WISC-TV

Love/Hate Relationship With Famous Quotes

Garth Beyer

A couple posts ago I shared content from a handout given by Adam Schrager, WISC-TV. He quoted Mark Twain for saying “I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time.”

That quote was actually written by Blaise Pascal. Not Mark Twain.

There’s an entire faction of study that seeks confirmation of who said what in the history books. It’s all fascinating of course; it’s something I love about famous quotes, but it makes me wonder why any journalist would consider using a respectable quote from the past to strengthen their writing.

Couldn’t Schrager have just said, “it’s worth taking the time to make a letter shorter.” Schrager is already a credible source to be making that statement. Why credit someone else? Especially someone who never even said it.

Even when considering using quotes that are verified, perhaps any Winston Churchill quotes. They are all solid. They are all persuasive and informative. Certainly many of them pack a punch. But still, could you not write it better? Could you not angle it in a way that is more comprehensible for readers of this time and accept the credit you deserve for stating it in such a way?

We can’t keep living in the press of the past, no matter how well spoken people were at the time. And, quite plainly, if I wanted to read what Winston Churchill, Mark Twain, or whoever is wrongly attributed to a famous quote has to say, I’ll pick up their books.

But when I pick up your writing, I want to read your writing.

/rant

Small Words To Communicate Large Ideas

Garth Beyer

The following seven lessons are courtesy of Adam Schrager, WISC-TV

1) One-to-one Relationship: For example, if your mother, father, or roommate asked you, “What happened in class today?” Chances are you wouldn’t answer, “Well, the guest speaker clearly articulated the proper procedure on how to write for the broadcast audience, underscoring the significant and substantive differences between it and the written world for print journalism.” No, hopefully, you’d say something like, “We had a reporter in to discuss how to write for television news.” Write the way you talk.

2) KISS Principle: Keep it simple, stupid. Mark Twain loved to say if he had more time, his books would have been shorter. Simplicity does NOT mean stupidity. To explain the difficult simply is an art form.

3) Be concise: Preferably, one thought per sentence. That’s how people speak.

“It has often been said
there’s so much to be read,
you never can cram
all those words in your head.

So the writer who breeds
more words than he needs
is making a chore
for the reader who reads.

That’s why my belief is
the briefer the brief is,
the greater the sigh
of the reader’s relief is.” – Dr Seuss

4) Avoid jargon/euphemisms: Why would you say, “Airline officials blamed a lack of visibility for the crash,” when you really mean, “Airline officials blame the crash on thick fog.” Why say, “Ford reports that automotive production declined last month,” when you really mean,” Ford officials say the company made fewer cars last month.”

5) Make a commitment: you should be able to state your story in a single sentence with a subject, ver, and object. Everything else, all the details, should flow from there.

6) Activate your sentences: Write in the active voice; use action verbs. For example, why write “The man was arrested by deputies after smashing pumpkins,” when you could write, “Deputies arrested the man for smashing pumpkins.”

7) Write to enhance, not to describe: In broadcast journalism, we see the pictures. We know what we see. Enhance what I’m seeing with something I can’t see, don’t tell me what I’m seeing.