When you are ready to write an article or script for a podcast or video, you turn your raw materials — the data you’ve extracted from reports, the notes from your interviews, the photos you’ve taken — into a first draft. But note this: First drafts are ugly. They become better with revisions. Good storytellers often revise their drafts multiple times before it is ready to be published, posted, or broadcast.
Regardless of your medium, drafting always involves constructing a story with fundamental elements. To help you we have put together these resources:
- How to write a news story
- The difference between a school essay and a news story
- 5 tips for writing a great article.
Your target length should be between 700 and 1500 words. Cite authoritative sources and hyperlink to those sources where possible. Include full-sentence quotes from your interviews and adhere to the maxim “show don’t tell”: let your reporting show readers what you want them to know rather than telling them directly.
Don’t worry about making your draft sound perfect. The final draft will invariably look different from the first version. Rather, concentrate on summarizing the key points of your research and reporting, starting with the most important points near the top.
Keep it simple. Write short sentences; later, they can be made more elaborate. Paragraphs should be no longer than two sentences; this ensures the story moves along briskly. Your article should total no more than 40 sentences.
Look at past articles we’ve published by young people. Get a feel for the style and tone of this content and try to replicate it in your own work.
Write to be read
How to make sure the article you write is interesting to read? Marcy Burstiner, Editor-in-Chief of News Decoder, a global news site for young people, will share her tips on writing a story that keeps the audience engaged till the end.
More writing tips
You have a story idea. Now what?
There is a story you want to tell. But how do you convince an editor to green light it? That’s the art of the pitch.
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No matter how careful and talented a writer you are, you want an editor to give your story a careful reading. Here’s what a difference an editor can make.
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A book without dialogue is a slog to read. So is a news story. But once you get quotes from an interview what do you do with them? Here’s a quick guide.
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