Customer Reviews

Writing to Deadline: The Journalist at Work

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I'm a PR person who wanted to know more about newswriting, so I purchased this book looking only for a comprehensive, helpful introduction to writing for print journalism. What I found well exceeded my expectations.

Murray gives all the advice you'd expect--about inverted paragraphs, writing process, and, as the title would suggest, "writing to deadline," but he does it with candor, humility, and a sense of personality missing from most books that cover similar territory. He likes writing and he likes this kind of writing and that comes through.

What's more, Murray includes interviews with other journalists whose personalities he conveys with the skill of a ... good reporter.

I must say that part of my appreciation for the book stems from my familiarity with his work. I live in Boston and I've read (and admired)his writing and the work of the other journalists interviewed.

I have to say, he's chosen some of the Globe's best reporters and asked them the right questions. Someone totally unfamiliar with the Globe and its writers may not, then, have a history of reading Kevin Cullen or Richard Saltus, but I think that person would still benefit from the advice and enjoy perhaps looking at some of their work having "met" them in Murray's book.

I couldn't recommend it more strongly. This book takes its reader not only into the newsroom, but into the minds of journalists--different journalists--and reveals in concrete detail what it's like for them to write under pressure and how journalists write to deadline again and again and again, and how very much they all enjoy it.

Somebody somewhere in some list recommended this book; and so I bought it, assuming a Pulitzer Prize winner would be entertaining at a minimum. I was taken by surprise. This book went off in my writing life like a grenade. Essentially, Donald Murray turned his mind inside out so that we lucky readers could see how a columnist who must produce something fresh and captivating every week for years keeps the magic alive. By itself, his vast discussion of how to write a great lead is worth the price. This book now sits on my desk, as part of my small, well-thumbed collection of essential reference materials.

I am a high school senior who is considering a career in journalism. I had to do research for my graduation project, so I went to the library and checked out a couple of books about the profession. This was the only one I read past the first couple of pages.
Murray mixes tips, personal stories, and interesting interviews together in a way that makes reading much more enjoyable than a text book. This book was at times hard to put down, and I enjoyed his insight and humor in addition to his vast knowledge of journalism. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in journalism.

Having been plunked in as editor/writer of my organization's quarterly newsletter, I searched the book shelves for some quick reviews of Writing 101. Since the newsletter is only one of my many responsibilities, the title, Writing to DEADLINE, certainly caught my eye. The explanations and examples of the news writing process will be beneficial in shaping my news stories. Couldn't wait to finish the book so I could get on with my next pub and use my findings!