Lesson 11: Making Your Yearbook Writing Exciting

Lesson 11 – Tips for writing an interesting yearbook

• Because yearbooks are visually driven, there is a tendency to think about the copy as an afterthought.
• In reality, copy plays the important role of providing context and clarity and helps tell an overarching story or drive home a theme.
• Although the goal is to keep the copy short and to the point, if carefully crafted, it can contribute to the overall quality and make for an enjoyable read.

Consider the following when writing:

• Write a lead that asks a question.

Questions can be many things:

• A statement that requires a response
  • An observation that suggests there’s more to be learned
  • A hypothetical situation that makes you wonder what would happen if it came true

Examples:

What makes our robotics team special?

How has this club changed my life?

• Write a lead that answers a question
  • Think about what the reader wants to know and give them the answer upfront before going into detail

• Start with an interesting fact
  • These facts can be historical, funny or little known
  • Facts are great starting points because they provide structure and direction for your writing and give the reader a clear idea to hold onto

• Go straight to the point
  • In a yearbook, you don’t have the space for decorative unnecessary words
  • Always try to be direct and avoid wasting time with introductions or too many words
  • Be concise – say what needs to be said and nothing more.

• Add perspective and details
  • While getting straight to the point is important, you still need to add enough detail and perspective so that readers can relive the memories reflected in the yearbook
  • When writing, think about the five senses and how they pertain to that specific event

• Use quotes throughout your copy
  • Quotes are a great way to add interest and personality to your copy
  • Quotes can be used to make or prove a point
  • Quotes can also be used to break up a story
  • Quotes should never repeat information that is already provided in the copy but rather support or add perspective

• Be conversational
  • A yearbook is a less formal publication. For that reason, it can benefit from more conversational language to allow the reader to feel an emotional connection to the content.
  • Use active voice rather than passive voice

• Engage readers with humour
  • Humour can be used to offer something new or interesting that you wouldn’t otherwise have had in the story
  • Humour can be used to provide perspective about an issue or situation
  • Humour helps readers to connect to the publication on a human level

• Write short sentences and paragraphs, and use bullets when appropriate
  • Short sentences and paragraphs are a great way to keep your reader engaged. A reader can quickly read a short paragraph without getting lost in the text
  • Bullet points help break up the text when you have several different items that need attention, such as:
• Listing things
• Showing an ordered list of items

●      Get a Second Opinion

• Having a fresh set of eyes to look over your writing will not only help with catching mistakes but also will help determine whether your writing is clear, concise and engaging.

●      Use a Style Sheet

• As we mentioned in a previous lesson, several different styles define the rules for how to write your yearbook. Whether you choose APA, MLA or some other style, make sure the entire team is aware and has access to appropriate references
  • In addition to writing style, it’s worthwhile to create a style sheet from a design perspective too
  • This type of style sheet will provide an outline for the general look and feel of the yearbook
    • This design style sheet may include:
      • What fonts to use and when to use them
      • Font size
      • Colour schemes

• Question your word choices
  • This goes back to our point about using a thesaurus. If a sentence doesn’t feel right or flows well, consider your word choices and examine your options by referencing a thesaurus. Programs like Grammarly are also great for making helpful suggestions.

• Avoid Chunky paragraphs
  • For readers to enjoy a smooth read, paragraphs should be broken up into easy-to-digest sound bites of information
  • Long paragraphs are difficult to skim and will usually result in the reader turning the page
  • Try limiting yourself to no more than three sentences per paragraph (approximately 5 lines)
  • Try not to use more than two paragraphs in a column (typically one page)
  • Avoid having more than 3 columns per page of text