Reading Lillian Ross While Working for a Newspaper

By Alexandra Kezek

In Lillian Ross’s list of guidelines for writing that she learned at The New Yorker, she states key ways on how to be a reporter. What I learned from her article and from personal experience is that it is not simple to be a writer, and there should be set principles that one should recognize before starting and finishing a news piece.

Since September, I have interned at the Rockland County Times. My tasks were to proof read other writers’ articles and to write my own. Since then, I have had about 10 articles published in the paper. It was difficult for me to learn on my own how to write an article, but as I practiced and wrote more notes for references, it started to become more clear. I had so many scribbled notes that helped me write an article easier, it helped me create an article from the beginning, middle, and end.

Ross states that “when I write stories, it feels a bit like creating a short story, but it’s more difficult, because I’m working with facts.” I completely agree and can relate to that. When I write an article, I want to create a series of scenes in the reader’s mind. I feel like it enhances the article and will keep intriguing the reader to continue reading. But it has to be taken into consideration depending on what or who the article is about, which is what I learned from Ross’s letter. A person being interviewed is giving information and trust to the reporter; it is important to use caution with what a writer prints about that person because it can destroy a potential friendship. Writers need to use common sense when interviewing.

Lastly, the most important principle that Ross states, in my opinion, is to always listen, because it will ultimately help the writer create a great piece.