How to write about stuff you don't know
I’m the first one to admit I’ve written a lot of stuff that I don’t have a clue about. Most journalists are the same, it’s why we learn shorthand, research skills and how to use libraries. Well, we did in ye olden days. Many of the students I met on my journalism course had previously worked as lawyers (we were all in our twenties or slightly older, and already started out in the workplace).
The key transferrable skill between Journalism and Law is a desire to find out, to listen and to get behind the facts. They are professions that revolve around research.
At college I scored highly in News Writing but abysmally in my Legal class. In the end I opted for editing because it’s a nice balance of everything. But I also wrote the odd feature here and there. In my first job at a local features agency I wrote all kinds of articles for circulation in the press. Topics included:
• Gardening (I mean, I’m OK with houseplants but I don’t have a clue what’s in my garden)
• Antiques (I have a houseful of old tat but it all needs dating and investigating)
• Horoscopes (the easy peasy one – you just base them all on your family and friends).
I often write for a big company that needs travel articles to places I haven’t been, and when that happens I do this:
• asked people who know the locations for tips
• go online
• visit the online tourist boards
• check for info with train companies (all of whom have great media sections)
• double-check the brief to ensure I have researched what the client wants
I now have a list of places I’d love to go to.
In December every year, I write an Instagram advent calendar, a word-based collection of festive tips, snippets, and anecdotes about writing, spelling, authors, etc. Two skills are involved here: the ability to build Canva templates (tick), and, again, research.
Think of research as pub talk. If you’re unsure about a topic being discussed at your table of friends, you can either switch off and fiddle with the beer mat, or take an active part. Get into the chatting and have a little Google later on. Finding things out is easy thanks to the big library in the sky. We use websites, fact-checking and verifying across several sites.
After that, it’s up to us to write the facts in a way that makes them sound brand new, authentic. Top tip: if you’re reading something woolly, chances are the author hasn’t done much research.
If you’re passing my Insta or Facebook pages in December, enjoy the Wordfairy Advent Calendars. And do let me know if there’s a topic you need to research.