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How to Speak and Write Correctly
CHAPTER XII
WRITING FOR NEWSPAPERS
Qualification--Appropriate Subjects--Directions
The newspaper nowadays goes into every home in the land; what was
formerly regarded as a luxury is now looked upon as a necessity. No
matter how poor the individual, he is not too poor to afford a penny
to learn, not alone what is taking place around him in his own
immediate vicinity, but also what is happening in every quarter of the
globe. The laborer on the street can be as well posted on the news of
the day as the banker in his office. Through the newspaper he can feel
the pulse of the country and find whether its vitality is increasing
or diminishing; he can read the signs of the times and scan the
political horizon for what concerns his own interests. The doings of
foreign countries are spread before him and he can see at a glance the
occurrences in the remotest corners of earth. If a fire occurred in
London last night he can read about it at his breakfast table in New
York this morning, and probably get a better account than the
Londoners themselves. If a duel takes place in Paris he can read all
about it even before the contestants have left the field.
There are upwards of 3,000 daily newspapers in the United States, more
than 2,000 of which are published in towns containing less than
100,000 inhabitants. In fact, many places of less than 10,000
population can boast the publishing of a daily newspaper. There are
more than 15,000 weeklies published. Some of the so-called country
papers wield quite an influence in their localities, and even outside,
and are money-making agencies for their owners and those connected
with them, both by way of circulation and advertisements.
It is surprising the number of people in this country who make a
living in the newspaper field. Apart from the regular toilers there
are thousands of men and women who make newspaper work a side issue,
who add tidy sums of "pin money" to their incomes by occasional
contributions to the daily, weekly and monthly press. Most of these
people are only persons of ordinary, everyday ability, having just
enough education to express themselves intelligently in writing.
It is a mistake to imagine, as so many do, that an extended education
is necessary for newspaper work. Not at all! On the contrary, in some
cases, a high-class education is a hindrance, not a help in this
direction. The general newspaper does not want learned disquisitions
nor philosophical theses; as its name implies, it wants news, current
news, interesting news, something to appeal to its readers, to arouse
them and rivet their attention. In this respect very often a boy can
write a better article than a college professor. The professor would
be apt to use words beyond the capacity of most of the readers, while
the boy, not knowing such words, would probably simply tell what he
saw, how great the damage was, who were killed or injured, etc., and
use language which all would understand.
Of course, there are some brilliant scholars, deeply-read men and
women in the newspaper realm, but, on the whole, those who have made
the greatest names commenced ignorant enough and most of them
graduated by way of the country paper. Some of the leading writers of
England and America at the present time started their literary careers
by contributing to the rural press. They perfected and polished
themselves as they went along until they were able to make names for
themselves in universal literature.
If you want to contribute to newspapers or enter the newspaper field
as a means of livelihood, don't let lack of a college or university
education stand in your way. As has been said elsewhere in this book,
some of the greatest masters of English literature were men who had
but little advantage in the way of book learning. Shakespeare, Bunyan,
Burns, and scores of others, who have left their names indelibly
inscribed on the tablets of fame, had little to boast of in the way of
book education, but they had what is popularly known as "horse" sense
and a good working knowledge of the world; in other words, they
understood human nature, and were natural themselves. Shakespeare
understood mankind because he was himself a man; hence he has
portrayed the feelings, the emotions, the passions with a master's
touch, delineating the king in his palace as true to nature as he has
done the peasant in his hut. The monitor within his own breast gave
him warning as to what was right and what was wrong, just as the
daemon ever by the side of old Socrates whispered in his ear the
course to pursue under any and all circumstances. Burns guiding the
plough conceived thoughts and clothed them in a language which has
never, nor probably never will be, surpassed by all the learning which
art can confer. These men were natural, and it was the perfection of
this naturality that wreathed their brows with the never-fading
laurels of undying fame.
If you would essay to write for the newspaper you must be natural and
express yourself in your accustomed way without putting on airs or
frills; you must not ape ornaments and indulge in bombast or
rhodomontade which stamp a writer as not only superficial but silly.
There is no room for such in the everyday newspaper. It wants facts
stated in plain, unvarnished, unadorned language. True, you should
read the best authors and, as far as possible, imitate their style,
but don't try to literally copy them. Be yourself on every
occasion--no one else.
