I think this chapter details interesting aspects of narrative writing. One section that I think should be discussed is the one on descriptive techniques. It mentions various tips of things to avoid or include. The first suggestion was to avoid adjectives. It says to use nouns and verbs but avoid adjectives, as they are subjective to the writer. Another suggestion is to use analogies that might help a reader visualize the subject. It also says to limit physical descriptions unless they fit the story. It often makes it distracting and weakens the purpose of the story. An important note was to avoid descriptions that are sexist or racist. It takes away from the writing and includes a bias that is hurtful to some readers. The next tip would be to show people in action to keep the story engaging and effectively describe the scene. Finally, it is crucial to set the scene. Readers need to know where the story takes place. It helps them imagine the story in their head and keep them interested. I think this section would be very important to include in a class discussion. It provides a wide range of valuable information that would be helpful for the class when writing articles. Incorporating these techniques into our writing could be beneficial.
This chapter is extremely useful in regards to different forms of storytelling and techniques to help writers deliver a clear final product. One of the first ideas that stood out to me was the section on narrative writing, and how it is perceived in today’s world. This style of writing is a dramatic account of a nonfiction or fiction story. Thorough descriptive detail, dialogue, and reporting enhances the writer’s storytelling ability. In terms of the news, this style of writing makes the reader feel like they are on the scene. On page 180, paragraph 6, the author needed to make it a point to say, “But the story must include the basic factual elements of news.” Since the first day, we have learned how crucial it is to stick to the facts and not make our reports sound more like narratives. This idea is interesting to me for that reason, because now we are seeing how with extreme diligence, we can utilize narrative writing throughout the news.
It is also important to understand what different types of reporting tools there are and how they can enhance specific details within a story. Being a good reporter means that you can utilize observations to gather relevant and useful details. Even though you should take lots of notes during an interview, it is important that not all details are included, which will extend the length of your story, making it unappealing to some viewers. In the last paragraph on page 182, we learn about the ladder of details and what each step means. “To help you gather specific details, envision a ladder with rungs leading from general to specific. Start with the broadest noun, and take it to the most specific level, as in the adjacent diagram.” This diagram is going to be extremely useful especially when trying to tell a story in a certain amount of words. It is important to be as detailed as possible, but can be difficult under different word constrictions. I believe that utilizing this reporting tool will be important for everyone’s success in the class.
After reading only the first page, I feel that it had a lot of important elements to unpack. They brought up the idea of narrative writing. This is “a form of dramatic storytelling that reconstructs the events as though the reader were witnessing them as they happened.” This can be fiction or nonfiction writing, but it requires thorough reporting of descriptive detail. The book used the example written by Tom French, who wrote a 10-part series about Karen Gregory’s murder case. The way the French chose to release the information and write it made the public fascinated. It’s such a skill to be able to write in a way that draws people in, especially to the point of hooking readers that they are waiting each week to read more. I also thought the section on descriptive techniques was important. The way we phase topics has a lot to do with the flow of the overall story and keeping the reader interested. They were useful like avoiding adjectives, using analogies, limiting physical descriptions, avoiding sexist/racist descriptions, and setting the scene. Those are just a few of the topics they touch on but are key details to make an article or story better. Lastly, I found the latter details interesting. Good storytelling often requires using observation and gathering details. To help gather specific details, it is easier to envision a ladder with rungs leading from general to specific. You start with the broadest noun and then take it to the most specific level. This helps get your thoughts in order while also making sure you gather enough useful information.
This chapter gives great insights into multiple storytelling techniques that can help writers create clear and exciting stories. One idea that really caught my attention was the section on narrative writing and how it’s understood in today’s day and age. Narrative writing, for nonfiction or fiction, involves a detailed recounting of events, with vivid descriptions, dialogue, and reporting. This approach allows readers to feel immersed in the story as if they were right there on the scene. With that being said, on page 180, paragraph 6, the author emphasizes an important point: “But the story must include the basic factual elements of news.” From the very start, we’ve learned how crucial it is to stick to the facts and avoid turning our reports into more fictional narratives that later generations won’t be able to look back on reliably. Additionally, the chapter also discusses reporting tools, such as the “ladder of details” (page 182), which helps organize information from broad to specific. This is helpful for staying concise while adding factual, relevant details about the event. By using this approach, we can make our writing both informative and engaging while staying within word limits. Or more specifically as Professor Miller said in class, finding a way to write as little as possible with as much impact as possible. Utilization of these tools mentioned above is a great way to start on that path.
