Writing Coach

On this page, I want to share tips for good writing and talk about my approach as a writing instructor.

First, what is the anatomy of a convincing story?

I look to the WSJ's guide for a good description

Stage 1: Tease me, you devil (get me interested)
Stage 2: Tell me what you’re up to
Stage 3: Oh yeah? (prove it)
Stage 4: I’ll buy it. Help me remember

Source: William E. Blundell –Based on the WSJ Guide

Different types of journalistic writing

What distinguishes them?

Feature articles:

Have a creative take or “slower” lead into the main point vs. news
Have a beginning, a middle and an end
Aim to inform in an entertaining way
Must be convincing and structured
Usually no first person

Example: Solving financial illiteracy, CFA Magazine by Rhea Wessel

News articles:

Present new information first
Explain the who, what, where and when
Put the new information into context with a context graph
The corporate version of a “news” article is a press release
May follow the inverted pyramid structure

External example: Hillary Clinton has clenched Democratic nomination

Opinion articles:

Informs and persuades
May use first person
Must include convincing arguments
First-person or institutional view
May be blog style

External example: Scared by the news? Take the long view: Progress gets overlooked

My approach as a writing coach:

In my writing classes or coaching at German companies, I help people learn to take the journalistic approach, whether they are blogging for their company, writing articles for a customer magazine or creating web materials.

The focus is on how to structure material to tell better stories.

We discuss what makes a story engaging, how to find good stories and how to present them appropriately for the right audience.

My teaching:

Is adapted for specific needs of individual writers
Focuses on journalistic, narrative styles
Includes individual/and small-group coaching sessions
Can be live or via video
Involves hands-on editing
Focuses on improving texts that will actually be used by the client. The goal is to work with the writer to take texts to the next level – and to the finish line.