If there’s one thing those in the creative field can agree on, it’s that writers’ writing habits vary wildly from person to person. We come from different backgrounds and branches within the creative world, which is bound to influence how we put words down on paper or on a screen.
My writing has changed a lot over the years. I have written two-minute broadcast scripts, website content, newspaper pieces and press releases. So, my writing is adaptable, which has its advantages for employment.
Of all the things I’ve written though, my favorite was when I wrote my weekly mini newscast for about five years. As part of my job as a Producer/Reporter for a school district here in south Texas, I created a three to four minute newscast where I shared the biggest news of the week for our students, staff and community. I loved doing it because it’s where I started to find my voice. I had so much fun with my writing, added as many puns as I wanted— there were a lot— and had a blast delivering it to our online audience. Because I wrote it in a conversational tone as opposed to a stereotypical newsy one, more people were able to relate to it. A few months in, I actually had people commenting how many puns they heard on that week’s episode, which was such a fun bonus for me, and my boss who loved the extra engagement.
But as it happens, my newscast came to an abrupt end because of the pandemic and I had to transition to writing press releases and 40-page handbooks about our district’s COVID-19 procedures, updates and safety measures from the safety of my home.
One thing I haven’t lost since my days at the college newspaper, though, is following the AP Stylebook. While I’m no longer in the print field, I still try to get the latest editions and follow AP Stylebook on Twitter to get any new updates to incorporate that in my work (I didn’t realize how nerdy that was until just now). It’s still my go-to style guide regardless of whether I’m writing for print, broadcast, digital or social media, so Oxford comma beware!
Something I do miss is having an editor critique my work. Working for a school district, I don’t have anyone like that, but I do ask trusted colleagues to look over my work before it’s released to look for any typos or organizational issues. I wholeheartedly believe that asking people you respect for constructive criticism can make you a better anything— writer, editor, graphic designer or anything in the creative fields.
Over the years, I have developed different writing patterns, but I do hope to one day fully establish my own signature writing style. In the book “On Writing Well, the Classic Guide for Writing Non-Fiction,” William Zinsser encourages writers to take a chance on incorporating their personalities as opposed to solely writing for groups of people. If we start writing for ourselves more, we can take the thoughts and ideas that swirl around in our heads and do something creative with them. And that’s the beauty of writing, whether or not we have a defined sense of who we are as writers.