As a Journalism student/future journalist, I am trained to love good writing and good writers. It's by human nature that you can tell when something is good writing but as a journalist, you're able to pick up on different things.
Over the past four years I've learned how to read and write like a journalist, whether I'm reporting the news or writing a feature story. I know all the elements of a good, well written article and I know what it takes to capture a reader's attention.
Aside from good writing, great content is just as important. It takes a really good idea to inspire a writer and really get into the article. You can tell when a writer doesn't like what they're writing about, at least I can. I've done it before; I've been on deadline and wrote whatever came to my mind because I couldn't figure out what I wanted to say about the topic. When I re-read my article, it was obvious that it wasn't my best work because it wasn't something I was passionate about.
I always enjoy reading an article that I know the author really enjoyed writing, it makes it that much more real and significant.
I also love opening up a magazine or reading an article online and immediately being captured by the lede. Any journalism professor will tell you that the lede is the most important part of your article and as a reader, you know that the opening line of any article is what draws you in. I love when I see a lede that just hits the home run, it makes me incredibly happy.
Aside from knowing a good article, good content and a good writer, as a journalist it's important to read as much as you can and know what kind of writer you want to be. I think the best way to learn what kind of writer you want to be is by reading as much as possible in that field/industry. I think having a favorite journalist is important and recognizing their style of writing is just as necessary.
You'll hear a lot of journalism students say that their favorite journalists are famous TV anchors or someone well known that writes for the New York Times, someone they feel like they're supposed to say. A lot of journalism students have always known they wanted to be a journalist and have been following them since they were children. I don't think I've ever had a favorite journalist/writer until now.
Over the past few months, I've obsessively been reading Comsopolitan. I've finally discovered what all the fuss is about--it's not just a magazine about sex. It's a true women's magazine that empowers ladies everywhere. It has fashion, beauty, celebrities, and sex but it also has career advice, real life women stories, and everything in between. It's for the well rounded, successful, professional woman and the journalists that write for it have their head on straight.
As I was reading the magazine and the website, I began to notice who my favorite articles were written by. They all had the same tone, the same voice...I was completely obsessed with all these articles and how well written they were. The content was incredible as well but the voice of the author just swept me away.
Anna Breslaw writes some of my favorite Cosmo articles and feature pieces. They're hilarious, well written, and she just hits every topic right on the head. She has such a great understanding of the young culture and what it means to be a millennial.
I really just admire her writing and her creative ability. She really gets it and I love it.
As I was looking through Breslaw's article archive on Cosmo.com, I realized how many articles she writes per day. It's quite insane. She doesn't just write fun, funny feature articles either--she writes a lot of hard hitting Cosmo news also. It goes to show you how far her range is.
I won't lie when I say I desire to be as good of a writer as Anna and it's no secret that I'd kill for her job.
Here are some of my favorite articles by Anna Breslaw; I'm sure you'll understand why I'm so obsessed once you read them.
There are also a few articles that are a little too graphic for me to post here but you get the hint. Anna Breslaw is my journalistic spirit animal and I'm looking forward to reading so much more from her!
Who are some journalists/writers you admire? Tell me in the comments!
