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Feature
and Column Writing MCM 514
VU
LESSON
26
GENERAL
STYLE OF THE
COLUMN
Five
General Styles
There
are five general styles, employed in the
column-writing. It now depends on the
columnist to choose
and
select the style of a column
according to his aptitude,
personality and attitude in close
consonance
with
the type of his column. The
selection of an appropriate style also
depends on the nature of material
a
columnist
desires to employ.
I)
Unified Style
When
a column is desired to be composed and
written on a simple subject throughout, a
columnist is said
to
have utilised the unified style. As per
unified style, such column
is in fact an essay formally
or
informally
in order to attune his topic and
approach. A unified style is generally
used by the political
columnist,
the sports columnist. These columnists
used the unified style to
discuss a single subject on
each
day. It is also useful for
those who cater to
single-idea columns.
II)
Anecdotal Style
In
this style, a number of unrelated and
related stories and a
variety of observations are gathered in
a
single
column. These unrelated
stories and varied observations however
could bear no similarities
and
have
no bearing on each other. By anecdotal
style, a columnist is able to
include several subjects
ranging
from
six to ten anecdotes or observation in a
single column. However he
separates them from each
other
by
asterisks or by other typographical
devices.
III)
Departmental Style
When
a columnist has arranged and managed
such material, which can be
easily divided and
separated
into
different departments, it is known as a
departmental style. This
style greatly assists in
turning each
and
every department interest absorbing one,
easy to understand and handle. It is
most effective for
random
observation, little known
information and provocative bits of
news of general interest, which
all
collectively
make the columns most popular and
generally practised. The departmental columns
may be
given
such names as, "in the
mailbag", `lest we forget",
"things to remember", and "Passing
Parade".
Besides
the departments may be separated by
asterisks or some other
typographical devices.
IV)
Unrelated-facts-style
Under
this style of column-writing, a
columnist presents a mass of
facts which have little or more
bearing
on
each other. In view of the
diversity of material, this
style serves the best
purposes, by arranging
and
presenting
the facts without any apparent
order. In order to make
distinction among several
unrelated-
facts,
the columnist simply separates them
with one or more periods. It is
somewhat a pause,
which
depends
on the arrangement of the facts. A columnist
usually enlivens and
freshens the interest by variety,
surprise
or by any other
device.
V)
Question-and-Answer Style
Under
this style of column-writing, a
columnist gives a question
and then answers it. By
this style, a
columnist
makes the columns easy to understand and
intelligible even to the general readers.
This style of
writing
a column gives ample opportunities to the
columnist to raise questions of national
and paramount
importance,
and then answers them in easy and
understandable style and language. In this
way, a good
columnist
paves the way for
instruction, teaching and improving
educational values and standard of
the
general
masses in an effective
way.
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