WRITING THE WITTY WAY FOR RECOGNISION AND MONEY

A PRESENTATION MADE BY AFOLABI ONI ON WRITING THE WITTY WAY FOR RECOGNISION AND MONEY: THE MEDIA AS A CASE STUDY PRESENTED BY AFOLABI AJIBOLA ONI ON THE SATURDAY, 11TH OF SEPTEMBER 2010 AT HSLT IN A PROGRAMME TAGGED WRITERS ALLIANCE.

CONTACT: +2348036126690, www.afolabioni.blogspot.com, oniafolabiajibola@yahoo.com, oniafolabidteacher@gmail.com, zyplessy2k4@yahoo.com

OVERTURE
This segment centres on writing for the masses. This implies that we will focus on the writing that gives one both national and international recognition. If fame is well managed, it cannot but bring fortune.
Introduction
The very first week I was admitted into this great citadel of Learning, I joined the media outfit of my faculty. A terribly rickety board, but I knew what I wanted. I wanted my views to be known, I wanted my voice to be heard, but most importantly I wanted to impart lives and be recognized.
However, we are here gathered to learn how to make money with writing, but I must first tell you the blunt and honest truth, you must have passion for whatever you are doing and as such, take few minutes to dwell on passion as this invention will be perfectly incomplete without it.
Passion
If you don’t have passion for writing, the interest will be lost with time. On several occasions, I have asked for the amount those television broadcasters collect, and the pay for local reporters is poor, even that of international reporter which is better cannot be compared to that of journalists. Yet, they have passion for what they are doing. The way they smile makes you feel that all is well with them. To be sincere with you, television reporting entails 30 percent of professionalism and 70 percent of acting.
How do I identify what I have passion for?
The word passion denotatively is a strong feeling or liking for something. Passion compels you and drives you. To me you have passion for something if you are ready to do it for nothing. Something makes you angry or provokes you and makes meaning to you. You are not ready to let it go and you do it with little or no stress. I have passion primarily to impart lives and see a change for the better in my community and to achieve this I communicate through the print media to effect these changes.
What if I have passion for two things?
Should this be the case, don’t be uneasy. Just continue with the two and in no time what you have passion for will be standing above the other. They may just be complementary. I have a friend, who has passion for the Engineering profession and writing. These two are not directly connected but he has been able to merge them to show how complementary they are. He is looking at being the Public Relation officer of engineering firms and being the Editor of their journals. More so, one of the two things you have passion for may end up being your avocation (a type of job that you enjoy doing, that you take more or less like an hobby) and the other, your profession (a job that needs high level of training and special skill).
If you don’t have passion for writing and you go into it, no mater the amount you are being paid, you will lose interest and you will be out of writing in no time.
How can I develop the passion for something?
You don’t develop passion for anything. That is, you don’t undergo training to develop your passion from the scratch. You don’t say, I want to have passion for singing although I don’t like singing at all. You only have to identify what you have passion for and link it to the possible activities to take your passion into reality. Prof Niyi Osundare has passion for making the world better and he writes poems for that purpose. Mrs. Ngozi Nwozor has passion for raising leader out of undergraduates and she does that by creating a forum for young writers to write and express themselves. You have passion for something, just identify it.
‘Every generation has underestimated the potential for finding idea, possibilities do not add up, They multiple.’ -Paul Romer
WRITING PROPER
Writing is an arm of communication which uses pen to scribble numbers, alphabets, punctuation marks and symbols fundamentally to transfer information from one person to another. One cannot communicate effectively if one does not understand the rules governing the arrangement of words to form a correct sentence. Enhancement of your knowledge in English language cannot be done even by a magician in a day as application is one of the cardinal points of reference if one is learning how to use language. My sincere advice is that you see a good teacher to help you out. To get that you can visit my weblog on www.afolabioni.blogspot.com or 08036126690.
Before you start writing
I will advice that before you start writing you choose your mentor. Milk cannot give light or illuminate; neither can you give what you don’t have. You should have people you learn from and that you appreciate their writing style. For me, I appreciate the writing style of Prof. Niyi Osundare and I don’t try to be like him else I cannot but be second best. I read his work, check out his language and learn from him. Sometimes you may need to see your mentor in person and see if you both have similar intentions. I have learnt from Prof.’s simplicity in his choice of words, his biting satires, use of imagery among others. You definitely need to learn from someone. My mum believes that no one is useless and even a mad man may communicate sense if you pay rapt attention. Read well, read good books, listen well because you write what you read.
How to write a press release
Something happened that you want to tell everyone and it should be of interest to them. Writing for this purpose does not require jaw breaking vocabularies or ego-boosting expressions, but words that even a market woman should be able to understand. No little thank to the name ‘MASS communication’, it is for the masses, not the members of the academia only. Use the most common words.

