KUCHING: Capable and high spirited, the new generation of journalists in Sarawak today can take their careers to a higher level if they focus on improving their writing skills.
In pointing this out, media expert Dr Jeniri Amir said one of the traits of a successful writer was mastering the art of writing.
“Don’t write just for the sake of writing. To master the art of writing, writers must be disciplined and write regularly.
“A good writer should read widely not just news but also good novels, poems, dramas and non-fiction books on a variety of topics,” said the political analyst during a “Writing Effective Features Workshop” organised by Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) last Thursday.
“For a feature, the information must be organised properly to ensure the story flows accordingly.
“Each argument in the story should use ethos with details and information gathered from various sources to reflect credibility.
“Supporting materials using logos such as statistics, anecdotes, quotation will further strengthen the credibility.
“A good dose of emotions also helps stir the feelings of the readers,
“For example, humour, love or patriotism,” he explained, reminding writers to write clearly and objectively.
Before writing, Jeniri said writers should come up with powerful and interesting leads to grab the readers’ attention.
“A good lead gets the point across fast and arouses the curiosity of the readers at the same time,” he explained.
However, making an impactful lead is not easy.
“Finding a lead has remained one of the major challenges for most writers, including myself,” said Jeniri.
“The lead can be formed in many ways. You may begin your story by asking a question or with information and description, a direct quotation, a proverb or a poem.
“Or even a personal experience,” he elaborated, adding that the lead must enlighten readers with details and background of the story by using strong action verbs in a simple sentence.
“Avoid using jargon. If you use jargon, explain the meaning,” he said.
In short, an interesting story, Jeniri said, must revolve around a human interest story and update readers on news.
