Regardless of whether you report the news for a digital media outlet or create advertisements for an agency, you will face the task of writing a news or persuasive piece for your employer or client. Getting started with that writing can present real challenges to your thinking and creative abilities. If you often have trouble getting started with a piece of writing, know that you are not alone.
Understand that media professionals use specific strategies to begin and organize their writing. These strategies must be simple and direct, because professionals face deadlines every day. They don’t have time to sit back and ponder their approaches. You can benefit from their professional experience when you adopt their strategic approaches to carry out your own writing projects. Using strategy to tackle writing enables you to work more effectively and efficiently.
When you begin to write, always first assess the situation for which you are writing. Here is a brief list of questions to ask yourself in this step to help define your situation: News versus persuasive writing: Am I writing a news story, an editorial, a public relations piece, or advertising copy? For example, if your editor asks you to observe a protest march by fast-food workers demanding higher pay, and to write a piece for the evening news, you will be writing a news story.