People do not have all day to read the paper so you will have to grab their attention right away with your first paragraph. Otherwise they will quickly move on to the next article.
Step 1
Get an idea in mind to write about. Make sure it is something interesting and worth writing about.
It should be something you are interested in and something you know a little bit about already.
Step 2
Locate some people that are willing to talk to you about your chosen subject. Go to the library if you have to and do some research for your story.
Step 3
Write down a lot of notes. This way you will not forget any thing.
Step 4
Make sure you have spelled every one’s name correctly before you put it in the story. Confirm all your “Facts” and make sure they are all true.
Step 5
Start writing. In a news article you usually write the most important point of your story in the first or second paragraph. So write the most important point first. Don’t make it too dramatic or humorous. This is not that kind of story. Keep it serious and to the point. People are not reading the news for entertainment. Only make the paragraph a few inches of news paper print long. If you need to write a really long paragraph, break it up into several short paragraphs.
Step 6
In the next paragraph, write your second most important point. Then you keep going down like that, third most important fact in the next paragraph, etc.
Step 7
As you are writing, try to keep it interesting and easy to read all the way through. Don’t use any really big words that people will have to run to the Dictionary and look up. If you have to use a technical term or a big word that most people will not understand, put a short definition in parentheses next to it.
Step 8
You will want to make it at least 12 inches of print in the paper. Preferably longer. So make sure it is long enough.
Step 9
Make sure your story flows smoothly. If you start talking about a local store that was robbed today, then you start talking about the car dealer down the road who is ripping people off, people will get confused and your story will not make sense.
Step 10
Make sure you take your time on it. Include all the facts and just the facts. Inserting another person’s opinion is sometimes OK, but never include your own personal opinion in the story.
Step 11
Proof read your story and make sure you didn’t forget any relevant details. Make sure your most important points are at the top and least important facts are at the bottom. Make sure it is coherent.
Step 12
Type it on your computer and send it to the editor of the paper that you want the story printed in.
Some times if you write a letter to the editor, they will want the story about 250 words or less, or they will not print it.
Don’t forget to use spell check.
Written by davida8575