There are various divisions in a newspaper, which are news, feature writing, interviews, and opinion writing among others.

WHAT IS AN OPINION?
An opinion is a subjective statement or thought about an issue or topic, and is the result of emotion or interpretation of facts. An opinion may be supported by an argument, although people may draw opposing opinions from the same set of facts. Opinions rarely change without new arguments being presented. However, it can be reasoned that one’s opinion is better supported by facts than by analysing the supporting arguments. An opinion may be the result of a person's perspective, understanding, particular feelings, beliefs, and desires. In casual use, the term opinion may refer to unsubstantiated information, in contrast to knowledge and fact-based beliefs. Opinion is what makes the journalist’s view known and brings fame to his doorstep.
HOW TO WRITE AN OPINION
1. A title that is magnetic, such that will attract the hoi polloi (masses).
2. A unique introduction is advantageous; could be a quote, a story, an exclamation, anything creative that will glue the reader to the text.
3. Be objectively subjective. In the sense that don’t be excessively subjective. Try to balance your proposition.
4. Justify your opinion with an illustration, reference to the past, tradition or comparison with other countries.
5. Have facts and figures.
6. Your style of writing must be expository as it should keep the reader informed. This implies that you must have looked for information and done a lot of research work.
7. Your argument must be logical and void of fallacies.
8. An opinion is not an avenue to insult, but if you can justify your expressions in the law court, then you can.
9. Opinions should solve problems not create problems.
10. Your opinion should not be stale and must be on current issues or must interest the readers.
11. You are expected to speak the mind of the people, else they may not read it or at least the writer must be convincing
WRITING INTERVIEWS
Start with an open-ended question.
An open-ended question cannot be answered by "yes" or "no" and it usually does not have right or wrong answers. It is a good way to put the candidate at ease, allow them to freely express themselves. It is also a good way for you to find out some basic information about them, and to get some cues as to what to ask next.
Here are some examples of open-ended questions: "Please tell me a bit about your educational background?" "What is the most rewarding job you've had and why?"
Pop quiz: This can also be used because it is an open-ended question as in: "Have you done digital editing before?" The answer is "no". This is because the question can be answered by saying "yes" or "no".
Validate the candidate's claims.
Does he/she really know what he/she is talking about? For instance, if interviewee answered, "I managed my fellowship secretariat and I have all it takes to be the secretary General of the Students Union." Ask him, "Can you tell me some of the key activities you were engaged in when you managed that secretariat?" If the candidate says "I write minute in the last 3years." Ask him further, "Can you tell me some of the features of a minute?" Make sure that your question is phrased very clearly so the candidate must provide details.
Obtain basic qualifications.
Now it is time to really obtain some basic qualifications of your candidate. You can do so by asking them to define a specific term, a specific process, a technique and what not. The purpose is to really draw out if your candidate has the basic skills to perform the job duties. Make sure that it is not too basic or too advanced of a concept, and that around 80% of the people should know about this if they have really done it for a while.
Differentiate your candidates.
Provided that your candidate sailed through all the questions so far, you can start asking the following questions. Otherwise, by this time you should know if they possess the basic qualifications for the job. Ask the questions on the mind of the reader, no matter the consequence.
This question also serves the side-purpose of revealing the resourcefulness and problem solving skills of your candidate. If they do not know the answer, what do they do? Do they simply give up? Do they try to get help?
Test their soft skills.