Not like Homer would I write, Not like Dante if I might, Not like
Shakespeare at his best, Not like Goethe or the rest, Like myself,
however small, Like myself, or not at all.
Put yourself in place of the reader and write what will interest
yourself and in such a way that your language will appeal to your own
ideas of the fitness of things. You belong to the _great_ commonplace
majority, therefore don't forget that in writing for the newspapers
you are writing for that majority and not for the learned and
aesthetic minority.
Remember you are writing for the man on the street and in the street
car, you want to interest him, to compel him to read what you have to
say. He does not want a display of learning; he wants news about
something which concerns himself, and you must tell it to him in a
plain, simple manner just as you would do if you were face to face
with him.
What can you write about? Why about anything that will constitute
current news, some leading event of the day, anything that will appeal
to the readers of the paper to which you wish to submit it. No matter
in what locality you may live, however backward it may be, you can
always find something of genuine human interest to others. If there is
no news happening, write of something that appeals to yourself. We are
all constituted alike, and the chances are that what will interest you
will interest others. Descriptions of adventure are generally
acceptable. Tell of a fox hunt, or a badger hunt, or a bear chase.
If there is any important manufacturing plant in your neighborhood
describe it and, if possible, get photographs, for photography plays a
very important part in the news items of to-day. If a "great" man
lives near you, one whose name is on the tip of every tongue, go and
get an interview with him, obtain his views on the public questions of
the day, describe his home life and his surroundings and how he spends
his time.
Try and strike something germane to the moment, something that stands
out prominently in the limelight of the passing show. If a noted
personage, some famous man or woman, is visiting the country, it is a
good time to write up the place from which he or she comes and the
record he or she has made there. For instance, it was opportune to
write of Sulu and the little Pacific archipelago during the Sultan's
trip through the country. If an attempt is made to blow up an American
battleship, say, in the harbor of Appia, in Samoa, it affords a chance
to write about Samoa and Robert Louis Stephenson. When Manuel was
hurled from the throne of Portugal it was a ripe time to write of
Portugal and Portuguese affairs. If any great occurrence is taking
place in a foreign country such as the crowning of a king or the
dethronement of a monarch, it is a good time to write up the history
of the country and describe the events leading up to the main issue.
When a particularly savage outbreak occurs amongst wild tribes in the
dependencies, such as a rising of the Manobos in the Philippines, it
is opportune to write of such tribes and their surroundings, and the
causes leading up to the revolt.
Be constantly on the lookout for something that will suit the passing
hour, read the daily papers and probably in some obscure corner you
may find something that will serve you as a foundation for a good
article-- something, at least, that will give you a clue.
Be circumspect in your selection of a paper to which to submit your
copy. Know the tone and general import of the paper, its social
leanings and political affiliations, also its religious sentiments,
and, in fact, all the particulars you can regarding it. It would be
injudicious for you to send an article on a prize fight to a religious
paper or, _vice versa_, an account of a church meeting to the editor
of a sporting sheet.
If you get your copy back don't be disappointed nor yet disheartened.
Perseverance counts more in the newspaper field than anywhere else,
and only perseverance wins in the long run. You must become resilient;
if you are pressed down, spring up again. No matter how many rebuffs
you may receive, be not discouraged but call fresh energy to your
assistance and make another stand. If the right stuff is in you it is
sure to be discovered; your light will not remain long hidden under a
bushel in the newspaper domain. If you can deliver the goods editors
will soon be begging you instead of your begging them. Those men are
constantly on the lookout for persons who can make good.
Once you get into print the battle is won, for it will be an incentive
to you to persevere and improve yourself at every turn. Go over
everything you write, cut and slash and prune until you get it into as
perfect form as possible. Eliminate every superfluous word and be
careful to strike out all ambiguous expressions and references.
