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WRITING DON’TS Don’t use dates/labels: The 2016 Northstar High School Band. This year, the varsity cheerleaders did many new and exciting routines. Avoid using clichés: • The purpose of learning history is to find out what happened in the past. • The goals of the English Department were to teach. • During the year, the students of Northstar High School were interested in… Hard work, dedication, team unit. Worthless Quote: • “English was a lot of fun. • We did lots of different things.” Yes/No Question: • Do you know what happened in Science this year? Saying nothing • Lots of new things happened this year at Northstar High School. The students were together more than ever and they had more school spirit than ever. Editorializing: • Don’t write your own opinion. • Include facts & quotes in your story. • Avoid writing the obvious. • Get behind the scenes with in-depth reporting & research. Never use these words in your yearbook: • numerous, various, many, some, several, few, a lot, not many. Report about this year. • Never predict anything about next year • Never let editorial terms creep into copy. • Avoid using words such as “beautiful,” “spectacular,” “wonderful,” “seemingly,” “apparently” or “awesome.” Capitalize all proper nouns. Do not invert sentences or verbals, use active voice, not passive: • Use: “The quarterback threw a touchdown.” • Don’t use: “The touchdown was thrown by the quarterback.”
21 WRITING TIPS Describe sights, sounds, smells, actions, reactions. Use direct quotes. Attribute all quotes. Use specific facts. Use vivid verbs. Use plain language. Say “he said” instead of “he stated.” In attribution, use “said,” not commented, observed, stated, yelled, etc. Use precise words. Write to the emotions. Include the senses. Use active voice. (Passive voice) The ball was thrown by the quarterback. (Active voice) The quarterback threw the ball. Make positive statements. Write in third person. Write in past tense. Tie your conclusion to your lead. Proofread and correct all spelling and grammar errors. Have a copy read-around to get input from others in class. Avoid writing anything that can tell the story of any other high school somewhere else. Spell out numbers one through nine. Use Arabic numbers above nine. Spell out numbers that begin your copy. Never use the name of the school, its initials or mascot in any copy or caption, except in competitive situations. Learn the difference between “its” and “it’s.” Its is possessive. “The dog wagged its tail.” It’s is the contraction for it is. “It’s going to be a great day.” Learn subject-verb agreement and use it correctly. “Everyone said they enjoyed the show,” is incorrect. “Everyone” is singular and “they” is plural.
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Copy
A good writer, writes. So it is right to write a lot.
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COPY COMPETITION Email Maureen with the following info to: mmolofsson@herffjones.com Name School Copy and Captions either shared in a google doc or attached as a word doc To qualify for the competition, you must email the information by: AUGUST 1ST CATEGORIES Overall best story about camp Most creative features about camp Most create list of feature ideas that goes with your theme RULES Students may work as groups - please list all names. Students may submit only one entry per topic Make sure you have reviewed the rules on the left and are following each prior to e-mailing MO
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COPY A How - To Guide
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Better Copy for a Better Book
Writing copy for your yearbook can be intimidating, but if you follow some basic steps and prepare, YOU CAN write insightful and interesting yearbook copy that will last for years to come!
I. FIND AN ANGLE
When you receive your spread, the first step is to determine “the angle,” which is the central idea or theme for the topic. It’s the way you will approach the topic. For example… • If it’s a sport, do you want to talk about how the team overcame obstacles, how they dominated their league, or how they struggled? • If it’s a club, do you want to focus on the unique duties, how hard it is to balance clubs with homework, or how it helps the community? • If it’s about academics/classes, do you want to focus on the work, the fun, or what it might do for a student’s future?
II. INTERVIEWING Once you have the angle, you need to go out and talk to the people involved. This can be a bit intimidating, but remember that students and teachers want to talk about your topic. They want to be in the yearbook, so you have the power in the situation. Asking the right questions will help you have great information to use for both your copy and your captions. You also need to ask the right people, so don’t just focus on students; also ask the teachers, club advisors, coaches, and administrators the right questions. If you do it right, you will have more information than you need for your writing.
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Be sure to write your questions out before your interview. You can always add follow-up questions, but it’s important to have thoughtful, interesting, open-ended questions prepared BEFORE you interview your subject. You will feel more at ease knowing you are prepared and your subject will view you as more professional because you are in charge of the interview.
