Joyce Davis  On Writing


THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PRINT AND BROADCAST

I know this firsthand, because I've done some reporting for NPR myself. But I also worked with several reporters who came from newspaper. The most fundamental thing is writing so that you can say what you're writing. We go a little bit farther in NPR in that we want it to be conversational. It should be just as if you're talking to a friend about what happened that day. Now that'll vary, depending on the type of story, but basically we want an informal conversational easy-to-follow style. The real problem, if you get into the habit of writing for a newspaper, writing for print. The problem you have is that you have a tendency to write long sentences, with clauses. Whenever I see a "which" now for radio, I say, "Take it out and make it a separate sentence." Don't use the "which." Take out the "that is," I mean, just make it short sentences. Sometimes I have to make it...exaggerate it. Because it seems like reporters don't get it right away. They don't really realize that what they write for writing they can't say in speaking. And so, in fact, there was a little tip that somebody gave me, I don't remember who it was right off the bat, that said, "Say it as you're writing it." And if you can't say it as you're writing it, if it doesn't make sense, if it stops flowing, then you know that it's not working. But the biggest problem I have is the reporters who come from print just write the sentences too long. So by the time they get to the end of the sentence, they're blue!

STORY SHAPES

I kind of like the circle. I like the circle, the circle idea, because it lets you know that you really have told a story. It is over. You started here, and you bring me back to that point. It doesn't always have to be that way. Of course, one of the things, one of the basic things I like a story to do is, especially here for NPR which deals with analysis, is to tell me the fact, give me a little bit of the story, let the story develop, then at the end, really give me a conclusion. So what? Well, so this means that American taxpayers will have to spend five hundred dollars more a year to support the boys over in Somalia. An analysis, to conclude what you've told me, rather than just drop it off. Basically that kind of style. To really develop it, and also the analysis.

WRITING AND ANALYZING THE STORY

The idea of analysis was the most difficult thing for me to accept, coming from newspapers, that, I mean, for newspaper writing, there's a clear distinction. Are you writing a news story? Fine. Are you writing an analysis piece? Fine. That's different. Are you writing a commentary? That's different. So you have these clear differences. For NPR basically, I would say, especially on the foreign desk, and the types of stories we do, they are all analysis pieces. We don't like to throw information out there at you, and then not tell you in some context what that will mean for you, for the country, for the world. So all of our things, I would say, and to me, it's always drawing a fine line. Well, I always want the analysis to be an accumulation of what people have said. What observers have said, but not an opinion. There's a difference between opinion and analysis. I mean, an opinion is clearly stating one point of view. But analysis is compiling everything that you've told me, the facts, and say, "And here's what the experts, not necessarily me, here's what the experts make of this." And if it's a two-sided point of view, then you should say it. "Some say this could happen, some say the world will end because of this, and others say no, it'll go on for another 10 years." You decide.

LANGUAGE USE AND DEVELOPING YOUR OWN VOICE

Well, you know, first off, is say no clichés. Just get rid of them. You really, don't even try. Forget it, it doesn't work, although there are some of these people say that's not true, there are some reporters here who get away with it. I don't know how they do it, but by and large, the news people won't. So, that's the first thing. The other thing, you know, we like language that's conversational, that has a little tension, and a little bit of drama to it. I mean, you want people to really get into what you're saying, so you have to find a way to pull them in. Now I don't know how...it's hard to tell people how to do that, without actually sitting down with someone and going over the writing and getting them to say things in another way or getting them to really do a different turn of phrase, or use different words. Analyzing the sentences helps, looking at it and seeing if you can use a better verb, a more dynamic verb. Ted [Clark, of NPR] has a motto. His motto is "no adjectives." He doesn't like it at all. I don't buy that. Except you should keep adjectives to a minimum. There are other ways to tell the story than overdoing it with, "It was all so beautiful." I mean you don't really need...and the "very," you never use "very." Not "very beautiful" or "very good" or "very" anything. Everybody, in radio especially, or any of the semi-performance types of medium, you have to develop your own style. I can sit down with a reporter and write a wonderful script myself for them, and when they go to read it, it's not them. The best people in this business develop something that will let them express themselves. It's really their unique statement. And people, that really comes across on the air. You can't, if you can't allow yourself the freedom to be yourself, and to write for yourself, and to develop your own voice, I don't think it's going to translate to the listener.

WRITING FOR THE AUDIENCE

You know, that's very difficult for African Americans and that's one of the biggest things. Because you're so accustomed to trying to translate your thinking to another culture. We still have to learn to use the mainstream language. That's what I wanna tell you African American listeners. Yes, you have to learn to communicate yourself through the mainstream language. We all know there's another way, we all know there's another language, but if you're going to fit into this business, this is a society. You've got to find a way to express yourself so that everybody will understand you. Because the audience is primarily white America here. And I don't think we shall ever forget that there are others, and I try to keep that in mind. For example, even just in doing the Muslim stories, I was writing those stories not only for Christians and for Jews who I knew were listening, but I also was very well aware that Muslims were listening. And that helps shape how I write. So if we keep in mind the listeners, but we have a diverse group of people out there, I think it will help our stories, and it will make us be sensitive as well.