Write as concisely as you can. Eliminate every word that you can, not just because it helps fit more information on each page, but because fewer words mean shorter, less grammatically complex sentences. Shorter sentences let more people get to the meat of your article without getting bored. Sometimes you may fear that cutting words makes your writing seem simplistic or flippant. You're probably wrong. Cut them anyway, and if it's too casual, your editor will let you know.

A rule of thumb: if a sentence has more than two commas in it, it should be more than one sentence.

Another: the Associated Press aims at sentences of 16 to 17 words, on average. We can run a little longer than that, but try not to exceed 22 or 23. Some sentences, of course can be longer, but they should be balanced by shorter ones, for punctuation and summary. (Chapter 1 of this manual averages around 18 words per sentence.)

In the same vein: try to avoid the passive voice. Instead of writing "students were pleased by the decision of the administration," write "the decision of the administration pleased students." (Or, better still, "the administration's decision pleased students.") It's quicker and more illustrative.

Similarly (but slightly less importantly), "be" verbs can be boring. Sometimes they're invaluable-don't go out of your way to avoid them-but "the players remain confident of victory" is sharper than "the players are still confident of victory." At least try to intersperse action verbs among your "are"s.

You don't need "that" in very many sentences at all. "Pam Ferguson said she would grade the papers herself" is quicker and simpler than "Pam Ferguson said that she would grade the papers herself."

Use short paragraphs. Four sentences, or a short one and two long ones, are intimidating when you see them in print. You still put in a break when you start a new thought; it's just that in newspapers, the standards for what constitutes a "new thought" are really low. Any change in subject whatsoever, and almost every intrusion by a new source or quote, calls for a paragraph break.

Don't overuse dashes or parentheses. Dashes are dramatic, and should be reserved for sudden transitions. Use commas to set off most parenthetical ideas, and periods to set off independent clauses. Parentheses are occasionally permissible but they're almost always silly. Use them only when you're going for humorous effect, and only after you've proved to the reader that you can be serious when you need to be. And try to avoid colons and semicolons under most circumstances. They're pretentious.

Some writers find the attributive "said" to be limiting, but in journalism, it's a necessary evil. Don't replace it with "stated" or other near-synonyms except on special occasions; "stated" is more specific and it implies more of a judgment on your part. Unless the manner in which your source was speaking is ITSELF important to your article, "said" quickly attributes the quote and moves on to the next bit of the story without requiring unneccessary work from the reader. It becomes transparent.

"Continued" and "added" are acceptable when you're quoting somebody for the second time in quick succession. Use "noted," "explained," "maintained" and so on when necessary, but with caution: the first two imply that the speaker is correct, and the third that the speaker is stubborn. Here is a modified version of a list by the AP's Rene Cappon, presenting attributive verbs in rough order of usefulness:

went on
continued
added
explained
worried
recalled
insisted
maintained
complained
cautioned
predicted

More advice from Cappon, on the uses of quotation. Good quotes can:

- document and support third-person statements in the lead and elsewhere
- set off controversial material, where the precise wording can be an issue, as in legal contexts
- catch distinctions and nuances in important passages or speeches and convey some of the flavor of the speaker's language
- highlight exchanges and testimony in trials, hearings, meetings and other garrulous encounters: that is, introduce dialogue to the story

The most important thing not to do with quotes: use them to recite facts, as in "'The survey will be distributed in the second week of May,' said Krohn." You can recite facts more efficiently yourself.

It can sometimes be useful to introduce quotes by setting up their context. Do not, however, paraphrase the information you're about to present directly:

Osgood will be looking into the situation over the next two weeks.
"I'll complete my report on copyright violations by April 19," he said.

Instead, nudge the story along with each new graf:

Osgood will spend the next two weeks preparing a report on the copyright violations.
"I'll solicit student and faculty input as well as consulting the college's lawyers," he said.

Bury your attributions: "'It's not a question of morality, it's a question of priority,' said Laura Simons '05, an FTP spokesperson. 'When evil corporations destroy the agricultural viability of ...'" Opening with the attribution ("Laura Simons '05, an FTP spokesperson, said ...") would force readers to wade through uninteresting superstructure before they get to the quote. On the other hand, tacking 'said Laura...' onto the end of the whole quote would force readers to wade through a long quote before they find out whose perspective it's coming from. By burying, you can separate Simons's interesting opener from her rhetorical meat. You can also use the attribution to replace an unsightly ellipsis.

Ellipses and brackets can be tempting tools for manipulating quotes that don't easily fit into your story. Avoid them. They're obnoxious and they're suspicious. Don't misrepresent quotes, of course, but employ attributions and paragraph breaks to avoid ellipses. Be willing to rearrange your story to accommodate an interesting quote without marring it with brackets. For example, use paraphrases to set up contexts in which brackets are unnecessary. Compare "'[The dining halls] are crowded and noisy,' said Kim" to

Kim said he lives off campus mainly to avoid the dining halls.
"They're crowded and noisy," he said.