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USE THESE QUESTIONS AS A JUMPING OFF POINT FOR WRITING YOUR OWN QUESTIONS. Who: • Who are the key people?
(Ex: MVP’s, team captains, club officers, committee members, inspirational members)
• Who does what? What: • What exactly do you do? • What special events do you have planned? • What activity/game is the biggest for your group? • What unique things do you do to prepare? • What obstacles did you have to overcome to achieve your goals? • What went right and what went wrong? • What do you do just before/after the event or activity? • What makes your group different from others? When: • When will you be doing what it is you do? • How often will you be doing this? • When is your big activity scheduled? • When is the best time to contact you again? Where: • Where do you do what you do? • Where will the big event/activity be? How: • How did you do what you did? (This a summary of the event from start to finish.)
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COPY A How - To Guide continued
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Better Copy for a Better Book
OK. So writing isn’t your favorite pastime. You probably think photographs make the yearbook special, not the copy or stories. You may be right, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Copy can be fun and exciting, or it can be boring and monotonous. Either way it’s an important part of fulfilling the history/record book and memory book functions of a yearbook.
Ask yourself “Why does the reader care?” The most important thing you can do is put yourself in your reader’s shoes. The answer to this question should form the lead for the first paragraph. Keep the information unique to this year, not something that could go in any year. Avoid “The purpose of ...” leads There is nothing that says “I’m boring” faster than a story beginning with “The purpose of the Key Club is to...” Readers want to know what the club did this year and how it was different from last year. Use quotes to provide a personal perspective Quotes are excellent devices for giving credibility to a story, adding opinion, and color. Gather quotes that add quality information and personality to the story. Avoid quotes that are generic and dull and don’t add to the story. Follow subject, verb, object order Subject-Verb-Object is the most easily understood. “Jake scored the touchdown.” Use two-sentence quotes when possible Nearly every quote is better if it is two sentences long. Short quotes leave questions in the mind of the reader. Often the second sentence completes the thought. Be specific General nouns like boy, girl, star, rock are more meaningful when they are specific: grade 9 student, cross-country runner, north star, 50lb rock. The more specific adjectives and adverbs you use, the more clearly the reader will understand the message. Rather than referring to a girl by her hair color, give specific qualities that relate to the subject such as “Number 18 blasted ahead on her long legs.” Divide copy into segments Divide the copy into small segments rather than tackling the feature as a whole. For example, you don’t have to write the lead first. For some, the lead is the easiest part, while for others it is the most difficult, and just as the angle may change, new leads can surface once the story is underway. Writing a small section at a time offers proof of accomplishment. With each completed section, you can see the results, encouraging you to continue.
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III. WRITING GOOD COPY
GENERAL TIPS:
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COPY A How - To Guide continued
DO’S & DON’T’S: • Write all copy in past tense and use active verbs (worked, ran, threw, screamed, etc) • Write in third person: Never use the words “we”, “you”, and “I”. • Be specific when writing. Don’t say, “Four students have a great time at the homecoming game.” Name them and be more specific about what they are doing!
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Always use spell check on your work. Avoid using the phrase “this year” unless needed for comparison. Avoid beginning copy (if possible) with “a, an, or the.” Use impact words that make the writer stand up and take notice. All names in body copy emphisised in some way. Teachers are named, including first name. Example: Mr. (Dave) Werra. Teachers are only named in this fashion the first time they are mentioned in the story. Any subsequent references are made with Mr./Mrs. and the last name. Example: Mr. Werra
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When you refer to students in the copy, list their grade and then name. Example: senior Amanda Wood. The grade level is always lower case unless it is at the beginning of a sentence and the grade level is NEVER bolded!
