, not a dog biting a human, so stress the unusual!

-        Past tense for print as much as possible

-        Watch out for attribution

-        When you introduce someone in a story, full name on first reference, and after just the last name.

-        Keep subsequent grafs to one or two sentences

-        Use new graf when you introduce someone new, quote someone, etc

-        Don’t engage rely on linear storytelling. Use inverted pyramid.

-        Don’t try to summarize or force a clever ending

-        No opinions.

Writing practice: Pictionary

-        As a journalist, your story can constantly change just when you think it is done.

-        Learning to adapt and reevaluate new evidence in relation to your story is key.

The Shipping News movie Clip:

-        Scene clip lesson

-        Filter out extraneous information; give reader what really matters

-        You need to emphasize the unusual

-        Imagine headlines as you walk around in daily life

Homework for 2/25: 5 headlines from daily life, anything you want

-        Good headline has an active verb

-        Be prepared to share

-        Next week:

-        Not going to assign any mandatory writing, but practice story available.  

Here's the info for practice stories. No grades on these, but professor will give constructive feedback. Highly recommended that you do at least one practice story.

1 - A study was released today. It was compiled by a team led by Matthias Mehl, a psychology professor at the University of Arizona. The study was published in the Southwest Journal of Science. Researchers placed microphones on 396 college students for periods ranging from two to 10 days, sampled their conversations and calculated how many words they used in the course of a day. The score was: Women, 16,215 words. Men, 15,669 words. “That difference is not statistically significant,” Mehl said. “The idea that women use nearly three times as many words a day as men has taken on the status of an urban legend. But it’s not true." One of the students, Maryanne Roberts, said, “I’m not surprised. There are times I can’t my boyfriend to be quiet.” Rich Hoffman, her boyfriend, said, “You can’t win. Girls say they want guys who communicate. How do you communicate without talking?” The research began with one group of students in 2007, two groups sampled in 2008, and three in 2009. The students, from U.S. colleges in the Southwest, were fitted with simple recorders that sampled their conversations — the students didn't know when the recorders were on. From the samples, a total number of words for the day could be calculated.

2 - A woman named Kitty Noodir was hurt today on her way home from a seaside vacation and could lose an eye. While packing her car, Noodir failed to realize her cat was on the roof. The cat was still up top when she got on US 270, where the speed limit is 65 mph. After a while, a car pulled up and the passenger, an elderly man, started waving frantically. Noodir at first ignored him. The man kept waving. Nooder thought her luggage rack might have come loose. She pulled over, got out and saw that Cuddle Bug, her orange tabby, was on the roof. The cat, unharmed, had survived 10 miles on the roof in strong winds and freezing temperatures. When Noodir reached for the cat, Cuddle Bug clawed her face. Noodir was able to drive herself to County Hospital, where she will undergo eye surgery. “The cat’s fine,” said MHP Sgt. Dooley Kane.

3 - Samuel Pinckney is 84 years old. He married his bride, Teresa, when he was 22. She was younger than he, then being age 17. They had five children. Tonight Samuel shot Teresa in the back of the head with a pistol. He told Washington, D.C. Police, “She begged me to kill her. She suffered for years. Everything was wrong with her, arthritis, cancer, diabetes, blindness, everything.” Samuel told police that he shot her with his .22-caliber revolver and was supposed to then use the gun on himself. They wanted to die together, he said, but after shooting her he couldn’t do the same to himself and called police for help. Pinckney neighbor Robert Matte said, “Sam’s been nothing but a model citizen for eighty years. He should be freed without bail because he’s not a threat to anyone.”