This chapter is discusses the different forms of storytelling and techniques that will help writers deliver a clear, final product. Something that stood out to me was when they talked about narrative writing. They discussed narrative writing and how the world views it. Some of the things that are included are: dialogue, descriptive detail, and reporting. These enhance the writer’s ability to tell their story. Something else discussed was the news. This form of writing takes a completely different perspective in how it makes the person feel as if they were there on the scene. This chapter also covers the various types of tools that are used and how good writers know how to utilize each tool for their stories. Different tools help create different stories, but can only be used to create a great story if they are properly used.
Chapter 10 had a lot of different aspects that were interesting and very compelling on how storytelling (different types) can impact a story. This is especially true in the sense of features or longer news stories. The development of narrative storytelling was very interesting, considering the way many people forget about how much is used and needed to encourage readers to continue finding stories. This reminded me of a book I read called In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, which follows this storytelling narrative for a crime story. Overall, getting the background on the very used technique was very interesting and good to know.
Another interesting aspect of this chapter was the in depth analysis of writing tools and use of specific word types. Mostly referring to the use (or not the use of) adjectives, within the textbook they stated the use of adjectives was inputting the reporters/writers views and opinions to the reader. Book suggested using more of a verb and nouns instead of the adjectives to describe and let the reader use those descriptors to interpret what has happened. This is very much something that I wanted to learn about because I tend to use very big and a lot of adjectives so this was very good for me to have an understanding about. Overall, this was very interesting and good to know tools.
I liked that this chapter was about narrative writing and how it blends the quality of reportative writing while also making it interesting and engaging. Some advice that was given about making the story engaging is getting every single detail possible such as sights, sounds, or smells. The fly example talks about how someone might just say a fly buzzing around, but a reporter sees what direction it’s going in and why, a reporter asks more questions to get the whole story. On top of that, more advice that was given specifically talks about word usage. A reporter wants to be accurate and tell the story thoroughly but can’t be overly descriptive to the point that there is clutter in the story. There needs to be some to give the reader some insight but there is a line when it becomes excessive, the reporter has to decide when does the description become necessary to the story. Another piece of advice about word usage was to avoid adjectives. Nouns and verbs are okay to get specific, but adjectives are word modifiers, and it runs the risk of inserting a personal opinion into the story. Something that the chapter said that’s good to add for more detail that is relevant and not excessive is an anecdote. A short anecdote can help put the story into perspective and give it more character.
An element I found important in this chapter was narrative writing. In the chapter it states narrative writing is a dramatic account of a fiction or nonfiction story. This type of story thrives with descriptive detail and thorough reporting. It is also very important to have dialogue, having dialogue will enhance the story. This relates to an article because getting quotes on the topic of the story enhances the story. Narrative writing for news reconstructs events to put readers in the scene, while also including basic factual elements of news. Tampa Bay Times/St. Petersburg writer, Jeff Klinkenberg sees the five W’s as: Who is character, What is plot, when is chronology, why is motive and where is place. Using this and weaving in facts adds a new element to stories.
A second element I found is creating a tone. While most hard-news stories have an absence of mood, feature stories should create a tone, or mood, like happiness, sadness, mystery, excitements, or any other emotion. Having the tone gives the reader the vibe of the story with outright saying it. They can tell by images, quotes, and style.
One section that I found useful in the chapter was the Report Tools section. In this chapter the book talks about how writers look at flies differently. In the chapter the book discusses how to properly kill a fly. Such a specific but interesting detail like that is a perfect example of information that could make your article unique or catch the readers attention. Being precise and writing notes is very key for that.
Another section that I found useful was the Reading to Write section. In this section they talk about how important it is to read as a writer. a good way to have your mind keep having ideas for your real life stories you have. French writers would do this and use these fiction techniques and use them for a non fiction story. I think this could be useful for anyone reading or writing because it’s good to see multiple styles of writings.
Something that I found interesting within this chapter was narrative techniques. When you are narrative writing you are combining a show in action description, dialogue, plot, and reconstruction of an event as it occurred. When writing this way you will need to make sure it is very clear where you got your information from because the attribute is limited. Although this is true you do not have to attribute repeatedly, you will need to do so periodically and when quoting sources. Before narrative writing even becomes an adoption you will need to do reporting thoroughly because it takes a different kind of questioning and information to recreate a scene with great detail. You will need to have the readers experience the event through sight, smell, hearing, and seeing.
