Habits of Good Writers

Posted by Jill Van Wyke
Jan. 26, 2012

In chapter 4 of “Coaching Writers,” Clark and Fry identify 15 habits of many strong writers. Strong writers:

1. see stories everywhere.
2. prefer their own ideas.
3. report voraciously
4. agonize over leads.
5. immerse themselves in their story.
6. “bleed” rather than “speed.”
7. take time to organize.
8. rewrite and rewrite and rewrite.
9. trust their ears and feelings more than their eyes.
10. love to tell stories.
11. remember the reader.
12. take chances.
13. devour books and movies.
14. write too long — and they know it.
15. guide the reader to the end.

Carefully reread Clark and Fry’s descriptions of these habits. Do you recognize yourself in any of them? Which ones? Are their traits on this list that you wish were a habit of yours? How would they make your writing life easier/better?

Post your original response by 6 p.m. Sunday. 

Then, return to this post to read/respond to your classmates’ responses before Tuesday morning. 

How does this coaching stuff work?

Chapter 3 in “Coaching Writers” deals with specific strategies for working with writers. What struck you as novel, revelatory or worthwhile in this chapter?

For me, it’s a sentencd in the “Editing Side by Side” sidebar on page 31: “Failure is normal and instructive.” That sure isn’t the way this perfectionist was raised. But I like Murray’s notion that “writing is experimental. We don’t know what works until we try it.” I need to embrace this more in my writing. And in life.

Coaching vs. Fixing

Our media editing class is reading “Coaching Writers” by Roy Peter Clark (@RoyPeterClark) of the Poynter Institute and Don Fry (@donaldkfry), a long-time writing coach. We are reflecting on what it means to “coach” a writer and on the differences between editors who “coach” and editors who “fix.” The students in the class are posting their responses to the following questions, but we invite anyone to join our conversation.

1. Thinking of editing as “coaching” is probably a new idea to many of us. We’re usually trained, through English and journalism classes, to think of editing as “fixing” and “cleaning up.” Sometimes journalists new to the idea of coaching greet it with skepticism. Is “coaching” a novel concept to you? And if so, what do you think of it? Is it realistic? Worthwhile? Could you apply it to your experiences in class, with campus media,or in an internship? What questions do you have about how coaching might work?
2. Think about your experience with editors (or with teachers who have graded your journalistic writing). Were they primarily “coaches” or “fixers”? Give examples of the kind of feedback you received from them, and what you learned from that feedback. Which kind of editor did you prefer? If you have done some editing, which kind of editor are you? Which kind do you want to be? If you share unhappy tales of an editor or teacher, please don’t include their names. Feel free, however, to name the editors you praise.

Welcome to Media Editing (J70)

Posted by Jill Van Wyke

First day of J70, fall 2011. Don't they look nervous?

Welcome back to Drake! I hope you all had a relaxing break. I’m looking forward to a great semester in J70, Media Editing, one of my favorite classes to teach.

This blog will serve three purposes for us this semester:

1. a repository for information about the class (syllabus, assignments, announcements);
2. a platform to discuss assigned readings  and current industry trends
3. a playground for you to explore and experiment with writing for a blog, and to learn the technical skills of posting to a blog.

New Message: You’re Hired

by Emily Tozer

As college students, especially in the school of journalism, we know how to use social media. We know why we should be using it, how various companies and publications are using it, and how its use has grown exponentially in the past few years. We know to clean up our profiles or timelines to keep it professional, and what the consequences might be if we do not. But have you ever thought of using your Facebook account to score your dream job?