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| Omar 294th Post
 
Copper Customer
    
|  "Re(1):books about videogame/journalism"
, posted Tue 11 Nov 08:21
If you mean a book about how to cover videogames, I don't think there is one. I think you could use any book about journalism.
OR YOU COULD JUST COPY AND PASTE PRESS RELEASES YOU SPOONY REPORTER.
Heh.
In a fansite I used to write some stuff ocasionally we had a small guide:
"How to Write a News Story
From your Newspapers -- US Guide
You can take college courses on this topic and still have more to learn; therefore, this needs to be a quick and easy introduction. These instructions apply to traditional news stories in the "inverted pyramid" style. Feature stories, analysis and editorials are not described here. One important step before you begin: To write news you have to read news, so develop a newspaper-reading habit.
Difficulty Level: Difficult Time Required: 30 to 60 minutes
Here's How:
1. These instructions assume you have already collected the notes -- from interviews and research -- that you need to write on your topic. If you need help with interviewing or researching, see the "related features" section below.
2. Start by listing the top 10 facts or pieces of information you hope to convey to the readers. Prioritize these.
3. Take the top 3 or 4 of these and try to work them into a single paragraph. This will be your "lead." As a general guideline it should have no more than 2 sentences and no more than 25 words.
4. This won't be easy. Leads are the toughest part of a news story. Remember, you have to catch the reader's attention, give him the top information and get him to continue reading.
5. The second or third paragraph may be a good quote, or may be a "nut graph."
6. Quotes really do have to be the real words of a real person. If you don't have it in your notes, don't use it. If the quotes in your notes aren't very good, you'll have to paraphrase.
7. A paraphrase is a quote that doesn't have quote marks. This is a paraphrase: Councilman John Brown said the contract would bankrupt the city. This is a direct quote: "This contract will bankrupt the city," Councilman John Brown said.
8. The second or third paragraph may be a "nut graph"
9. Here is a nut graph: Although councilors object to the cost of the contract, without a legal agreement soon they could be exposed to even greater financial liability.
10. The remaining structure of the story is constructed in "inverted pyramid" style. That means the most important information is at the top and the least important at the bottom. The importance of the information decreases as the story continues.
11. Of course, there's more to writing a story than just tagging one paragraph onto another. Try to create a narrative flow through the story.
12. Your goal should be crisp, clean prose. Use short words. Use short sentences. Keep your paragraphs brief, no more than 2 or 3 sentences.
13. Ideally, the last graph of your story will feel like an ending. However, you don't want to draw conclusions; your opinions should never be a topic of the writing.
14. Instead, you may want to repeat an image or idea that links to your lead or nut graph, wrapping the story up into a neat package
Tips:
1. Stick to the facts. Don't let your own view or agenda creep into the writing.
2. Quotes add life and voice to a story. However, never lead with one, and make sure they make sense.
3. Avoid repetition and wordiness. "
"Nothing suits better than a dead man's shirt"
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"books about videogame/journalism" 
