Books that are difficult to read win literary prizes. But if you want everyone to read your work, don’t make it longer than it needs to be. Unnecessary words are being cleaned off a counter top. Illustration by News Decoder. Writers love words. But for every...
How we think about the world depends on history we have accepted as true. But that version of the past relies on stories based on partial truths. Two photos: On the left, by Yuganov Konstantin, a family celebrates Independence Day in the United States. On the right,...
So many news stories put people to sleep. To wake readers up, tell them a little story about one person’s experience. A grandfather telling a story to children. (Photo by Blue Cutler/Getty Images Signature) Has this happened to you? A parent or teacher started...
To inform people you need to first get their attention. In journalism that’s the job of “the lead.” But crafting it is difficult. A man gasps reading a newspaper. Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels Journalists are obsessed with leads. That was my...
A small grammatical error can cause a big misunderstanding. But there are many ways your story can be read in a way you didn’t intend. A man is late because he took a bottle of cabernet, instead of a cab. (Illustration by News Decoder.) Have you ever posted...