Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1862-11-05
Writing for the Press.

Never write for newspaper or maga-
zine simply for the sake of seeing YOUR
self in print. or for the qualification oi
any merely personal feeling. The object
of these publications Is to amuse, instruct
and enlighten the public, and not to
I pInder or crafty individual vanity, re-
sentme.. or malice; though, 1t must be
confess, g, they are sometimes perverted
to these ends. Feeling quite sure that
you have something to say that il will
be worth while for the public to read, set
yourself about putting it on paper as
clearly, compactly, and pointedly as pos
sible. Waste no time and space in max
ing apologies for your lack of education.
experience, or literary skill. in tlattering
the editor. or in praising his interesting
and valuable paper" If you feel that
the apologies or the praise are really call
ell for. put them, by all means, into a
separate note, addressed to the editor.
Do not assume that because you have
Something important to communicate, it
Is necessary TO write long article. A
tremendous thought may be packed
into a small compass-made as solid as a
cannon bali, and, like that projectile, cut
down all before it. Short articles are
generally more effective, find more read
ers, and are more widely copied than
long ones. Pack your thoughts close together,
and though your article may be brief, it
will have weight, and be more likely to
make an impression. ''Ye who write for
this busy age" " says late writer, ''sDeak
quick; use short sentences; never stop the
reader with long or ambiguous word;
but let the stream of thought flow right
on, and men will drink it like water"
When you have said all that is necessa-
ry to say, stop at once. Every sentence
that you add will detract from the effec-
tiveness of your article, and from its chan
ces of getting into print. Now 90 careful
ly over your piece, cut out, unsparingly,
every word and sentence that does not
add to the sense, or is irrelevant to the
subject. Having done this. and made
such corrections and improvements, in
phraseology and construction, as may
suggest themselves to you, proceed to
make fair copy for the press. Very
few persons, not writing by profession
land such we do not address, can write
well enough for publication without 60
ing over the article twice at least.
n making your copy for the press, write
CAAAf CAA oAAC S4NiC VI NOuI AL tA-
ceptiOn to this rule may be made in favor
OF short articles, TO be sent by mail, which.
by writing on both sides, can be compris-
Ell of single sheet, and thus double post
age avoided. But there should be no
crowding of lines or words in order to get
upon a single page what should fill two.
should not be sacrificed to
economy of space or time. Write good,
plain hand, whether illustrious examples
of contrary practice may be quoted,
and you will escape, in great measure,
at least, the modification of seeing your
misprinted. Be particularly cCirettI
iH 'crttng proper names and toreg7, or technical
terms.
An article for news paper or magazine
should be commenced by writing the title
or caption some distance below the top
of the first page. and in larger letters
than the body of the article If your
initials only are to be inserted. it is better
to placed them at the end of the COM
Commence the first line of
each paragraph sufficiently far from page
to indicate clearly your intention If in
revising manuscript you desire to make
where no division was original
y intended, mark the place plainly with
the proper sign 60
When you find it necessary to expunge
4 word or sentence, be careful to do it |
sfsetually with the pen. If you have oc-
,asion to supply an omitted word, or to ]
change one word for another, write it |
carefully just above the line to which it |
belongs, and place a caret (A) below
The letters of the same syllable must al |
ways be written in the same line; and /
when word is divided, by placing one or
more syllables in one line, and remainder
N the next, hyphen } must always be
placed at the end of the former line In
'eading over your composition after it
las been copied for the press, observe
carefully whether the is are all dotted,
md the is all crossed; whether the capi-
al letters are rightly used; and whether
t is properly punctuated. Editors can
lot undertake to return articles which
hey decline publishing. They do this
n special cases. but request to that
fleet must accompany the manuscript.
Life Illustrated.