THE ATTENTION GRABBER
This could be the most important sentence in your body copy. If it’s boring, no one will want to read the rest of your story. Therefore, grab your readers’ attention with one of these clever openings: Rhetorical Question: Why would anyone want to get up at 5:30 in the morning on a Saturday? To train for their first cross country meet, of course. Brief Story: The cold, wet wind whips through the bars of their facemasks as they await the kickoff that will start the most important game of their lives. It’s the playoffs! Definition: “Crazy fun” is how the Key club discribes a day spent collecting cans for the Twin Lakes Food Bank. Members collected 600 pounds of food, outside SaveMart on Saturday, September 25. Quote: “I have to say that it was the best and strangest sixteen minutes of my life!” exclaimed sophomore Hillary Thrillary. Analogy: The senior class is to the school what the leash is to the neck of the bulldog. It’s what leads the other. Dialogue:
“I’m so stressed!” “Me, too. I just don’t know what to do about it.” “Hmmm. Maybe we should check out the Yoga Club.” “That’ll do the trick.”
Body Copy Template
Follow this format when writing your copy for your spread: Part. 1: Attention Grabber Transition Angle/Main Point about the club, group, team,… Quote Part. 2 : Transition Quote (1 or 2) Fact Part. 3: Transition Quote (1 or 2) Fact Part. 4: Wrap-up (refer back to your attention grabber or main point)
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III. WRITING GOOD COPY
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Better Copy for a Better Book
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CAPTIONS A How - To Guide
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Better Captions for a Better Book
I. WRITING CAPTIONS There are THREE BASIC PARTS to the caption:
1. What’s Happening: Using active verbs, describe what’s happening “beyond the obvious” by stating who is in the photo (left to right), where they are, when they are there, and what they are doing. Avoid using phrases such as “poses for the camera” “smiles with friends”. 2. The “Quote”: Provide a nice, engaging quote from one of the people in the photo. Two sentences are better than one here. 3. The Fact: Give a fact about the event or incident in the photo, or a fact about the club, sport, or activity of the spread.
II. TEAM PHOTOS Follow this format for player names: (Names are Left to Right in the photo.) Row One: F. Last, F. Last, F. last, F. Last. Row Two: F. Last, F. Last, F. last, F. Last, F. Last, F. Last, F. last, F. Last. Row Three: F. Last, F. Last, F. last, F. Last. Row Four: F. Last, F. Last, F. last, F. Last, F. Last. Back Row: F. Last, F. Last, F. last, F. Last, F. Last.
III. FORMATTING
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It’s extremely important that you follow the formatting rules for every word on your spread. That includes font, style (regular, italics, underlined or bolded), point size, and alignment.
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CAPITALIZATION RULES • Capitalize all proper nouns, months, days of the week, holidays, names of sections of the country. • Don’t capitalize directions (the Midwest; the Maritimes; he walked west) • Don’t capitalize short titles when they precede the name of adults (Principal Joe Johnson). • Capitalize full names of schools, clubs, organizations, streets, geographical areas, or companies (Washington High School; Northern Ontario Chess Club; National Honor Society; Southeastern Conference; Capitalize proper names of races and nationalities (American; Canadian) Capitalize nicknames of athletic teams (Bearcats; Bees; Huskies) • Capitalize principal words in titles of books, plays, movies or songs, including a, an or the when it appears first in the title only (A Midsummer Night’s Dream). • Don’t capitalize school subjects, except languages or specific course titles (algebra, journalism, language arts). • However, you would capitalize Algebra I and English. • Don’t capitalize personal titles used without names (the president spoke) • Don’t capitalize street, company, club or other words unless they are part of a specific name: (The club elected officers, the Science Club met yesterday). • Don’t capitalize abbreviations for the time of day (a.m., p.m.); seasons of the year (fall, summer). • Don’t capitalize academic departments, except for words derived from proper nouns (math department, English department); names of classes (ninth grade, senior).
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COPY Practice Ready, Set, Write!
WRITING ASSIGNMENT Pick a place in your school (The physical building, a room that a class or activity is held, the school bus, a athletic field, etc) Place at your school you’ll write about: _________________________________________________
GET STARTED
Take 10 minutes to write some notes/brainstorm answers to the questions below. How is this place typical?
What makes this place unique?
What smells come to mind when thinking about this place (at least 7)
Close your eyes and describe the sounds that remind you of this place
How has this placed altered your life?
How has this place changed since you have been there?
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Who do you associate with this place and Why?
WRITE NOW!
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In 20 minutes write short feature story explaining why this place is special to you or your school community.
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