At some point along the way, people started following me in the different publications my words frequent. Every once in a while they'll add me on Facebook or Myspace, and even rarer I'll find bits of fan mail or a question in my inbox.
Sarah, who found me on Mookychick and then my Myspace page, wants advice on editorial and headline writing.
My advice for editorial writing is simple. Read Howard Troxler and Leonard Pitts, my favorite editorial columnists. (To be transparent, Troxler and I both write for the St. Pete Times. Although, that definitely doesn't put us on the same playing field.) Take note of their style and how they take timely issues and delve into the subject matter. Make sure you know how to report news, because that's the backbone of editorial writing. And, don't spit out what everyone else is saying. There's no point in writing an editorial piece if it says what's been said thousands of times before.
Writing good headlines is a thornier issue. I took a copy editing class that focused on headlines as part of the curriculum. We even had to count out the number of characters a headline would take up and fit into a specific space, which I think is a good exercise even for web writers. Add search engine optimization, web readers' habits and the difference between print and web headlines, and the topic becomes a tangled mess.
When writing for print, I would suggest playing with words as much as possible. Try to be punny.
When writing for the web, try to fit in key words about the editorial.
For example, if writing a headline for a piece on a fictional senator's double life, "Brennon Exposed" in giant letters would work. But, on the web site, "Senator Brennon under investigation for leading double life in St. Claire" would work better, because it gives readers a better idea of what's in the story.
If anyone else has suggestions for Sarah, please feel free to weigh in.
Comments