|
|
| The
Role of Profiling; Interviewing Techniques;
Ethical Considerations; and Topic Presentation |
 |
 |
|
 |
a
workshop on the ethics and techniques of writing
profiles
by
Pallav Ranjan |
| |
|
Exercise
3: Understanding profiles
Read
the profile of N.B. Dangol, encl. Interview
your partner, make notes on her/his life.
WRITING
TECHNIQUES
| - |
Identify
your audience. General reader? University
professor?
Children? |
| |
|
| - |
Tell
a story if you are writing for a general
reader. Have a theme. Have a good time.
You do not enjoy telling a story, your
audience is not going to enjoy listening
to you. |
| |
|
| - |
Have
solid information and documentation.
Whether you are writing for a tabloid
paper or presenting a paper at a conference,
styles are different, the amount of
insight and details may vary, but the
basic information has to be there. |
| |
|
| - |
If
serious people are going to read your
work. For example, if the audience is
made up of literature professors, do
away with the cosmetics, concentrate
on the meat. |
| |
|
| - |
Your
information should be well organized.
You should know what information you
have. Always use quotations, facts,
figures, and solid examples to back
up your opinions and inferences. |
| |
|
| - |
You
may find “holes” or missing
information as you write, that you may
need to look for and must be prepared
to do further research. |
| |
|
| - |
Keep
your text tight. Cut down unnecessary
words, empty sentences, paragraphs.
See where brevity will help. Keep your
style simple, precise, and easily understandable. |
| |
|
| - |
Don’t
use foreign words, book titles, names,
etc. too much. You may understand what
is going on in Nepali, but for the international
reader it is disturbing. Listing 27
book titles (two paragraphs +) written
by Laxmi Prasad Devkota in a profile
is so unhelpful to the international
reader. Use the list in a box or the
annex if you are writing a paper. |
| |
|
| - |
Don’t
plagiarize or infringe copyright. Using
sentences and phrases without acknowledgement
or trying to pass off others’
content as your own is not acceptable.
With proper acknowledgement, a 1,200
word profile would accommodate 50 word
quotes, more than that would look odd.
Remember, information is not copyrighted,
for example birth dates, names, places.
Ideas and presentation as well as the
amount of material that can be used
are. |
| |
|
| - |
Use
examples and illustrations with permission
to give a clearer picture of the subject.
Photographs, translations, original
writing, artwork, etc. |
| |
|
| - |
Never
submit your first draft to your audience.
Once your article is written, re-copy
or re-write it to make it more effective.
Check spellings, grammar, structure,
and clarity. |
| |
|
| - |
Your
endings should be strong and memorable.
Dramatic endings, needless word plays,
use of complicated language where it
is not necessary do not make good endings. |
| |
|
|
|
|
COLLECTIBLES