Writing Tools
Using the 5W1H Writing Style
The five W's are a principle widely used in journalism and copywriting, so they are worth understanding if you want to edit these types of writing.
Let's begin with a simple understanding to the basics of the five W's and how they can be used.
The W's themselves are:
Where the location the subject of the story is based in or will take place in (Where was the new library built?)
When the date, time, or historical context of the story (When will the new library open?)
Why the causes and effects of the story's focus and what makes it important (Why is there a new library?)
They are usually accompanied by one H:
Howthe circumstances involved in the story, the way the subject works, or the way it came to be (How was the new library funded?)
None of these questions can be answered with a simple yes or no. The idea here is that the information gained from the answers is factual, in depth, and crucial to understanding the subject matter.
In traditional journalism, writers would be expected to answer all of these questions in the lead or opening paragraph. But this is less of a requirement of modern and literary journalism, so long as the questions are still answered somewhere in the article.
Let's begin with a simple understanding to the basics of the five W's and how they can be used.
What Are the Five W's?
The five W's are a series of questions used by a creator, editor or writers, and especially marketing writers, when providing information in reports, articles, or other documents. Each question must be answered to tell a complete story.The W's themselves are:
Who
Who the object or focus of the story or any person, place or thing involved (Who opened the new library?)What
What the incident, event, or other circumstance that is the focus of the story (What will happen at the opening event?)Where the location the subject of the story is based in or will take place in (Where was the new library built?)
When the date, time, or historical context of the story (When will the new library open?)
Why the causes and effects of the story's focus and what makes it important (Why is there a new library?)
They are usually accompanied by one H:
Howthe circumstances involved in the story, the way the subject works, or the way it came to be (How was the new library funded?)
None of these questions can be answered with a simple yes or no. The idea here is that the information gained from the answers is factual, in depth, and crucial to understanding the subject matter.
In traditional journalism, writers would be expected to answer all of these questions in the lead or opening paragraph. But this is less of a requirement of modern and literary journalism, so long as the questions are still answered somewhere in the article.