By this time your candidate has met the qualifications of the "hard skills" - skills that are required in performing the job, but what about his/her personalities, dedication, loyalty, communication skills, etc.- the so called "soft skills." This is the time to ask. It is always very difficult to make conclusions on someone on these qualities based on a few questions, but you can always try. My favorite method is to present the candidate with a scenario and ask them what they would do in situations like that. Now, you do not have to tell a long story about it. It is good to leave some areas vague and allow the candidate to fill in the details, as that might be revealing in itself. Here is an example: "Your boss is telling you to buy this tool. You know that there are better tools out there. What would you do?"
Qualify yourself and your company for the candidate.
You do not want to waste energy in hiring someone who may turn out not to like your company. Now it is the time to ask those questions. A candidate may be focused on "stability", or "growth" or "high pay". Whatever it is, find out. It is easy to just use an open-ended question: "So what are you looking to achieve with your career?" "What is the most important thing about your job?" "Where do you see yourself in this area in 5 years?" "What are some of the things that you may not like about your job?"
Conclude the interview.
One way is to ask "Well, Mr. or Miss so and so, those are all the questions I had for you. Is there anything else you would like to tell me?"
Thank the candidate for making the time to come to the interview.
Do not tell them how they did even if they ask.
Key Points to Note on Interviews
An interview should really be between 30 to 45 minutes. So do not pile questions up on the candidate. 7-8 questions are usually the maximum number to try for. If the candidate is very chatty or tend to go off-track and you are not looking to waste a lot of your time, simply find an opportunity (an opening in his/her conversation or at the possible conclusion of a story), and say "Very good. Thank you." and then ask the next question.
Be OK with silence. If you ask a question and the candidate is struggling with answers, let them. Sit tight and wait. We all tend to want to move on because silence is uncomfortable. As an interviewer, you need to get used to that. Try to let the candidate talk instead of you talking too much, unless they ask you specific questions. Too many interviewers talk too much. Building rapport with your candidate during the interview is unnecessary. Act with authority. Do not try to be-friend your candidate, be it the Vice Chancellor or the President of Nigeria.
NOTE THIS
Afolabi Oni: “Where did you grow up?”
Faborode: “Ogun State.”
Afolabi Oni: “Where did you attend college?”
Faborode: “Obafemi Awolowo University.”
Afolabi Oni: “What was your major?”
Fabarode: “Soil Science.”
Boring and dry, did I hear you say that? That’s what your reader will do when you write an interview like most run-of-the-mill writers of profiles. As copywriters, there are two major reasons why we should know how to conduct and write a great interview:
 An interview with a potential client and/or the creator of a product you’re writing about can unearth great information you can use to make your promotion a winner. You get free and unlimited assess to information during interviews.
 You can make money by interviewing experts and selling those interviews to the appropriate publications.
To make an interview exciting, you need to do a little risk-taking with each of the four elements that make up a great interview:
1. Picture
An average interview usually shows just a headshot of the person being interviewed – a face with little or no expression. But this is boring and safe. Instead, tell the person you’re interviewing to send in a full body photograph. Or have him strike a funny pose. If it’s a more serious publication, have him take a picture with his family, playing in the backyard … or doing something active, like skiing, or bike riding. The bottom line is, stay away from the norm and have him do something unusual, interesting, or provocative.
2 Questions
Avoid typical interview questions. Instead, ask questions that are intriguing, or lead the interviewee to reveal an interesting bit of information. For example, instead of asking, “How did you achieve your political success?” ask, “They call you the ‘Godfather of politics’ … what three qualities do you think you share with Barack Hussein Obama?”
