The Writing Tools

Fifty Writing ToolsThe introductory column to the workbench of Roy Peter Clark. Writing Tool #1: Branch to the Right Begin sentences with subjects and verbs, letting subordinate elements branch to the right. Even a long, long sentence can be clear and powerful when the subject and verb make meaning early. Writing Tool #2: Use Strong […]

The Way We Ask

In one respect, crafting a good question may not matter a lot when interview subjects have a message to get across, no matter what they’re asked. For politicians, spokespeople, and others armed with talking points, it may be a case of damn the questions, full spin ahead! Even so, the presidential debate season does provide […]

The Quote Diet

Re-used with kind permission from Poynter Online for Journalists: www.poynter.org Get out one of your stories and start counting. Not all the words, just the ones between quotation marks.Chances are you’ll get quite a mouthful. We all know the importance of avoiding run-off sentences in our copy, but too often our standards drop when those […]