A Writing Tip from Journalism Professor Peter Jacobi

This morning, I open my e-mail and found a new massage from my friend with the subject: A Writing Tip from Journalism Professor Peter Jacobi.

I want to share this e-mail to you because I think this e-mail is very good for us.

The necessity of voice—with writing we cannot ever become someone else. Yes, we can learn much from other good writers and, I guess, from bad writers, too. We can emulate the good ones, but ultimately if we are to succeed, we must discover and disclose our own voice, our own sense of style, our own particular embrace of language and information.
Consider by way of explanation, by way of definition, these words: authentic, no formulaic, rhythmic, properly detailed, nuanced, musical, magical, bone-and-sinew touching. Consider the show-verses- tell concept. Consider noun-and verb-cantered writing. Consider experiential closeness. Consider the startling, the inescapable, the visual, the conversational, and the different with a purpose. Consider the vital and the energetic. Consider writing that pulses with a heartbeat of the writer—his soul, her personality—something that cannot be duplicated because it comes from within a someone.
This tip comes from a general session given by Peter at the Highlights Foundation Writers Workshop at Chautauqua. If you'd like to learn from Peter in person, join us for the 2008 workshop. Find out more at www.highlightsfoundation.org.
Please feel free to forward this e-mail to others who might want to see this writing tip.
Peter P. Jacobi is professor emeritus of journalism at Indiana University and a consultant with magazines and corporations, helping CEOs, writers, and editors learn to express their ideas more effectively. His articles have appeared in World Book, The New York Times, Highlights, and others. His two guidebooks, The Magazine Article: How to Think It, Plan It, Write It and Writing with Style: The News Story and the Feature are standard reference sources for journalists.
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