Good Reading Makes Good Writers
Journalism 407 Winter 06
Professor: Teresa Allen
Office Hours: Email/Telephone: tallen@calpoly.edu/ 756-2682
Classroom Courtesy: No ringing cell phones or eating. Coming late disrupts the flow of the class. Please be on time.
Prerequsite: 203 and junior/senior level
Required Texts
Words’ Worth, Terri Brooks
AP Stylebook
Various handouts from the instructor
Course Overview: Your previous classes in news writing and editing will provide a solid journalism foundation to help move you to the advanced writing techniques of this course, and in particular, how to successfully craft both short and in-depth or longerversion pieces of non fiction and pitch it to an appropriate publication. Class time will be spent working on writing lessons under my supervision as well as reading and critiquing industry work, and discussing such elements of writing as voice, style, use of language and command of various lead writing and story structure techniques. While the thrust of this course is writterly by definition, many of the tools and techniques you learn here can be applied to media work industry-wide.
Expected Outcomes: More versatility and confidence in your writing abilities and technique, as well as the honing of such important writing tools as interviewing techniques, source gathering and management, and efficient web research.
Course Requirements: You will be required to write (and rewrite in some cases) three features stories to spec-1) a news-feature; 2) an in-depth personality profile; 3) a “special interest” article with query letter to an appropriate publisher. You may rewrite, within 2 weeks of its return to you, story # 1 and #2. You also may be assigned such additional class work as shorter-format stories, exercises/reading exams/lead work and other assignments (in and outside of class). You will be asked to keep notes on assigned reading and turn in as part of your work portfolio. These assignments will be marked off or assigned a grade by me and you will keep in a portfolio. The portfolio will be submitted at the end of the quarter and given an overall grade. Failure to meet a deadline will, at the minimum, reduce your assignment grade by one full point (for example, from a B to a C grade). Failure to meet a second deadline can earn you an “F” grade” for that assignment.
Attendance: You are required to attend every class session and roll will be taken. Excused absences are rare, but I’m willing to listen. In any event, you must contact me prior to the anticipated missed class. Class work cannot be made up for an unexcused absence.

Final: You are required to be in class for our assigned final. Plagiarism: As you know, this is copying the words, ideas and thoughts of another persona and claiming them as your own. It is putting your name on work that someone else did. At minimum, plagiarism will result in an "F" for that assignment and possibly dismissal from class.
Grading Breakdown
Article 1: 20%
Article 2: 30%
Article 3: 30%
Class Portfolio: 20% (including final, assigned classroom work and also a grade for preparation and participation in class discussion of readings)
Deadline for Feature Articles
1. Jan. 24
2. Feb. 23
3. March 9
All reading is assigned the week before it is due. All reading should be completed by the beginning of Tuesday class unless otherwise directed. Tentative schedules follows with adjustments (announced in advance) depending on class progress.
1.
Week of Jan 2 (Tuesday & Thursday)
Feature Writing Overview : How is feature writing different from basic journalism?
Discussion of longer stories, story structure and lead work. Generating story ideas.
Reading (for Thursday class): Class textbook (“Feature Writing”), Chapter 1 “The
Newspaper Feature Story,” p. 1-22; FW: Chapter 2 “The Newspaper Feature Story Idea” pp. 37-43;
Reading for next week: Tuesday: FW: “Writing the Lead,” pp. 186-206. Handouts.
2.
Week of Jan. 9 Lead work : when and how to use them (anecdotal, descriptive, quotes, tease, zinger). Reading (for next Wednesday): “Siamese Twins” Bella Stumbo (handout);
FW: “Interviewing for Newspaper Feature Stories” pp. 139-164.
3.
Week of Jan. 16
Interviewing Techniques I . Intro to writing a profile. Reading for next week: Chapter 5
Wordsworth, “Quotes”; “Murder or Madness” Allen/handout.
Due Article 1 (News Feature)
4.
Week of Jan. 23
Quotes/Transitions/Reading next class: Mrs. Kelly’s Monster” “Voice”
Words’Worth.

5.
Week of Jan. 30
Interviewing Techniques II
The difficult interview, ethics and sources, how far to go.
Reading next class: Joan Didion “Salvador (handout), “He Leaped and Lived”; Words’
Worth, “Description” Detail assignment.
6.
Week of Feb. 6
Discussion of “Description: based on Didion’s “Salvador” and “He Leaped and Lived”; discussion of detail assignment .
Work on second writing assignment in class under my supervision. Readings to be announced. Intro to “special interest”
7.
Week of Feb. 13
Color, Scene-setting, Narrative leads
Discussion of “special interest” story proposal.
Readings to be announced.
Due: Nov. 1 Article 2 “Profile”
8.
Week of Feb. 20
The Art of Writing Transitions
Work on special interest story in class
Reading: Words Worth, Chapter 7 “The Weave” and FW: Chapter 9, “Writing and
Rewriting Like a Pro,” pp. 285-304.
9.
Week of Feb. 27
How to edit feature work /Critiques of leads and nut-graphs re final story.
10.
Week of March 6
Writing
Due: Story #3