I would most like to improve...

My writing process for the writing I would most like to improve:

Seeing as how I would like to go into broadcasting, I would like to improve my writing for television broadcast. I currently am taking a course with the morning news anchor of KOAT-7 in Albuquerque, and I have found it very interesting to see how they write for television. When it comes to TV news, the entries have to be short, concise, and to the point. They have to hit all those points quickly. How quick you ask? Well 30 seconds. Ideally a little less than that.

So it's hard for me to come into a class like this one and write very descriptive and colorful things about restaurants around Nob Hill or how to market a class blog - then transistion into the writing style of TV news.

My process for writing in that class is to think of a creative means to hook someone that would hear about that story. I have to think about different leads for the article and if it would grab my attention if I had my back to the television. From there I look over the story and the main facts that need to be presented. I look to see if it's necessary for names to be named in the story. I look to see if any quotes need to be inserted into the story, and so on.

From there I have to write a short 4 sentence paragraph describing an event that most newspapers write about three times of information on. I make sure my writing is in the right voice (active voice is key in broadcast writing), and I make sure I have zero typos.

And all of this could probably become stronger through repetition. I find some stories are easier to recap than others. So that could be a big part of it too.

All in all, I would like to perfect this art because in TV, no matter what you're doing whether it being the anchor at a local news desk or the commentator for Game 7 of the World Series.. it is pivotal that you're able to write in this format.

- Brent Booher