Another thing that I found interesting was the storytelling structure. You will need to first get the focus of a narrative story. After, you can arrange topically, chronologically or in a literary plot. When reporters give a result instead of all the actions leading up to them you will miss the dramatic part of the story which will keep readers intrigued. Stories should be built around a complication and a resolution, the middle is the development, and how the character gets from the problem to the solution. It is important to consider that writing the lead first will give you problems later in your writing. When you write the ending first you are determining what the ending will be as a writer.
This chapter does a great job of stretching the readers mind to all corners of narrative writing. The first paragraph that stuck with me was about a journalists reporting tools, a tool being the ability to observe a story and gather important details; “Other people see flies, a writer sees how they move”. This quote by william Ruehlman puts into perspective what you should be looking for as a writer. The second passage that I believe will be most beneficial to my personal writing is the descriptive techniques; “Too much description will clutter a story. Too little will leave the reader blank”. As someone who has the tendency to add a little more fluff and fancy words to my descriptions, I am paying close attention to this tip. Its bout finding a healthy balance and seeing if the story can describe itself in a way. Without needing to add descriptive detail yourself. Avoiding adjectives and using analogies when needed are places I am going to start.
One thing that I dound to be important was narrative writing. According to the textbook, narrative writing “is a dramatic account of a fiction or nonfiction story”. This was an important part of the chapter because it explains how writing through reporting and descriptive details enhances storytelling. Jeff Klinkenberg (Tampa Bay Times/St Petersburg Times writer) explains how he uses the five W’s to enhance his stories, which are the who (character), what (the plot), when (chronology), why (motive) and where (place). These five W’s help the audience get a better understanding and background o every story so they should be a crucial part in journalism.
Another thing that I ound interesting in this chapter was the storytelling structure section. This section explains the narrative story structure and how it is usually arranged in chronological order, with a beginning, middle, and end (usually known as the climax). Jon Franklin (a Pulitzer Prize winning writer) explains “Franklin says stories should be built around a complication and a resolution. In the middle is the development, how the central character gets from the problem to the solution”. I found this quote important because it is a good piece of advice for how to form a story around a character.
12 thoughts on “JOURNAL # 7”
Jadyn Stevens- Journal 7
I think this chapter details interesting aspects of narrative writing. One section that I think should be discussed is the one on descriptive techniques. It mentions various tips of things to avoid or include. The first suggestion was to avoid adjectives. It says to use nouns and verbs but avoid adjectives, as they are subjective to the writer. Another suggestion is to use analogies that might help a reader visualize the subject. It also says to limit physical descriptions unless they fit the story. It often makes it distracting and weakens the purpose of the story. An important note was to avoid descriptions that are sexist or racist. It takes away from the writing and includes a bias that is hurtful to some readers. The next tip would be to show people in action to keep the story engaging and effectively describe the scene. Finally, it is crucial to set the scene. Readers need to know where the story takes place. It helps them imagine the story in their head and keep them interested. I think this section would be very important to include in a class discussion. It provides a wide range of valuable information that would be helpful for the class when writing articles. Incorporating these techniques into our writing could be beneficial.
This chapter is extremely useful in regards to different forms of storytelling and techniques to help writers deliver a clear final product. One of the first ideas that stood out to me was the section on narrative writing, and how it is perceived in today’s world. This style of writing is a dramatic account of a nonfiction or fiction story. Thorough descriptive detail, dialogue, and reporting enhances the writer’s storytelling ability. In terms of the news, this style of writing makes the reader feel like they are on the scene. On page 180, paragraph 6, the author needed to make it a point to say, “But the story must include the basic factual elements of news.” Since the first day, we have learned how crucial it is to stick to the facts and not make our reports sound more like narratives. This idea is interesting to me for that reason, because now we are seeing how with extreme diligence, we can utilize narrative writing throughout the news.
It is also important to understand what different types of reporting tools there are and how they can enhance specific details within a story. Being a good reporter means that you can utilize observations to gather relevant and useful details. Even though you should take lots of notes during an interview, it is important that not all details are included, which will extend the length of your story, making it unappealing to some viewers. In the last paragraph on page 182, we learn about the ladder of details and what each step means. “To help you gather specific details, envision a ladder with rungs leading from general to specific. Start with the broadest noun, and take it to the most specific level, as in the adjacent diagram.” This diagram is going to be extremely useful especially when trying to tell a story in a certain amount of words. It is important to be as detailed as possible, but can be difficult under different word constrictions. I believe that utilizing this reporting tool will be important for everyone’s success in the class.
