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GENERAL STYLE OF THE COLUMN:Unified Style, Anecdotal Style, Departmental Style

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Feature and Column Writing ­ MCM 514
VU
LESSON 26
GENERAL STYLE OF THE COLUMN
Five General Styles
There are five general styles, employed in the column-writing. It now depends on the columnist to choose
and select the style of a column according to his aptitude, personality and attitude in close consonance
with the type of his column. The selection of an appropriate style also depends on the nature of material a
columnist desires to employ.
I) Unified Style
When a column is desired to be composed and written on a simple subject throughout, a columnist is said
to have utilised the unified style. As per unified style, such column is in fact an essay formally or
informally in order to attune his topic and approach. A unified style is generally used by the political
columnist, the sports columnist. These columnists used the unified style to discuss a single subject on
each day. It is also useful for those who cater to single-idea columns.
II) Anecdotal Style
In this style, a number of unrelated and related stories and a variety of observations are gathered in a
single column. These unrelated stories and varied observations however could bear no similarities and
have no bearing on each other. By anecdotal style, a columnist is able to include several subjects ranging
from six to ten anecdotes or observation in a single column. However he separates them from each other
by asterisks or by other typographical devices.
III) Departmental Style
When a columnist has arranged and managed such material, which can be easily divided and separated
into different departments, it is known as a departmental style. This style greatly assists in turning each
and every department interest absorbing one, easy to understand and handle. It is most effective for
random observation, little known information and provocative bits of news of general interest, which all
collectively make the columns most popular and generally practised. The departmental columns may be
given such names as, "in the mailbag", `lest we forget", "things to remember", and "Passing Parade".
Besides the departments may be separated by asterisks or some other typographical devices.
IV) Unrelated-facts-style
Under this style of column-writing, a columnist presents a mass of facts which have little or more bearing
on each other. In view of the diversity of material, this style serves the best purposes, by arranging and
presenting the facts without any apparent order. In order to make distinction among several unrelated-
facts, the columnist simply separates them with one or more periods. It is somewhat a pause, which
depends on the arrangement of the facts. A columnist usually enlivens and freshens the interest by variety,
surprise or by any other device.
V) Question-and-Answer Style
Under this style of column-writing, a columnist gives a question and then answers it. By this style, a
columnist makes the columns easy to understand and intelligible even to the general readers. This style of
writing a column gives ample opportunities to the columnist to raise questions of national and paramount
importance, and then answers them in easy and understandable style and language. In this way, a good
columnist paves the way for instruction, teaching and improving educational values and standard of the
general masses in an effective way.
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Table of Contents:
  1. IMPORTANCE OF LANGUAGE:Feature writing, Explanation of the definition
  2. SOURCES OF MATERIAL:Commemorations, Science and Technology
  3. INTERNET USAGE IN FEATURE WRITING:Be very careful, Website checklist
  4. WHAT MAKES A GOOD FEATURE?:Meeting demands of readers
  5. DEMANDS OF A FEATURE:Entertainment and Interest, Both sides of picture
  6. CONDUCTING AND WRITING OF INTERVIEWS:Kinds of interviews
  7. WRITING NOVELTY INTROS:Punch or astonisher intros, Direct quotation intros
  8. STRUCTURE OF FEATURES:Intro or Lead, Transition, Body
  9. SELECTION OF PICTURES, ILLUSTRATIONS AND MAPS:Sources
  10. FEATURES AND EDITORIAL POLICY:Slanting or angling feature
  11. HUMAN INTEREST AND FEATURE WRITING:Obtaining facts, Knowing how to write
  12. NEWSPAPER FEATURE STORY:The Business Story, The Medical Story
  13. THE NEWSPAPER FEATURE STORY IDEA:Conflict, Human interest
  14. MAGAZINE FEATURE VERSUS DAILIES:Feature versus Editorial, An overview
  15. WRITING THE SPECIALISED FEATURE STORY:The Deadline Feature Sidebar
  16. MODERN FEATURE AND ITS TREATMENT:Readers’ constraints
  17. MODERN FEATURE WRITING TECHNIQUE:The Blundell Technique
  18. ADVICE TO FEATURE WRITERS:A guide to better writing, Love Writing
  19. COLUMN WRITING:Definition, Various definitions, Why most powerful?
  20. COLUMN WRITING IN MODERN AGE:Diversity of thought, Individuality
  21. ENGLISH AND URDU COLUMNISTS:More of anecdotal, Letting readers know
  22. TYPES OF COLUMNS:Reporting-in-Depth Columns, Gossip Columns
  23. OBJECTIVES AND IMPORTANCE OF COLUMNS:Friendly atmosphere, Analysis
  24. WHAT ARE THE ESSENTIALS AND BASIC POINTS THAT GO IN TO THE FORMING OF A COLUMN?
  25. STYLE:General and a specialised writing, How can a columnist improve it?
  26. GENERAL STYLE OF THE COLUMN:Unified Style, Anecdotal Style, Departmental Style
  27. STRUCTURE OF A COLUMN:Intro or lead, Main body, Conclusion
  28. COLUMN WRITING TIPS:Write with conviction, Purpose, Content
  29. SELECTION OF A TOPIC:Close to your heart, Things keeping in Queue
  30. QUALITIES OF A COLUMN WRITER:Personal, Professional, Highly Educated
  31. WHAT MUST BE PRACTISED BY A COLUMNIST?:Pleasantness, Fluency
  32. SOURCES OF MATERIAL OF COLUMNS:Constant factors, Interview
  33. USEFUL WRITING DEVICES:Be specific, Use Characterisation, Describe scenes
  34. COMMON WRITING PROBLEMS:Eliminate clichés, Don’t misuse words
  35. WRITING THE COLUMN:Certain thumb rules, After writing the column
  36. ARTICLE WRITING:Introduction, Definition, Contents, Main Segments, Main body
  37. HOW TO WRITE AN ARTICLE?:It is more efficient, It is more believable
  38. TYPES AND SUBJECTS OF ARTICLE:Interview articles, Utility articles
  39. FIVE COMMANDMENTS, NO PROFESSIONAL FORGETS:Use Key Words
  40. ARTICLES WRITING MISTAKES:Plagiarising or 'buying articles, Rambling
  41. WRITING THE ARTICLE:Various parts of article, The topic sentence
  42. What to do when you have written the article?:Writing the first draft
  43. TEN STANDARD ARTICLE FORMATS:The informative articles
  44. LEGAL AND ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR WRITERS:Libel, Doctoring Quotes
  45. REVISION:Importance of language, Feature writing, Sources of material