A Step in the Write Direction
June 15, 2015
Update: Not
much news to report. Daughter and family completed their move to Texas and
yesterday was their first Sunday in their new church. Daughter said service was
AWESOME!... Had annual physical last Friday; everything great, but my doctor did
order an MRI on my shoulder (which the orthopedic office didn’t). That will be
tomorrow morning, so hopefully they can find a reason for the pain….Shipping
books out today for the Kentucky conference June 25-27. Will enjoy a visit with
my brother and wife in Tennessee first.
Thought for
the Day: "God has put a dream inside
you. It's yours and no one else's. It declares your uniqueness. It holds your
potential. Only you can birth it. Only you can live it. Not to discover it, take
responsibility for it and act upon it, is to negatively affect yourself as well
as all those who would benefit from your dream" (John C. Maxwell Put Your Dream To The
Test).
Song for
the Day:
My Jesus, as Thou wilt. Oh, may Thy will be
mine!
Into thy hand of love I would my all
resign.
Thro’ sorrow or thro joy, Conduct me as Thine
own.
And help me still to say, “My Lord, Thy will be
done.”
Benjamin Schmolck, “My Jesus, as Thou Wilt”
Laugh for
the Day:
"What do
you mean," roared the politician, "by publicly insulting me in your
paper.
I demand a public apology."
"Just a
moment," answered the editor, "we printed the item exactly as you gave it to us,
that you had resigned your office."
"I know,"
the politician replied, "but why put it in the column under 'Public
Improvements'?"
Writer’s
Tips: Writing for Newspapers
(continued)
Stringer
Many newspapers cannot afford a full-time staff to cover all the
local news so they hire a “stringer”—someone they can send out to cover a human
interest story. These stories can be on any subject. For example, if you’re
interested in writing church news, not just from your church but other churches
in the area, let the editor know you’re available.
I received a call one day saying, “We have a fellow who does chalk
drawings and illustrates the pastor’s sermons. Would you like to interview him?”
The newspaper provided the photographer.
I recall one conference workshop I attended titled “Getting the
Gospel Message to the Secular World.” A young man in the class brought a
scrapbook of stories he had sold to a St. Petersburg, Florida, newspaper. These
were human interest stories with a Christian slant. The one I remember most was
about how a teen’s faith in God brought him through his father’s
murder.
One year four couples in our church celebrated their wedding
anniversaries the week of Valentine’s Day. The length of their marriages ranged
from fifty-six to sixty-four years. I called the religion editor and asked if
she was interested in a story on these couples. She said, “Great, and we’ll send
out a photographer.” The story appeared as a full-page spread in the Sunday
newspaper. I had asked each couple, “To what do you attribute your long
marriage?” Each answer included something about their faith in God, church
activities, praying, and reading the Bible together. I heard comments on that
article from people I knew would not pick up a religious
magazine.
In writing these stories, remember to use the pyramid structure
you learned in your English or journalism class in which you give all the
important facts first in case material is cut due to space limitations. In the
above story, the editor deleted the last paragraph giving the names of the
fourth couple’s children and the number of their
grandchildren.
Many church activities never make it into the local paper because
either the editor doesn’t have anyone to cover the story, or the church has no
one qualified to write it. This includes such things as Christmas or Easter
cantatas, concerts, a new pastor or staff member, vacation Bible school,
missionary speakers, and so on.
You can also cover other community events. What about school
activities such as concerts and programs, or stories about special students or
teachers? Or, if you’re a sports fan, you can send in reports on school games
and local adult softball, basketball, football, or soccer leagues. Organizations
also like publicity, especially for fund-raisers.
As you can see, possibilities abound. Editors look for qualified
people to write these stories. Why not you?
Have
a good week spreading the
gospel
through the printed page.
Donna
Clark Goodrich
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