3 Answers
You will be more successful as an interviewer, if you take the initiative to ensure you get good, interesting answers from the person you’re interviewing. As mentioned earlier, boring questions lead to lackluster answers. But if you’re asking interesting questions and still getting mundane answers, keep prodding. Keep asking the same question a different number of ways until you get an interesting bit of information.
For example, say you’re interviewing a natural-health specialist:
A4 Oni: “Besides educating others about natural health, what are you passionate about?”
Interviewee: “Hmm … I don’t know. Wine, family, and jogging, I guess.”
(Pretty boring … let’s try this again … )
A4 Oni: “If you had all the money and time in the world, what would you be doing right now?”
Interviewee: “Riding in a Porsche 911 Turbo in Napa Valley, listening to music while on my way to a wine tasting.”
(Now we’re starting to get somewhere … )
A4 Oni: “If you could have two super powers, what would they be and why?”
Interviewee: “I’d love to have super strength like The Hulk, because as a kid I always wanted to be the world’s strongest man. I’d also have incredible speed, like The Flash, because I love the adrenaline rush I get from racing.”
(Voila! You’ve gotten the interesting information you need.)
4 Structure
This is the order in which you publish the picture, questions, and answers. Most writers feel the need to do this in a logical sequence. But again, that makes for a boring interview. To have the strongest interview possible, you need to start and end strong. Pick the most provocative questions and answers to be featured at the beginning and at the end. From there, let your emotions guide you. Do you feel it would be more appealing to let the reader know your famous person wears white underwear in the middle of the interview? Maybe you want to leave it as the closing question.
You’re in complete control at this point. Just avoid making it too linear and logical. And remember, you can’t change what a person said. You’re simply “editing” and sifting through all the mundane stuff to find the gems.
An interview can make the cover page if it is timely, interesting and relevant.
NEWS
How to Write a News Story
Here's something very few people realize: Writing news stories isn't particularly difficult. It does take practice and not everyone will be an expert but if you follow the guidelines below you should be able to create effective news items without too much stress.
The Five "W"s and the "H"
This is the crux of all news - you need to know six things:
Who, what, where, when, why and how?
Any good news story provides answers to each of these questions. You must drill these into your brain and they must become second nature.
For example, if you wish to cover a story about a local sports team entering a competition you will need to answer these questions:
• Who is the team? Who is the coach? Who are the prominent players? Who are the supporters?
• What sport do they play? What is the competition?
• Where is the competition? Where is the team normally based?
• When is the competition? How long have they been preparing? Are there any other important time factors?
• Why are they entering this particular competition? If it's relevant, why does the team exist at all?
• How are they going to enter the competition? Do they need to fund-raising? How much training and preparation is required? What will they need to do to win?
The Inverted Pyramid
This refers to the style of journalism which places the most important facts at the beginning and works "down" from there. Ideally, the first paragraph should contain enough information to give the reader a good overview of the entire story. The rest of the article explains and expands on the beginning.
More Tips
1 It's About People
News stories are all about how people are affected. In your sports story, you might spend some time focusing on one or more individuals, or on how the team morale is doing, or how the supporters are feeling.
2 Have an Angle
Most stories can be presented using a particular angle or "slant". This is a standard technique and isn't necessarily bad - it can help make the purpose of the story clear and give it focus. Examples of angles you could use for your sports story:
"Team Tackles National Competition"
"Big Ask for First-Year Coach"

