Foundation

The NAA Foundation focuses on Newspaper In Education, newspaper youth content, scholastic journalism and diversity. In this blog, you'll learn about products, programs and resources that emphasize the use of newspapers and other media by young people. You'll also learn about programs and activities that can help news media companies transform their cultures in order to grow business and increase readership and audience.

coaching young writers

The fourth installment of our look back at the Young Reader Conference concerns a session on coaching young writers by Richard Weiss, who also worked with the YRC teen fellows.

Weiss shared a lifetime of tricks and tips for coaching young journalists. He suggested two main concerns facing journalists: the ephemeral and the eternal.

The ephemeral includes media platforms, the company and the boss, while the eternal includes well-told stories, value and imagination. Knowing your own story is critical in telling someone else's, he said, and he offered these suggestions for youth editors in encouraging economy in words:

• Avoid introductory clauses.
• Never use a big word when a simple one will do.
• View adjectives and adverbs with suspicion.
• Use active verbs.
• Find interesting nouns.

Weiss recommended "Writing for Story: Craft Secrets of Dramatic Nonfiction" by Jon Franklin, "Literary Journalism" by Norman Sims and Mark Kramer, "Stein on Writing: A Master Editor of Some of the Most Successful Writers" by Sol Stein, "The Art and Craft of Feature Writing" by William E. Blundell, "Follow the Story: How to Write Successful Nonfiction," by James B. Stewart and "On Writing Well" by William K. Zinsser.

-- By Barbara Allen and Kelsea Gurski

Click here for more from the Young Reader Conference ...

About Marina Hendricks

Marina Hendricks is manager of the NAA Foundation. She manages Newspaper In Education, youth content and scholastic journalism programs, oversees the development of print and online products, and coordinates the NAA Foundation Web site, www.naafoundation.org. Before joining the Foundation, Marina was a features writer and the teen editor at The Charleston Gazette in West Virginia. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Marshall University.