Product Description

Praise for the first edition includes: 'There are books that are badly written, books that are well written and books that you wish you'd written. This is one of the latter. Hicks and his co-writers produce a book that is a joy to read and is packed full of helpful advice' - Chris Frost, "Journalist". 'You don't have to be a journalist to read this book. Anyone with an interest in improving their writing skills and developing a sense of good style will find it useful. Wynford Hicks takes a no-nonsense, sleeves rolled up approach to writing which has no time for preciousness' - Roy Johnson, "Mantex". '"Writing for Journalists" neatly fills a gap in the market for a no-nonsense book for trainees written by trainers who genuinely understand the industry and who have moved with the times' - Sharon Wheeler, "Journalism Studies"."Writing for Journalists" is about the craft of journalistic writing: how to put one word after another so that the reader gets the message - or the joke - goes on reading and comes back for more. It is a practical guide for all those who write for newspapers, periodicals and websites, whether students, trainees or professionals. This revised and updated edition introduces the reader to the essentials of good writing. Based on critical analysis of news stories, features and reviews from daily and weekly papers, consumer magazines, specialist trade journals and a variety of websites, "Writing for Journalists" includes: advice on how to start writing and how to improve and develop your style; how to write a news story which is informative, concise and readable; tips on feature writing, from researching profiles to writing product round-ups; how to structure and write reviews; a new chapter on writing online copy; and a glossary of journalistic terms and suggestions for future reading.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #176912 in Books
• Published on: 2008-05-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

Review

'There are books that are badly written, books that are well written and books that you wish you'd written. This is one of the latter. Hicks and his co-writers produce a book that is a joy to read and is packed full of helpful advice.' - Chris Frost, Journalist

'You don't have to be a journalist to read this book. Anyone with an interest in improving their writing skills and developing a sense of good style will find it useful Wynford Hicks takes a no-nonsense, sleeves rolled up approach to writing which has no time for preciousness.' - Roy Johnson, Mantex

'Writing for Journalists neatly fills a gap in the market for a no-nonsense book for trainees written by trainers who genuinely understand the industry and who have moved with the times.' - Sharon Wheeler, University of Central England

`Writing for Journalists is a welcome addition to the "roll your sleeves up and get your hands dirty" school of journalism training.' - Sharon Wheeler, University of Central England

'Written for students of journalism and trainee journalists, this text is clearly written and well structured' - Book Aid International

From the Back Cover

Praise for the first edition:

'There are books that are badly written, books that are well written and books that you wish you'd written. This is one of the latter. Hicks and his co-writers produce a book that is a joy to read and is packed full of helpful advice.'

Chris Frost, Journalist

'You don't have to be a journalist to read this book. Anyone with an interest in improving their writing skills and developing a sense of good style will find it useful. Wynford Hicks takes a no-nonsense, sleeves rolled up approach to writing which has no time for preciousness.'

Roy Johnson, Mantex

'Writing for Journalists neatly fills a gap in the market for a no-nonsense book for trainees written by trainers who genuinely understand the industry and who have moved with the times.'

Sharon Wheeler, Journalism Studies

Writing for Journalists is about the craft of journalistic writing: how to put one word after another so that the reader gets the message – or the joke – goes on reading and comes back for more. It is a practical guide for all those who write for newspapers, periodicals and websites, whether students, trainees or professionals.

This revised and updated edition introduces the reader to the essentials of good writing. Based on critical analysis of news stories, features and reviews from daily and weekly papers, consumer magazines, specialist trade journals and a variety of websites, Writing for Journalists includes:

• advice on how to start writing and how to improve and develop your style
• how to write a news story which is informative, concise and readable
• tips on feature writing from researching profiles to writing product round-ups
• how to structure and write reviews
• a new chapter on writing online copy

About the Author
Wynford Hicks is the author of various books on journalism and writing including English for Journalists, now in its third edition, and Quite Literally: Problem Words and How to Use Them

Customer Reviews

Excellent advice - not just for journalists
More people than journalists need to write concisely and clearly. Hicks shows how to organise material, thoughts and logic into the production of text that people will want to read. At the same time, this book is a jolly good read, and I did so at one sitting. The examples that illustrate his points are well chosen. Wish I had been able to read this at school. Delightful to read a "how to..." book that in no way talks down to its readers. Also very clear from the first page what the writer will not cover. If in doubt, buy it. Having bought, use it. An excellent companion volume to Chris Browne's Journalist's Handbook - no overlap whatsoever.

Punchy & Precise: An excellent and informative read
As an aspiring journalist, I found this book both extreamly insightful as well as being both an interesting and entertaining read. The book flows from start to finish, with detailed yet easy to understand descriptions and examples of writing.

The book is up to date, and refers to papers such as the 'Guardian' and the 'Mirror' which makes it easier to see the ways of writing put to practise. The guide provides the reader with the crucial rules of good writing, including how to put a story together and WHAT you should be including and where. The '6 questions' - Who, What, How, When, Where and Why - taught me exactly this and are one of the most important details to include in every story.

Overall, I gave this book five stars - and it deserves each and every one!
I cannot recommend this book enough; and is a simple MUST for every aspiring journalist or anyone with an interest in the industry or english.

I'm now looking to buy the other's in the series (Reporting for Journalists, Interviewing for Journalists etc) as I thoroughly enjoyed the informative yet entertaining flare the book entails page to page.

Enjoy!

Well Written
Very informative, with many examples, makes this book very readable. The examples include newspapers and magazines, with critiques on composition and style.