"Local Team in Need of Funds"
3 Keep it Objective
You are completely impartial. If there is more than one side to the story, cover them all. Don't use "I" and "me" unless you are quoting someone. Speaking of quoting...
4 Quote People
For example: "We're really excited about this competition," says Coach Bob Dobalina, "It's the highest target we've ever set ourselves".
5 Don't Get Flowery
Keep your sentences and paragraphs short. Don't use lots of heavily descriptive language. When you've finished, go through the entire story and try to remove any words which aren't completely necessary.
ANNOTATION
The content of a news story should be unbiased, and completely fact-based. Sources of the information should be clearly cited and integrated into the piece. Sentences should be clear, concise and worded in a manner that is appropriate for the audience. Today, the pyramid format serves to present the reader the most important facts first, drawing him in to read the remainder of the story. Facts should be mentioned in order of descending importance
You must choose a topic
This is the subject or the main idea of you news. It must sell the paper and attract the readers like magnet. The shorter it is, the better. It must be a pointer to the fact that you have useful and scarce information. It must be what you audience long to read as in election results, detailed analyses of world cup matches among others.

WRITING A FEATURE ARTICLE
Basic things to consider in writing a feature story
-Brainstorm ideas.
-What is the purpose?
-Research your topic.
-Grab the reader's attention.
-Keep that attention.
-Leave an impression.
Structure
Like any form of writing a feature article follows a standard structure. While it may vary depending on your topic, a feature article should always include a headline, introduction, the main body and a concluding paragraph.
Title & Headline
The headline performs two important functions. An effective headline:
• Grabs the reader's attention and persuades them to read the article
• Highlights the main idea of the article.
• Includes keywords (for online articles).
Introduction
The first paragraph outlines the subject or theme of the article, it may also:
• Provoke the reader's interest by making an unusual statement.
• Provide any necessary background information.
• Invite the reader to take sides by making a controversial statement.
• Heighten the drama of an event or incident to intensify its appeal.
• Establish the writer's tone
• Create a relationship between the writer and the reader.
I can't write about my topic the way anyone else would, I need to put my own spin on it.
Details (The Main Article)
The middle section consists of a number of paragraphs that expand the main topic of the article into subtopics. The usual components are:
• Subheadings.
• Facts and statistics which support the writer's opinion.
• Personal viewpoints.
• Opinions from authorities and experts.
• Quotes and interviews.
• Anecdotes and stories.
• Specific names, places and dates.
• Photographs, tables, diagrams and graphs.
... A spin that grabs my readers so they connect with what I am writing.
Conclusion
The concluding paragraph should leave a lasting impression by:
• Reminding the reader of the article's main idea
• Suggesting an appropriate course of action.
• Encouraging a change of attitude or opinion.
Language of Feature Articles
• A personal tone is created through the use of informal, colloquial (slang) and first person narrative.
• Relevant jargon adds authenticity to the information and opinions.
• Anecdotes help to maintain reader interest.
• Facts validate the writer's viewpoints.
• In humorous articles, exaggeration and generalization are used to heighten humour.
• Rhetorical questions help to involve the reader.
• Emotive words are used to evoke a personal response in the reader.
• Effective use of imagery and description engage the reader's imagination.
• The use of direct quotes personalizes the topic.
What is Defamation?
• False and untrue communication published with the specific intent of injuring another person’s reputation
• Injured person must be identifiable
• Libel—written form of defamation; Slander—oral form of defamation
Statement on Plagiarism
Plagiarism attacks the freedom and integrity of thought. Especially in a class that will depend to some extent on online research, you must know what constitutes plagiarism and avoid it. The Literature Section has formulated this statement and policy for all plagiarism cases:
Plagiarism - use of another's intellectual work without acknowledgement - is a serious offense. It is the policy of the Literature Faculty that students who plagiarize will receive an F in the subject, and that the instructor will forward the case to the Committee on Discipline. Full acknowledgement for all information obtained from sources outside the classroom must be clearly stated in all written work submitted. All ideas, arguments, and direct phrasings taken from someone else's work must be identified and properly footnoted. Quotations from other sources must be clearly marked as distinct from the student's own work.

MAKING MONEY

How much money you make depends on how well you write and your level of consistency. For me, their two types of student’s journalists, which are;

1. The Voluntary student writers: This ones write at will. They may not even write in a month if it not okay with them. They don’t get penalized for not writing but they write sometime. Some of them can be so consistent that one may think they are of the other class. Most times they don’t get paid, they write for recognition. Some of them write for practically all the media outfits. Some of them write news, editor’s bag, comments, and campus gist.

2. The Mandatory writers: These are full time journalists. You have deadlines, they (your media outfit) recommend events that you have to cover, and they pay you quite big depending on your agreement with them. Every media outfit needs to be everywhere but they have limited staffs. You are not limited to the campus vicinity and can be outside you state. You get your ID card for doing this.

Conclusion

Writing is money spinning, especially when you consider awards that you are likely to win. Good writers are very few. I must tell you that writing for the print media gives more fame than fortune. Journalism takes you to the high and the might and the brown envelop that speedily makes you to loss your integrity is always available. Keep away from it. Your initial intention to be a media practitioner shouldn’t be money but recognition. For me, I joined the media in order to impart lives and impart lives positively. Thanks for your audience.