WEEK ONE

1.1  Journalism: a checklist

•  Be inquisitive. Develop a need to know how and why. Learn to ask questions (who?, what?, where?, when?, why? how?).

•  Have opinions. A large part of journalism is opinion. Develop your opinions, but remember they must always be expressed in a lively and entertaining way. At the same time, learn the art of detachment. You don't necessarily have to be an expert – expertise can be useful, but sometimes it's good to think like your average reader.

•  Have ideas for articles. Ideas are the life-blood of journalism. Keep a file or notebook of possible ideas, even if they don't seem to be immediately useful or relevant.

•  Get published. Get into print, however obscure or humble the mag or paper. Start a cuttings file, to show to prospective employers. Don't worry about payment (take it if it's offered, of course) but keep quiet about it – no one has to know you worked for free.

•  Learn skills. Journalism is now mainly an electronic profession, and will become even more so in the future. Learn to touch type – courses are available at this college. Learn at least the basics of a desktop publishing program – Quark Xpress is the industry standard.

•  Learn skills 2: Research. Not as daunting as it sounds. Learn to find your way around the reference section of libraries. Learn to use the Internet. Develop your expertise in these areas by work on projects. Remember you need to pitch your efforts at the appropriate level. An article doesn't need the same depth of research as a thesis, and too much information can be as bad as too little.

•  Keep a cuttings file. Save articles that you find interesting in your chosen area or field. This can save your hours of searching in libraries etc.

•  Read newspapers and magazines. Do this to keep abreast of what's happening in your chosen field, to look for ideas for articles, and as a form of basic market research.

•  Write regularly. Keep a diary or journal, or review books you read, films you see etc. What's important is to develop the art and craft of writing, and this will only come with practice.

•  Develop a positive attitude. Journalism is a can-do business, and no-one is interested in your excuses as to why the job didn't get done, or why it was late. The absolutely basic but important thing is to produce your article in the right form at the right time. Nothing less will do.