After reading only the first page, I feel that it had a lot of important elements to unpack. They brought up the idea of narrative writing. This is “a form of dramatic storytelling that reconstructs the events as though the reader were witnessing them as they happened.” This can be fiction or nonfiction writing, but it requires thorough reporting of descriptive detail. The book used the example written by Tom French, who wrote a 10-part series about Karen Gregory’s murder case. The way the French chose to release the information and write it made the public fascinated. It’s such a skill to be able to write in a way that draws people in, especially to the point of hooking readers that they are waiting each week to read more. I also thought the section on descriptive techniques was important. The way we phase topics has a lot to do with the flow of the overall story and keeping the reader interested. They were useful like avoiding adjectives, using analogies, limiting physical descriptions, avoiding sexist/racist descriptions, and setting the scene. Those are just a few of the topics they touch on but are key details to make an article or story better. Lastly, I found the latter details interesting. Good storytelling often requires using observation and gathering details. To help gather specific details, it is easier to envision a ladder with rungs leading from general to specific. You start with the broadest noun and then take it to the most specific level. This helps get your thoughts in order while also making sure you gather enough useful information.
This chapter gives great insights into multiple storytelling techniques that can help writers create clear and exciting stories. One idea that really caught my attention was the section on narrative writing and how it’s understood in today’s day and age. Narrative writing, for nonfiction or fiction, involves a detailed recounting of events, with vivid descriptions, dialogue, and reporting. This approach allows readers to feel immersed in the story as if they were right there on the scene. With that being said, on page 180, paragraph 6, the author emphasizes an important point: “But the story must include the basic factual elements of news.” From the very start, we’ve learned how crucial it is to stick to the facts and avoid turning our reports into more fictional narratives that later generations won’t be able to look back on reliably. Additionally, the chapter also discusses reporting tools, such as the “ladder of details” (page 182), which helps organize information from broad to specific. This is helpful for staying concise while adding factual, relevant details about the event. By using this approach, we can make our writing both informative and engaging while staying within word limits. Or more specifically as Professor Miller said in class, finding a way to write as little as possible with as much impact as possible. Utilization of these tools mentioned above is a great way to start on that path.
This chapter is discusses the different forms of storytelling and techniques that will help writers deliver a clear, final product. Something that stood out to me was when they talked about narrative writing. They discussed narrative writing and how the world views it. Some of the things that are included are: dialogue, descriptive detail, and reporting. These enhance the writer’s ability to tell their story. Something else discussed was the news. This form of writing takes a completely different perspective in how it makes the person feel as if they were there on the scene. This chapter also covers the various types of tools that are used and how good writers know how to utilize each tool for their stories. Different tools help create different stories, but can only be used to create a great story if they are properly used.
Chapter 10 had a lot of different aspects that were interesting and very compelling on how storytelling (different types) can impact a story. This is especially true in the sense of features or longer news stories. The development of narrative storytelling was very interesting, considering the way many people forget about how much is used and needed to encourage readers to continue finding stories. This reminded me of a book I read called In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, which follows this storytelling narrative for a crime story. Overall, getting the background on the very used technique was very interesting and good to know.
Another interesting aspect of this chapter was the in depth analysis of writing tools and use of specific word types. Mostly referring to the use (or not the use of) adjectives, within the textbook they stated the use of adjectives was inputting the reporters/writers views and opinions to the reader. Book suggested using more of a verb and nouns instead of the adjectives to describe and let the reader use those descriptors to interpret what has happened. This is very much something that I wanted to learn about because I tend to use very big and a lot of adjectives so this was very good for me to have an understanding about. Overall, this was very interesting and good to know tools.
I liked that this chapter was about narrative writing and how it blends the quality of reportative writing while also making it interesting and engaging. Some advice that was given about making the story engaging is getting every single detail possible such as sights, sounds, or smells. The fly example talks about how someone might just say a fly buzzing around, but a reporter sees what direction it’s going in and why, a reporter asks more questions to get the whole story. On top of that, more advice that was given specifically talks about word usage. A reporter wants to be accurate and tell the story thoroughly but can’t be overly descriptive to the point that there is clutter in the story. There needs to be some to give the reader some insight but there is a line when it becomes excessive, the reporter has to decide when does the description become necessary to the story. Another piece of advice about word usage was to avoid adjectives. Nouns and verbs are okay to get specific, but adjectives are word modifiers, and it runs the risk of inserting a personal opinion into the story. Something that the chapter said that’s good to add for more detail that is relevant and not excessive is an anecdote. A short anecdote can help put the story into perspective and give it more character.
