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Headlines
and Cutlines Headline writing tips 1. Get head ideas as you read story. 2. Tell story's essentials -- the parts that tell the main aspect of the story most fully. 3. Grasp the feature twist of the story, if there is one. 4. Get the facts straight. Make head specific, clear and unambiguous. 5. Write in present tense. 6. As much as possible put the key facts in the top line of the head. 7. Work on whole head unit at a time; an acceptable first line will not necessarily allow the whole story to be told in remaining space. 8. Heads are skeletonized sentences (subject, verb, object) and should retain that form. Drop out articles; do not use period at end; use a comma for "and"; and do without non-essential modifiers, including personal pronouns. 9. Make the line and thought break together. Avoid split verbs. 10. Quotes: Mayor: 'I quit!' (single quotation mark), or 'I quit!' — Mayor 11. Numerals instead of writing out numbers, even under 10.
Cutline writing tips 1. In present tense, explain action in photo, but avoid the obvious. Explain the unusual in the picture. 2. Use short, direct sentences. 3. Identify all people and key objects fully and clearly, from left to right (standard, so don't have to tell reader its left to right). Make sure names are correct and spelled correctly. 4. Might want to say when and where picture was taken. 5. Avoid adjectives that the reader should decide from looking at the picture. |
