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THE WRITING STYLES: REPORT and NARRATIVE WRITING, SHORT REPORTS

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Journalistic Writing ­ MCM310
VU
LECTURE 25
THE WRITING STYLES: REPORT and NARRATIVE WRITING
REPORT WRITING:
Reports are orderly and objective communication of factual information that serves some specific
purpose.
1. MANUSCRIPT FORMAT
The manuscript format must be presented in the following order:
1. Flap
2. Title page
3. Abstract
4. Acknowledgement
5. Table of contents
6. Table of illustration
7. Introduction
8. Findings
9. Conclusion
10. Recommendations
11. Appendices
12. References or Bibliography
13. Footnotes
14. Index
SHORT REPORTS:
These are two types: Memo and Letter type.
Actual difference lies in the body of this document.
Body of short report:
1. Terms of reference
2. Procedures
3. Findings
4. Conclusion
5. Recommendations
Do not use the automatic formatting features of your word processor such as endnotes, footnotes, headers,
footers, boxes etc.
Provide appropriate headings and subheadings as in the journal. We use the following hierarchy: BOLD
CAPS, bold lower case, Plain Text, Italics.
Cite illustrations in numerical order (fig 1, fig 2 etc) as they are first mentioned in the text.
Tables must be embedded where cited in the text.
89
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Journalistic Writing ­ MCM310
VU
NARRATIVE WRITING:
Narrative writing tells a story. In essays the narrative writing could also be considered reflection or an
exploration of the author's values told as a story. The author may remember his or her past, or a memorable
person or event from that past, or even observe the present.
When you're writing a narrative essay, loosen up. After all, you're basically just telling a story to someone,
something you probably do every day in casual conversation. Use first person and talk it through first. You
might even want to either tape record your story as if you were telling it to someone for the first time or
actually tell it to a friend.
Once you get the basic story down, then you can begin turning it into an essay. If you feel that you lack
life experience, then you may choose to write about someone else or write about an observation you've made
about a recent event. You could write about your children, your parents, or your favorite sport or hobby. The
important aspect to remember is that you should have a story. In a successful narrative essay, the author
usually makes a point.
Features
1. The story should have an introduction that clearly indicates what kind of narrative essay it is (an
event or recurring activity, a personal experience, or an observation), and it should have a conclusion
that makes a point.
2. The essay should include anecdotes. The author should describe the person, the scene, or the event
in some detail. It's okay to include dialogue as long as you know how to punctuate it correctly and as
long
as
you
avoid
using
too
much.
3. The occasion or person described must be suggestive in that your description and thoughts lead the
reader to reflect on the human experience. For instance, I read an excellent student essay that told
the story of a young woman forced to shoot several wolves that were attacking her cattle. She told
her story and included the inner struggle she faced as she made the choice of saving the cattle or
saving the wolves. She shot the wolves, but learned that whatever her choice had been, she would
not have been comfortable with it. One of life's lessons is that sometimes there is no right choice,
and
that
was
the
point
of
the
essay.
4. The point of view in narrative essays is usually first person. The use of "I" invites your readers into
an
intimate
discussion.
5. The writing in your essay should be lively and show some style. Try to describe ideas and events in
new and different ways. Avoid using clichés. Again, get the basic story down, get it organized, and in
your final editing process, work on word choice.
www.rscc.cc.tn.us.
Source:
www.purdue.edu
90
Table of Contents:
  1. INTRODUCTION TO JOURNALISTIC WRITING:Practical, THINGS TO KNOW
  2. QUALITIES OF GOOD WRITERS
  3. QUALITIES OF GOOD WRITERS
  4. QUALITIES OF GOOD WRITING:Achieve appropriate readability:
  5. QUALITIES OF GOOD WRITING:Be concise, Be creative, Be correct
  6. THE PROCESS OF WRITING:INVENTION, WHEN YOU START TO WRITE
  7. THE PROCESS OF WRITING II:ORGANIZING, DRAFTING, REVISING
  8. ALL ABOUT WORDS:HOW WORDS ARE FORMED?:SUFFIXES
  9. DICTIONARY-A WRITER’S LANGUAGE TOOL:KINDS OF INFORMATION
  10. PARTS OF SPEECH:Noun Gender, Noun Plurals, Countable Nouns
  11. BASIC CLAUSE PATTERNS
  12. ACTIVE AND PASSSIVE VOICE
  13. MODIFIERS AND SENTENCE TYPES:COMPOUND SENTENCES
  14. REPORTED SPEECH:Indirect Questions, Direct commands
  15. GRAMMATICAL SENTENCE – ISSUES:SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT
  16. GRAMMATICAL SENTENCE – ISSUES II:SENTENCE FRAGMENTS
  17. EFFECTIVE SENTENCE:PARALLELISM, NEEDED WORDS, SHIFTS
  18. STYLE: GUIDELINE AND PITFALLS I:COLLOQUIAL VS FORMAL, CIRCUMLOCUTION
  19. STYLE: GUIDELINE AND PITFALLS II:AMBIGUITY, REDUNDANCY, EUPHEMISM:
  20. PARAGRAPH WRITING: TYPES AND TECHNIQUES:STRUCTURE
  21. PARAGRAPH WRITING: TYPES AND TECHNIQUES:Putting on Our Play
  22. ESSAY WRITING:VARIOUS STRATEGIES FOR ESSAYS, PROMPTS
  23. SIGNAL WORDS:Non word Emphasis Signals
  24. EXPOSITORY WRITING:LOGICAL FALLACIES, APPEAL TO EMOTION
  25. THE WRITING STYLES: REPORT and NARRATIVE WRITING, SHORT REPORTS
  26. THE WRITING STYLES: DESCRIPTIVE AND PERSUASIVE WRITINGS, Observation
  27. RESEARCH WRITING AND DOCUMNETING SOURCES:Handling Long Quotations
  28. Summary and Précis Writing:CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD SUMMARY
  29. Punctuation:THE PERIOD, THE COMMA, THE SEMICOLON, THE COLON
  30. MECHANICS:ABBREVIATIONS, NUMBERS, SPELLING, THE HYPHEN
  31. READING SKILLS FOR WRITERS:EDUCATED READING, STEPS
  32. PARTS OF A NEWSPAPER:Box-out, By-line, Caption, Exclusive, Feature
  33. THE LANGUAGE OF THE NEWSPAPERS II:BROADSHEET NEWSPAPER
  34. News Writing and Style I:WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A NEWSPAPER
  35. NEWS WRITING II:Accuracy, Clarity, Style, Qualities of Effective Leads
  36. EDITORIAL WRITING:WRITING AN EDITORIAL:STRUCTURING AN EDITORIAL
  37. WRITING FEATURES:GENERATING FEATURE STORY IDEAS
  38. WRITING COLUMNS:Column and a news report, Purpose, Audience
  39. WRITING ARTICLES FOR NEWSPAPERS:The Heading, The Lead
  40. WRITING ANALYSIS:purpose, scope, method, results, recommendations
  41. LETTERS TO EDITORS:Four important aspects about letters, Organizing letters
  42. BROADCAST AND WEB NEWS WRITING:WRITE CONCISELY, BROADCAST STYLE
  43. WRITING PRESS RELEASE, REVIEWS AND OBITUARIES:Summary of Content:
  44. THE ART OF INTERVIEWINGS
  45. FINAL THOUGHTS:Practical, Job-Related, Social, Stimulating, Therapeutic