News Reports

Nothing too different from telephone convos. Stick with images. Between dialogue, throw in descriptions.

The newscaster's lips stretched wide in a grim expression but her eyes were empty. "A seven year old died on a rollercoaster today; how safe are you?"
As Chris watched, the camera switched from newscaster to a rollercoaster, cut off from the rest of the park from yellow rope. It panned in to focus on one yelling official.
"Around 5'00 this evening, yadda yadda yadda..."

And so on.

I think you really have to be careful with news reports. By their very nature they are info-dumps - much moreso than flashbacks or phone convo's.

Just remember, the plot doesn't pivot on the news reports - it pivots on the real events that newscasters are reporting. I would add reports sparingly, and more for atmosphere than anything.

In the (current version of the) opening for my WIP, the protag reads a newspaper article about a criminal on the loose. I don't quote the article at all, only the headline, "Cops 0 for 12 against Metra Mugger." Then I go into her thoughts on the article, and actions in response to it, without quoting the article.

Ideally, the reader will get the idea: Theres a mugger on the loose, victimizing mass transit commuters, and he's struck 12 times. The cops can't seem to catch him... bla bla bla.

WannabeWriter said:

So it may be better to tell about what the news is talking about and what the character is thinking rather than quoting it all word for word? Doesn't sound like a bad idea. I can quote a little, but tell the rest.

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As someone who works in television, I can say that a lot of writers I see tend to do a bad job writing a news script. It isn't surprising, really, but it does give me a "disconnect" when I read passages that are supposedly news accounts that you'd never really see on the air or in a newspaper.

I think you have to be very careful to make the broadcast reporter or newspaper article read like they are professional; otherwise, the reader gets lost in sorting out the odd way the news report is written instead of allowing it to move the plot forward.

I agree. If you do it well, it will work. If not, it will stick out like a sore thumb. So if you want to include news report, learn the lingo and style and format, etc. News script and prose writing are different. In an early draft of my first book, I had a news report. A friend of mine who was in the news business took a look and told me, "You either have to rewrite this or cut this out -- this is not how news are written..." I was so embarrassed...

You also want to avoid the deadly cliche of having the protag turn on the TV, which just happens to be tuned to a news broadcast, just at the very second that the report he's concerned with begins.

Or, if it's in newsprint, then ask yourself how likely it will be that your story is the main headline of the day? More than likely a plane crash, and foreign peace talks will put your news story onto at least page two. Don't have the protag stroll past a newsstand to see all the facts plastered just under the banner of every paper, unless it really is "that huge".

Promoman said:

As someone who works in television, I can say that a lot of writers I see tend to do a bad job writing a news script. It isn't surprising, really, but it does give me a "disconnect" when I read passages that are supposedly news accounts that you'd never really see on the air or in a newspaper.

I think you have to be very careful to make the broadcast reporter or newspaper article read like they are professional; otherwise, the reader gets lost in sorting out the odd way the news report is written instead of allowing it to move the plot forward.

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There's really no excuse for this. How hard is it to turn on a television or a radio, listen to some newscasts and capture the phrasing, cadence and vernacular of that medium? It's sort of like a lot of questions about writing. People will sit in their writing rooms/offices/libraries/what-have-you with hundreds of books sitting in shelves beside them and ask questions about "how do you do this" or "how do you do that". Nobody wants to do the work anymore. They want some sort of Matrix jack plugged into the backs of their heads so they can instantly know how write like <insert favorite author>.

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing at all wrong with asking questions or discussing things. That's kind of why I'm here. But there's a huge difference between "I noticed that so-and-so does this, what do you guys think?" and "How do you do this?"

[/CurmudgeOff]

Read a book that does it well. JK Rowling uses news from the Daily Prophet in the Harry Potter books.

I wrote a couple news items for my novel, then decided I wasn't using them well, and just refer to them.

"So, I read an interesting article today," said the antagonist.
"Oh, not you too, must I explain my position to everyone?" Answerd the protagonist. And so on. The conversation conveyed the point, and i deleted a really bad cliche filled page.