Last Updated: May 26, 1999
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The write stuff: Winning heads and leads
Creative headlines are this editor’s hallmark
By Brian Cooper
Part of an occasional series on the people behind the headlines, the
copy editors.
Len Howell says that when he started writing headlines, he didn’t think
much about it. "I thought if it was accurate and active, that was fine."
Now he knows that’s not fine. After 20 years and thousands of headlines
for The Tampa (Fla.) Tribune, Howell approaches headline-writing as a personal
and professional challenge. "You have to go into a mind-set of, ‘I’m going
to put a good headlines on this story. I’m going to be creative.’ You have
to use your imagination."
Howell’s imaginative headlines have won the Tribune’s in-house competition
so often, the employee newsletter reports, that the contest "might as well
have his name on it."
His most recent prize was for the headline on a wire story on a group
of thieves in Argentina who painstakingly tunneled into a bank. People
in the vicinity had told police about strange noises under foot, and a
policeman peered in a bank window after an alarm activated. But the robbers
got away with about $25 million. Howell wrote:
Argentina gangs bank on cops’ tunnel-vision.
"It was one of those stories you could have written a straight headline
for and gotten away with it."
Howell sees the headline as a window to a story. "If that window is
all foggy, people don’t want to read the story. That’s what a headline
writer can do — draw the reader into the story."
In an article for the Tribune newsletter, Howell notes that there are
stories for which a clever headline is not appropriate. But "some demand
clever treatment. And if you don’t strain that gray matter a little extra,
you’re cheating the reader."
Tampa readers weren’t cheated by these Howell gems:
UFOh my! Sci-fi sky high in Texas
(Regarding an upcoming UFO conference.)
Many who criticize government pork fed from its barrel
A,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i,j,k,l,m,n,Oh! Opal storms through the alphabet
(When weather forecasters, for the first time, go to the letter
O when naming major storms.)
Howell shares some tips for headline writers:
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Use words in an unexpected, clever way.
-
Headlines with double meanings can be effective.
-
Clichés can be twisted into something special. For example, on a
story about new phraseology adopted during the Persian Gulf War, Howell
wrote:
War is hell on words, English teachers say about language massacre in
gulf.
-
Use just the right verb to do the trick. If you’re writing a headline about
fish, ‘scales’ would be a good choice:
It’s no fish story — carp scales new heights with gene transfer.
-
The dictionary can be a great source for ideas. "Look up your subject.
In the definition you might find numerous phrases, etc., to give you just
the right slant."
Finally, Howell exhorts copy editors to push themselves. "It doesn’t take
that much effort to make a conscious effort," he says. "Anyone can write
a headline, but not everyone can write a good headline."
***
There’s also good headline-writing occurring outside of Tampa. Here
are a few examples:
Candy indeed dandy, but patch no match for chocolate’s kiss
(By Lucy Hoy, Chicago Tribune, on chocoholics’ disinterest in a patch
one may wear to beat their addiction to chocolate.)
***
Kids show effects uv noo way to lern to spel
(By Bob Lacey, St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press on a wire story revealing
the shortcomings of schools’ "whole language" instruction, in which spelling
doesn’t count.)
Cooper is executive editor of the Telegraph Herald, Dubuque, Iowa.
Contact him at P.O. Box 688, Dubuque, IA 52004-0688 or bcooper@wcinet.com
