As a writer, it’s often easy to feel overwhelmed by all the writing tips out there. However, I learned that embracing how to write like a journalist helps me approach my writing in a whole new way, more effectively reach readers, and level up my credibility.
Journalistic writing is a completely different style from creative writing, memoir writing, and thriller writing. Journalism mainly focuses on facts while creative writing largely focuses on craft.
I spent years studying creative writing under a New York Times bestselling author, so to me, craft was king. While craft matters, learning how to write like a journalist can improve your writing craft in ways you never imagined.
We’ve taught over 8,000 authors how to write, publish, and market their books over the last 10 years and today, we turn our attention to teaching you how to write like a journalist.
Let me just tell you up front: this writing style is great for all authors to learn so you know how to cut all but the most necessary parts out of your writing. Let’s talk about how to write like a journalist, why you should learn this style, and tactics to do so.
How to write like a journalist: what you learn
- What is a journalistic style of writing?
- How do journalists write so well?
- How to learn to write like a journalist?
What is a journalistic style of writing?
Journalistic style writing is a writing style that focuses on reporting accurate, objective facts with precision. These reports often center around news stories. For the most part, journalism requires writers to cut any and all fluff to make sentences straightforward and to the point.
More than anything, journalism is meant to inform readers. While some pieces may be more entertaining than others, objective fact should always take precedence.
Almost all journalistic writing puts the hook (also called the lede) right up front so readers are immediately clear on why they should care about your story.
This differs from other kinds of writing where there is a slow build up to the overall plot structure and storyline. Bear with me, because learning to write like a journalist will help you become a better writer by articulating your hook and drawing readers in.
Whether or not you want to pursue journalism, knowing the basics of this writing style will help you in your own fiction and nonfiction writing.
How do journalists write so well?
Learning how to write like a journalist and write well means focusing on the clarity of your message and precise verbiage.
Not only do journalists have to lay out the facts of a story, but they must do so in a way that shows readers why they should care about the story at all. Journalism often relies on brevity of words and powerful one-liners that use this brevity to pack a punch.
Because of this, learning how to write like a journalist enables you to also learn a different perspective than you learn with other types of writing.
Journalists should constantly ask themselves, “How can I get readers to care about this story?” A journalist’s job is to tailor their writing to hook readers, therefore putting the readers first instead of their own thoughts as a writer.
This is sage advice, and advice my writing mentor constantly reiterates. “Put the reader first” is his writing mantra, and one we can all benefit from implementing.
But a second reason why journalists write so well is because they have learned to analyze their own writing. They make conscious effort to notice where they include unnecessary words and write from angles that immediately draw in readers and keep them hooked.
Sound familiar? These are the pillars of creative writing as well. With this groundwork laid, let’s get into how to write like a journalist and apply it to your own writing.
How to learn to write like a journalist?
You can learn how to write like a journalist by following the nine steps below.
1. Articulate your main points
The first step to learning to write like a journalist is to learn how to research your main points so you can articulate them to yourself before drafting.
All quality journalism comes from the foundation of research. This idea applies to fiction as well. If I am writing a fiction story, my research can come in the form of worldbuilding, plotting, and crafting character backstories.
2. Find the most important information
Journalists always lead with the most important information and basics that the reader needs to know. No matter what kind of story I write, knowing my main hook will help me draw in (and keep) readers. I need to ask, What’s my premise? Why does it matter to readers?
3. Choose the best lede
In journalism, it is important that every story starts with a lede. A lede is the summary of the most important aspects of the story and answers the five w’s of any story: who, what, where, when, and why.
A lede is foundational to any kind of writing: you want to orient the reader and help them understand what is happening as soon as you possibly can.
4. Cut the fluff
Learning how to write like a journalist can be summarized in three words: cut the fluff. With the 20th anniversary of the film Pride & Prejudice, I found myself rewatching both the 2005 and 1995 versions.
While both have a special place in my heart, I couldn’t help but notice the tight, evocative lines in the 2005 version. It’s runtime is 2 hours and 8 minutes.
Comparatively, the 1995 version comes in at 5 hours and 27 minutes. While it delves into more backstory of the characters, the ongoing monologues and extensive conversations did not draw me in like the 2005 version.
Learning how to write like a journalist will help teach you how to include the most important information with brevity and punchiness.
5. Keep readers invested
In journalism, most of the information is up front, allowing people to read a few sentences to know the basis of the whole story. This should entice readers with what’s to come in your story, while laying the groundwork for what has taken place up until this point.
Keep readers invested by including more details, background, and information as the story continues. My writing mentor calls this “layering” information in, rather than information dumping in the beginning.
Share what’s necessary. Layer in the rest.
6. Read great journalism pieces
One of the best ways to learn how to write like a journalist is to read great journalism:
- Search for some of the best and most famous pieces throughout time
- Read pieces from the major journalism publications today
- Subscribe to your local paper
As the saying goes, all great writers are great readers!
7. Use credible quotes
Quotes are key in journalism. They add credibility and substance. Even in fiction writing, you can include quotes from key characters that others reference throughout.
Consider Gandalf’s quotes in The Lord of the Rings (which I love!). People still quote this character seven decades after he was first introduced to the world. Try brainstorming what quotes you may want to use as you plot your novel.
8. Become a ruthless editor
Always go back to a piece you think is done to spot more fluff you can cut. Great journalism is built on the back of great editing.
Great editors can help bring out the best in a piece, cutting the rest. You might even experiment with cutting huge parts of your writing completely and see if it makes the piece stronger.
As an editor, I’ve cut thousands of words from manuscripts. As a writer, I’ve cut thousands of words from my own writing. It’s tough, but it’s worth it!
The 2005 Pride & Prejudice cut roughly 3 and 1/2 hours of content and still is a beloved film.
9. Tighten until you can’t improve
Have I mentioned the role editing plays in learning how to write like a journalist? At the risk of being redundant while talking about the power of editing, tighten your manuscript!
As my mentor says, “All writing is rewriting.” He says to keep editing until you are no longer making the manuscript better, but simply changing it.
How to write like a journalist: take your next step
Now that you know how to write like a journalist, use our free resource below and jump start your author journey today!
This blog was rewritten from the original version published by Jackie Pearce.
