Some of the lessons are obvious: Place subject and verbs at the beginning of a sentence. Use strong, or active, verbs.
But some lessons I forgot or just don't apply. There's a difference, for example, in using strong quotes and in using dialogue. I'm big on using strong quotes - tell reporters all the time to move a good quote to the top of the story.
But implying dialogue between the story subjects makes a huge difference. The example instructor Roy Peter Clark gives is from an article about a plane and helicopter colliding over a school. "It looked like two planes were fighting, Mom," Mark Kessler, 6 of Wynnewood, told his mother, Gail, after she raced to the school.
He's not just giving a direct quote to the reporter. The reporter reflects the conversation Mark is having with his mother. By using dialogue instead of just a direct quote, the reporter puts the reader at the scene.
That's just one of many lessons I've gained so far from the course, but I plan to go back and revisit it several times.
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