How to Embrace Your Creativity As a Journalist
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I applied for journalism school with a spoken word video I created for a high school English project, and I was terrified. In the back of my mind, I was thinking ‘The J-School will think I don’t understand what journalism is because this is all imaginary.’ Then, on orientation day, my broadcast instructor said something I continue to keep in my mind to this day— If anyone tries to tell you journalism is not creative, they’re wrong.
Before I dive into how you can tap into your creative mind when journalistic writing, it’s important to first understand your limits. Journalism is non-fiction — it’s about real people just like you. If you’re working in news, you’re likely writing several articles a day on a time crunch. Writing based on facts is the most important thing, so be sure not to go overboard with the creative style that you’re twisting the truth. If you’re in doubt, cut it out.
Ultimately, journalism is storytelling. When you’re writing, think about yourself as the consumer. Would you want to read your stories every day if they all sound the same? Probably not. Readers often don’t get all the way through articles, and a lot of the times they don’t even click past the headline. As a journalist, you want to aim to get them to read the whole story.
Straightforward headlines don’t have to be boring. If it’s a lighthearted story, try adding in a subtle pun. Alliteration and rhyming are also great to make the headline more catchy. But my favorite way to do this is by incorporating a short, precise quote, particularly if it conveys emotion. You just spent hours of your time interviewing, transcribing and writing a story — Don’t throw it away with a headline the public might not click on.
Instead of: Bee hives stolen from rural Saskatchewan keeper
Try: Rural Saskatchewan beekeeper stung by hives theft
Instead of: Salon donates to local hospital for cardiac equipment
Try: Getting glam and giving life: Salon donates service fees to local hospital
The lede (the journalism spelling of ‘lead,’ which is the first line) is also important to catch the attention of your readers. If you’re learning how to write news or stumped on how you want to start, I always follow ‘someone is doing something because.’ But often I like to write what I call a pre-lede. This is where you’ll want to describe the scene, describe a person or bring forward a small detail that might otherwise go unnoticed. After you’ve done this, get straight to the point by describing what’s happening and why.
Instead of: A former correctional officer is launching his debut book.
Try: [Name] used to drive past the jail and think about how much it would hurt to get caught in the razor ribbon lining the chain-link fence.
Continue to bring the reader in the scene throughout the article, but again, don’t go overboard. Take note of your five senses. If you have a few minutes to spare at an event, sit down and write what you see, hear and smell. If the person you interviewed laughed or smiled after a quote you used, say that. If they got teary-eyed, make the reader aware of it. It gives them more insight into the subjects’ personalities and emotions.
You’ll mostly apply these tips when you’ve interviewed people in person and/or were at a live event. Of course, there’s a time and a place to write simple, straightforward news stories, such as rewriting a press release without doing any interviews. But if you’ve had the chance to meet someone or go somewhere, bring your readers into that scene or make them feel like they’ve also met that person.
Writing creatively is a must for magazine or feature articles. Readers definitely won’t get through a piece that’s thousands of words if you don’t capture them with imagery and personality. You’ll also want the last sentence or paragraph to leave the reader with something to linger on and remember into the future. You can come full circle and end similarly to how you began the story or you can use a powerful quote, for example.
Embrace your creative writing skills even when it comes to journalism and non-fiction. You’re still a storyteller, and your articles will be noticeably more compelling if you take the time to incorporate these tips.
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About Jayda Noyes
Jayda Noyes is a journalist in Saskatchewan, Canada, but has been a lover of creative writing for much longer. She’s fresh out of university with a bachelor's degree in journalism, and now writes for a small city's daily newspaper. While she's passionate about giving others a voice, creative writing is how she gives herself one. She shares her poetry on Instagram and her website connecting and drawing inspiration from other creators.