If you are writing for a weekly paper remember it differs from a daily
one. Weeklies want what will not alone interest the man on the street,
but the woman at the fireside; they want out-of-the-way facts, curious
scraps of lore, personal notes of famous or eccentric people,
reminiscences of exciting experiences, interesting gleanings in life's
numberless by-ways, in short, anything that will entertain, amuse,
instruct the home circle. There is always something occurring in your
immediate surroundings, some curious event or thrilling episode that
will furnish you with data for an article. You must know the nature of
the weekly to which you submit your copy the same as you must know the
daily. For instance, the _Christian Herald_, while avowedly a
religious weekly, treats such secular matter as makes the paper appeal
to all. On its religious side it is _non-sectarian_, covering the
broad field of Christianity throughout the world; on its secular side
it deals with human events in such an impartial way that every one, no
matter to what class they may belong or to what creed they may
subscribe, can take a living, personal interest.
The monthlies offer another attractive field for the literary
aspirant. Here, again, don't think you must be an university professor
to write for a monthly magazine. Many, indeed most, of the foremost
magazine contributors are men and women who have never passed through
a college except by going in at the front door and emerging from the
back one. However, for the most part, they are individuals of wide
experience who know the practical side of life as distinguished from
the theoretical.
The ordinary monthly magazine treats of the leading questions and
issues which are engaging the attention of the world for the moment,
great inventions, great discoveries, whatever is engrossing the
popular mind for the time being, such as flying machines, battleships,
sky-scrapers, the opening of mines, the development of new lands, the
political issues, views of party leaders, character sketches of
distinguished personages, etc. However, before trying your skill for a
monthly magazine it would be well for you to have a good
apprenticeship in writing for the daily press.
Above all things, remember that perseverance is the key that opens the
door of success. Persevere! If you are turned down don't get
disheartened; on the contrary, let the rebuff act as a stimulant to
further effort. Many of the most successful writers of our time have
been turned down again and again. For days and months, and even years,
some of them have hawked their wares from one literary door to another
until they found a purchaser. You may be a great writer in embryo, but
you will never develop into a fetus, not to speak of full maturity,
unless you bring out what is in you. Give yourself a chance to grow
and seize upon everything that will enlarge the scope of your horizon.
Keep your eyes wide open and there is not a moment of the day in which
you will not see something to interest you and in which you may be
able to interest others. Learn, too, how to read Nature's book.
There's a lesson in everything--in the stones, the grass, the trees,
the babbling brooks and the singing birds. Interpret the lesson for
yourself, then teach it to others. Always be in earnest in your
writing; go about it in a determined kind of way, don't be
faint-hearted or backward, be brave, be brave, and evermore be brave.
On the wide, tented field in the battle of life, With an army of
millions before you; Like a hero of old gird your soul for the strife
And let not the foeman tramp o'er you; Act, act like a soldier and
proudly rush on The most valiant in Bravery's van, With keen, flashing
sword cut your way to the front And show to the world you're a _Man_.
If you are of the masculine gender be a man in all things in the
highest and best acceptation of the word. That is the noblest title
you can boast, higher far than that of earl or duke, emperor or king.
In the same way womanhood is the grandest crown the feminine head can
wear. When the world frowns on you and everything seems to go wrong,
possess your soul in patience and hope for the dawn of a brighter day.
It will come. The sun is always shining behind the darkest clouds.
When you get your manuscripts back again and again, don't despair, nor
think the editor cruel and unkind. He, too, has troubles of his own.
Keep up your spirits until you have made the final test and put your
talents to a last analysis, then if you find you cannot get into print
be sure that newspaper writing or literary work is not your _forte_,
and turn to something else. If nothing better presents itself, try
shoemaking or digging ditches. Remember honest labor, no matter how
humble, is ever dignified. If you are a woman throw aside the pen, sit
down and darn your brother's, your father's, or your husband's socks,
or put on a calico apron, take soap and water and scrub the floor. No
matter who you are do something useful. That old sophistry about the
world owing you a living has been exploded long ago. The world does
not owe you a living, but you owe it servitude, and if you do not pay
the debt you are not serving the purpose of an all-wise Providence and
filling the place for which you were created. It is for you to serve
the world, to make it better, brighter, higher, holier, grander,
nobler, richer, for your having lived in it. This you can do in no
matter what position fortune has cast you, whether it be that of
street laborer or president. Fight the good fight and gain the
victory.
"Above all, to thine own self be true, And 'twill follow as the night
the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man."