Program:

Session 1:

How effective writing has changed the world

In this session, you’ll learn:

• What this course will be and why it matters to you — and why some things about writing might not be what you expect.
• About a brief history of writing as communication, as art, as persuasive argument.
• Ways writing changes things: How can delivering facts help clear the fog? How can expertise and perspective prevent people from misinterpreting big events? How can writing inspire and move people? How is journalism the “first rough draft of history” – and what can the full version of that quote tell us?
• Some of AP’s top accomplishments in the writing and storytelling space as an introduction to journalism.
• How writing can change things — from freeing slaves in Southeast Asia to causing the end of a presidency.
• Examples of effective writing that you might not expect – things that aren’t journalism but are deeply impactful. Poetry. Advertising. Speeches (Kennedy inaugural, e.g.). Turns of phrase that have stuck with people through the decades.
• How this all ties into what you want to accomplish, and pivot into the coming sessions.

VOICES: We’ll be joined by some of AP’s top writers and discuss how they came to do stories that made such a difference.

ACTIVITY: We’ll have a directed discussion about how effective writing can change your world and help you accomplish your goals.

Session 2:

Principles of journalism and writing and how they relate to you

In this session, you’ll learn:

• Why journalism is a good model for overall communication, no matter the industry.
• How journalism in its modern form came to be.
• How the pursuit of, and the myth of, objectivity has shaped both journalism and the larger world. Why eliminating bias still matters, and how fairness plays a role in shaping journalism. What roles standards and ethics have in any nonfiction writing endeavor.
• AP’s background in all this and how its history is threaded through with the history of facts and journalism and effective communication.
• How learning journalism principles and practices can help YOU succeed.
• How good writing can be everywhere — even places you don’t expect (foreshadowing to week four).

VOICES: Pull quotes about good writing and editing from journalists within AP. Present them as slides or audio files.

ACTIVITY: Ask the question: What do you think journalism can teach you. Discuss some of the answers that come up in the chat.

Session 3:

Reporting/research, writing and editing to make you a better communicator

In this session, you’ll learn:

WRITING

• A history of good writers – and why they were good.
• Why any writing is only as good as the thought and research behind it — and how to make that happen.
• How to think about writing before DOING writing.
• Things to do before you begin: a breakdown and task list.
• The most effective ways to put facts together.
• What we mean when we say, “write not only to be understood, but not to be misunderstood.”

EDITING

• Basic principles of editing.
• Why you should use the coaching model to edit the idea whenever you can.
• Different types of edits, from the content edit to bulletproofing to the word choice/substitution edit and beyond. How you can calibrate these to your subject matter and assignment.
• How to develop an editing relationship with your writers (and their egos).
• Self-editing and its role in the process.

VOICES: Quotes from non-AP writers through the ages on communication through the written Word and on the writing process. Slides.

ACTIVITY: Ask them to submit a story they’ve written and we’ll pick two to go through next time.

Session 4:

Crafting a story and packaging it for readers

In this session, you’ll learn:

• How without reporting, there is no writing. Or: Writing begins in the idea phase.
• How to write a lede and why it matters more than anything else in the story.
• How to add context.
• Story structures and choosing them consciously based on audience and what you want to achieve with the piece of writing.
• Storytelling on deadline and how that’s different — and how you can write faster than you ever believed.
• The process of one story from conception to delivery and how to extract the principles that you can use. Those principles will be presented as takeaways.

VOICES: Compilation video, quick cut, of various AP people talking about what makes a good story and how they approach their craft.

ACTIVITY: Go through two stories that were submitted after the previous session.