Organize Your Thoughts, Write Better News!

We've all read it: terribly constructed writing. The ideas are jumbled, the page is hard to read, and when you finish reading it you're left wondering, "What's the point?"

All of the frustration involved in reading- and writing- news can be avoided if the author used a few simple tools to organize their thoughts, to really narrow down what exactly they want to say. Additionally, more organization can help an author to draw in readers rather than push them away.

Some helpful tools to thought organization are:

-Free Writing- This can typically be done before you actually start writing article as a way to figure out your main point.
-Use a Light Opening- as Bruce Ross-Larson said in his book "Writing for the Information Age," light openings will help to draw in readers, rather than repel them.
-Keep Paragraphs and Sentences Short- This is another tool used to bring in readers. It is also used to keep similar information together.
-Use Bulleted Lists- Not only are bulleted lists aesthetically pleasing, they help to bring together the main points an author is trying to
Use Quotes- Quotes are like the dialogue of an article. As Ross-Larson says quotes keep articles "conversational." Not only do they add force to your story, they show your audience a real person supporting your point.

Organizing your writing does not stop with this list. Ross-Larson has detailed many other writing techniques in his book. He shows that with a little practice, you can organize and change your writing habits into those that will attract readers.