W. S. CHAPMAN by W. S. Chapman

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Aug 4, 1910

W. S. CHAPMAN

By W. S. Chapman

Writing for the Press—No. 1

W. S. CHAPMAN

It has always been, seemingly, a perplexing question to prepare articles on religious subjects for the secular press in such a way as to insure their insertion. Possibly failures result, as a general thing, not so much from a lack, in the eyes of editors, of intrinsic value in the contributions themselves, as because of fatal defects in the composition and the arrangement.

If a few simple, fundamental principles are understood and followed in writing on a religious topic for a secular, or news, paper, it will seldom occur that the article will be declined. It is a fact that although hundreds of such manuscripts are yearly submitted to editors (said manuscripts often containing the very matter desired by them, which they would be glad to publish), only a few are ever accepted, or can be, because written in a manner which would make their use unprofitable or impracticable.

The writer must be brief—must study to be terse and laconic in the formation of every sentence—for two reasons:—

First, because a newspaper depends upon its advertising for its support; and an editor will not admit, to the columns of his paper, articles which, because of their length, may force him to trench upon his advertising space.

Second, because the advertising patronage depends upon the popularity of the publication with the reading public. To retain and increase the popularity of his paper is ever the uppermost thought in the mind of the editor. To this end, therefore, he seeks to present in each issue as great a variety as possible of what he believes will prove acceptable matter. To accomplish this he is compelled to select short articles, that there may be many of them, that every reader may find something satisfactory to himself, personally. Therefore, as a rule, beyond a single leading article, all else is condensed to the smallest possible extent, unless of extraordinary value as news matter.

Because of these two facts, the most prominent and fundamental principle to bear in mind, when writing for newspapers,

is this—to let each and every paragraph in the article be so complete in itself (or with those which precede it) that, if necessary, the editor can cut out all that follows any special paragraph, and still have as readable and interesting an article to publish as if the entire communication had been used.

But to enable one to prepare an article in such a manner, other fundamental principles governing the composition of newspaper stories must be understood and applied.

Any article appearing in a newspaper, other than editorial matter, is called, in newspaper parlance, a “story.” The construction of a newspaper story, however, differs radically from a story prepared for a literary publication; and it is mainly because writers on religious subjects almost invariably fail to comprehend this difference, that their manuscripts are so persistently and generally declined.

Everything printed in a literary publication is to be considered from the story standpoint, invariably; but everything printed in a newspaper, including its editorials, is to be considered as, and is, news—pure and simple. Therefore a story written for a magazine must be written from a magazine-story standpoint, but a story written for a newspaper must be ever written, without any exception, as a news item—pure and simple.

More than this: it must be so written that the editor can condense down to a stickful or two, if necessary, yet retain its value as a news item; or expand it, with flaming headlines, if he so desire, and the needs of the hour demand, without any rewriting or editing on his part.

Short stories in both magazines and newspapers deal with a single incident, or happening, giving the details which will enable the reader fully to understand the occurrence. The effort of the magazine writer is so to tell the story as to keep his reader ever in suspense, with his curiosity unsatisfied, until a climax is reached, and the real point at issue (concealed all along) is suddenly and surprisingly presented.

Not so the story writer for the press. He studiously avoids leaving his reader a moment in suspense. He aims to state the facts—present the climax—in the opening paragraph; then he follows with details. In the second paragraph the main items may be given, in a general way; in the next succeeding, more fully, and with added minor details; following these will come explanations, possibly criticisms and suggestions, if the subject warrant these, leaving the editor free to cut out whatever he wishes, and yet retain the “story” as a news item. Such an article, so prepared, one that can be cut to suit “space,” is not very likely to be declined.

Camp-meeting sermons, reported verbatim, and covering several sheets, closely written, are terrible apparitions to a busy and perplexed editor. A camp-meeting reporter ought to be able to restate the points of discourses so tersely as to give, briefly, in a single opening paragraph, as an item of news, the salient points of the arguments used. This will leave room not only for amplification in succeeding paragraphs, for the benefit of interested readers, yet giving the busy man the facts in a nutshell at the beginning, but will enable the writer to present the “news” of the camp in closing remarks—all so arranged that the editor can cut as he desires, yet leave the article intact as a valuable news item.

As the eye of a weary editor would catch the “newsy” opening and closing paragraphs, his O. K. would follow as he murmured, “Good stuff,” and framed his display head from the facts given in the opening and closing sentences of the contribution.