Comments on: Finishing Strong – How to wrap up an article

By: Brandon

Brandon — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 00:03:07 +0000

Terreece,

I am a decent writer and would like to get into the freelance industry-especially after seeing the film Rules of Play. But the only experience I have is a single article I wrote for my university’s paper. I was told it was ok but I would like to make a supplemental income from the craft.

Any advice, any one?

Peace

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 22:35:26 +0000

I come from a newspaper background, so I was thinking the exact same thing that Phil wrote. The copy editors always cut from the bottom first! Of course, if you stick to your word or column inch limit, that’s less likely to happen.

But for online articles or other articles that don’t have such strict space requirements, I’m a big fan of a great sum-it-all-up quote. And also a “for more information, visit http://www.greatwebsiteformoreinfo.com” that will give the reader the opportunity to read more about the subject at hand.

“And that’s my favorite way to wrap up a story,” said writer Jennifer Larson.

By: Ed

Ed — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:29:55 +0000

Terreence – The inverted pyramid was designed for the print world, making it easy for editors to cut from the bottom and not risk deleting any important information. The risk when print journalist move online is mistaking all the added room for a reason to get sloppy with structure.

I always remember to think in essay form and try to use the last couple grafs to tie the conclusion back into my lede or nutgraf.

Along with tying your conclusion back into the overall theme, nonfiction online writers need to think short and too-the-point. This will also ensure people read every word you’ve written.

By: David Dittell

David Dittell — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 01:16:43 +0000

Terreece,

Absolutely true. When I was teaching essay writing as a part of my English classes, I always stressed that writing should leave the reader with a final thought or question — something that gets him or her to keep thinking about your argument even after it’s over.

If you’re afraid people are going to move on to the next thing without stopping to think about what you’ve said, concentrate on how you finish.

By: Chris

Chris — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 14:44:09 +0000

The last paragraph could be an excellent opportunity for that call to action, from a marketing perspective.

By: Terreece Clarke

Terreece Clarke — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 14:12:35 +0000

Hey Phil,

Hmmm…I think I was basically saying the same thing – that editors, both copy and section will drop the last paragraph or two for space which includes photos & whatnot. And we have a lot of newbies on the site, including those new to journalism and putting the inverted pyramid reference was more for them. I don’t believe I implied that there is more time for editing features – though there usually is – I was speaking more on how the article’s conclusion is less likely to be dropped for space issues.

By: Phil

Phil — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 13:48:29 +0000

I have to differ. I spent 13 years on daily newspapers, and have freelanced for a few since. Inverted pyramid style is journalism 101. Sometimes a photo, headline, or just bad pagination/layout will knock out a bottom paragraph or two. Or will cut before it hits that process. Editors don’t have time to search for a few lines to cut here and there. They will tend to cut from the bottom (after some tightening).

By the way, I was a defacto editor (due to union issues, the paper wouldn’t name me as such, but I handled all the duties) for a couple of years and had to make these decisions.

However, I do agree with the premise about features. They tend to have more time for editing, but even there, a final paragraph can get cut.