An element I found important in this chapter was narrative writing. In the chapter it states narrative writing is a dramatic account of a fiction or nonfiction story. This type of story thrives with descriptive detail and thorough reporting. It is also very important to have dialogue, having dialogue will enhance the story. This relates to an article because getting quotes on the topic of the story enhances the story. Narrative writing for news reconstructs events to put readers in the scene, while also including basic factual elements of news. Tampa Bay Times/St. Petersburg writer, Jeff Klinkenberg sees the five W’s as: Who is character, What is plot, when is chronology, why is motive and where is place. Using this and weaving in facts adds a new element to stories.
A second element I found is creating a tone. While most hard-news stories have an absence of mood, feature stories should create a tone, or mood, like happiness, sadness, mystery, excitements, or any other emotion. Having the tone gives the reader the vibe of the story with outright saying it. They can tell by images, quotes, and style.
One section that I found useful in the chapter was the Report Tools section. In this chapter the book talks about how writers look at flies differently. In the chapter the book discusses how to properly kill a fly. Such a specific but interesting detail like that is a perfect example of information that could make your article unique or catch the readers attention. Being precise and writing notes is very key for that.
Another section that I found useful was the Reading to Write section. In this section they talk about how important it is to read as a writer. a good way to have your mind keep having ideas for your real life stories you have. French writers would do this and use these fiction techniques and use them for a non fiction story. I think this could be useful for anyone reading or writing because it’s good to see multiple styles of writings.
Something that I found interesting within this chapter was narrative techniques. When you are narrative writing you are combining a show in action description, dialogue, plot, and reconstruction of an event as it occurred. When writing this way you will need to make sure it is very clear where you got your information from because the attribute is limited. Although this is true you do not have to attribute repeatedly, you will need to do so periodically and when quoting sources. Before narrative writing even becomes an adoption you will need to do reporting thoroughly because it takes a different kind of questioning and information to recreate a scene with great detail. You will need to have the readers experience the event through sight, smell, hearing, and seeing.
Another thing that I found interesting was the storytelling structure. You will need to first get the focus of a narrative story. After, you can arrange topically, chronologically or in a literary plot. When reporters give a result instead of all the actions leading up to them you will miss the dramatic part of the story which will keep readers intrigued. Stories should be built around a complication and a resolution, the middle is the development, and how the character gets from the problem to the solution. It is important to consider that writing the lead first will give you problems later in your writing. When you write the ending first you are determining what the ending will be as a writer.
This chapter does a great job of stretching the readers mind to all corners of narrative writing. The first paragraph that stuck with me was about a journalists reporting tools, a tool being the ability to observe a story and gather important details; “Other people see flies, a writer sees how they move”. This quote by william Ruehlman puts into perspective what you should be looking for as a writer. The second passage that I believe will be most beneficial to my personal writing is the descriptive techniques; “Too much description will clutter a story. Too little will leave the reader blank”. As someone who has the tendency to add a little more fluff and fancy words to my descriptions, I am paying close attention to this tip. Its bout finding a healthy balance and seeing if the story can describe itself in a way. Without needing to add descriptive detail yourself. Avoiding adjectives and using analogies when needed are places I am going to start.
One thing that I dound to be important was narrative writing. According to the textbook, narrative writing “is a dramatic account of a fiction or nonfiction story”. This was an important part of the chapter because it explains how writing through reporting and descriptive details enhances storytelling. Jeff Klinkenberg (Tampa Bay Times/St Petersburg Times writer) explains how he uses the five W’s to enhance his stories, which are the who (character), what (the plot), when (chronology), why (motive) and where (place). These five W’s help the audience get a better understanding and background o every story so they should be a crucial part in journalism.
Another thing that I ound interesting in this chapter was the storytelling structure section. This section explains the narrative story structure and how it is usually arranged in chronological order, with a beginning, middle, and end (usually known as the climax). Jon Franklin (a Pulitzer Prize winning writer) explains “Franklin says stories should be built around a complication and a resolution. In the middle is the development, how the central character gets from the problem to the solution”. I found this quote important because it is a good piece of advice for how to form a story around a character.