A good way to find your voice is to read newspaper articles that report just the facts, and then freewriting a response. Do this with 5 or 6 articles, then chart how you reacted. You might notice that you consistently take a sarcastic tone or an optimistic one. Your editor will also be able to help you refine your voice, so don’t be afraid to reach out.
A good way to test your opinion is to ask yourself, “Will someone have a strong reaction to my article?” If the answer is yes, you’ve successfully formed an opinion. If your stance doesn’t elicit any reaction, then you’ve probably written a very neutral piece. Make sure you can back that opinion up with researched evidence. This will help persuade your readers to buy into your opinion.
If you’ve had a situation where prescription drug costs buried you financially, start off your column with an anecdote about this time in your life before you lay out your fiery opinion on the high cost of prescription drugs for seniors.
Instead of saying, “The facilities for race horses are inadequate,” use first person to make the statement more compelling. For example: “The facilities that I, as a trainer, have visited don’t meet the horses needs, which affects their performance and well-being. ”
Scan newspaper and magazine headlines to see what events are most popular. These reoccurring issues are ones that the general public will be interested in. Often newspaper columns are about politics, but they can draw on social issues also, such as prison conditions.
Don’t be afraid to include yourself in your topic. Look at your own personal history for a way to contribute something unique to your column. [8] X Research source Dive into the details and see where they take you. Looking closely at details may provoke a new idea. [9] X Research source Focusing on local angles is a great way to make your column relevant to your reader. [10] X Trustworthy Source Kansas University Center for Community Health and Development Community-based research center focused on supporting public health development and education Go to source
If, for example, you’re going to say, “Social media use by students during school hours is crushing student productivity,” you’d better be prepared to offer a solution to get students to put aside social media and concentrate on the tasks at hand. If you’ve got a strong point of view on a particular topic, but have no solutions to offer, you should wait to write the column until you’ve got more concrete solutions.
For example, “Getting Stains Out of Your Carpet” is a mundane title that’s not likely to capture your reader’s attention. Alternatively, “3 Unusual Household Items That’ll Get Red Wine Stains Out” is more interesting because it gives the reader a promise.
Attention-grabbing opening lines include: dramatic anecdotes, controversial statements, irony and wit, references to new studies, or statements that contradict conventional wisdom. [14] X Research source
For example, if you’re writing against a new tax proposal, explain to your readers that this new policy will increase their taxes.
Try writing in shorter sentences or using contractions to adopt a more conversational style. Pretend that you’re writing to a friend and address the reader directly. Try talking in your head as you write and then read it aloud afterwards to see how it sounds. [17] X Research source
Stating that, “It is believed by the city council that the townspeople were misled by the mayor” is wordy and leaves the author wondering if the city council is an authoritative source. Instead, try writing that, “The city council believes that the mayor misled the townspeople. ” You can note how the active voice sentence is more authoritative and straightforward.
Get used to whittling down your initial drafts. After you read each sentence ask yourself, “How is this sentence contributing to my argument? Is every word necessary?” If you find yourself unsure whether words or sentences contribute to your argument, take them out and read the article again to see if their absence alters your argument.
For example, if you’re writing that long-distance relationships are a bad idea, introduce this idea in the first paragraph. Present the problematic aspects of long-distance relationships in the following paragraphs to support your stance.
You can conduct research at the library or from your computer, but you can also conduct field research by interviewing people involved in your story. [21] X Research source Always make sure you properly cite your sources. If you include a quote be sure to name your source and their expertise. This way the reader is able to assess the reliability of that person’s statement.
Journalism’s punctuation is very different from your normal English formatting so you’ll need to review the AP format carefully.
