Letters:
• Put your name and
address on your letter use an “inside address”.
• Make sure to use
spaces where they are needed after each section in the letter.
• Do not repeat the
person’s middle name in the salutation (example of a WRONG salutation:
Dear Mrs. Angela Townsend”...) The reason is that you have already
put the name on the business paragraph heading above it. See the
“How to Write Business Letters” flyer.
• Instead of putting
your name on the piece, always put “Student Writer” or a line
as the byline.
• Spread the title
out above the story.
• When you use a photo,
the line under it needs to have the first line indented like a
paragraph.
• Use regular quotes.
• You may do two letters
if you want.
Feature
Articles:
• Give a source and
plenty of quotes in a feature article.
• List your source
information at the end of your feature article.
• You can use art or
an illustration along with the story. This makes it look better.
• Use a “Phat” quote
in the middle of the piece or wherever you want. It’s a quote
that is blown up big. See examples in class or in the newspaper
or magazines. You make your “Phat” quote by making a text box
in Microsoft Word and flowing the text around it. A “Phat” quote
makes your piece look more professional. See examples of “Phat”
quotes in newspaper or magazine stories.
• Instead of putting
your name on the piece, always put “Student Writer” or a line
as the byline.
Speeches:
• Check out the “Vital
Speeches” magazines that are in the room.
• Bring back the borrowed
“Vital Speeches” magazines, so that other people can borrow them.
• Make sure to address the occasion.
• Add an anecdote or
joke if you want to this can add to the speech
• Use small talk
at the beginning of a speech if you want. This can add to the
piece and make it more personal.
• A speech can also
be like an argument. You can use motivation and argument (present
your point of view).
• Some people say “thank
you” at the end of a speech, and some people don’t.
Other
important things to know:
• We are not doing
editorials this time in class.
• Improvements
in every piece: make
improvements in all the written pieces in your portfolio. Put
the old version and the new version(s) together when you hand
them in.
• Additions:
Add one paragraph per piece saying how
you changed each one. This will help with your Letter to the Reviewer
that you will do later.
• Spellcheck: Always run the spellcheck program on your pieces that
you have typed in Microsoft Word.
• Your vocabulary: notice the level of writing that you see when spellcheck
is over on the bottom of the dialog box. Using suitable, high-level
vocabulary can improve your piece and make it more interesting.
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