To the future Howler

To+the+future+Howler

Anish Jampana, Copy Editor

I can’t believe this day has finally come. This will be the last time I will be writing an article for The Howler. The last time I will be frantically checking the word count to get my article in on time. And possibly, my last memory as part of The Northwood Howler. With that being said, I wanted to dedicate this article to the future Howler staff. It would be difficult for anyone to step into a new and diverse environment without the advice from senior staff, and especially let alone during this global pandemic. So, here’s a list of advice I’ve gotten over the years that have really helped me become a better writer.

Collect all your information beforehand and develop your angle.

I can’t stress how many times my article didn’t go as planned simply because it was too shallow on information or wasn’t the angle that my fellow editors wanted for their page. Even though you may think planning out beforehand is unnecessary, outlining for my first few articles in The Howler really helped me add depth to my writing and took away a lot of the stress off my shoulders when I was under pressure with time.

Become familiar with AP style and how to structure a good lead.

It goes without saying that in order to become good at anything, you must master its fundamentals. For journalism, what immediately comes to mind is AP style and the lead. These two things, quite honestly, will not only make your writing 200 times better from the very start, but also speed up the editing process by allowing editors to focus on your content instead of worrying about AP style mistakes.

Good communication is a key to everything, whatever it might be.

I know this might seem obvious, but at least for me, communication in The Howler has almost always made the difference of whether I would be successful in writing a good article or not. I assure you that if you put in effort in communicating with others when embarking on new endeavors even outside journalism, you will go a long way and make your time at Northwood more memorable than ever.