Bridget A. Foster: Recent Episodes
Bridget A. Foster
Hi everybody! Bridget here! Just stopping in for another video to hopefully help you along this journey we call life. Today, I want to talk to you about being humble. Yes, I know I am the one always telling you to believe in yourself, and letting you know that you can do anything if you … Continue reading "The Vlog: Being Humble Goes Hand in Hand with Being Confident"
Good morning, everyone. It is dark and early on a Monday morning. I’ll show you just how early. Take a look at this. I am up, and I am ready to start the day. I am at work already—getting ready to do a major project that I have been working on for the better … Continue reading "The VLOG: Opportunity Knocks at All Hours; Are You Ready?"
Hi friends! It’s Bridget back here with you. I have a very important topic to discuss with you today. In fact, it’s so important, I have written about it three times. Are you listening? These next three words are super important: believe in yourself! The world is a hard place to be at times. … Continue reading "The VLOG: Three Words You Need to Hear"
Hi … it’s Bridget here. Will you help me with something? Will you click on the like or share button please? I’m not afraid to ask you for your help when I need it. But that wasn’t always the case. Years ago, I used to see it as a sign of weakness. Or I … Continue reading "The VLOG: Why It’s Okay to Ask for Help"
Our connections can open doors that would otherwise be closed. Improving your networking skills can land you opportunities beyond your wildest dreams. This video shows you some pitfalls to avoid.
Hi everyone. I just arrived at work, and I wanted to stop for a quick moment and give you a piece of life and professional advice. So that advice is: don’t let anyone write your story for you. You write your own narrative. What I mean by that is this. People have their own advice, … Continue reading "The VLOG: Three Steps to Taking Charge of Your Own Life"
Toxic people come in many forms. They have one mission -- to tear you down. Don't allow them. This video will empower you to take the necessary steps to bring positivity back into your life.
I have had the honor and privilege to coordinate my station’s internship program for the last few months. So, I have been thinking a lot lately about the value of an internship. The topic came up again during a conference I recently attended. It got me thinking that the advice I gave to a budding … Continue reading "THE VALUE OF INTERNSHIPS"
I have taught you a lot of things over the past year about writing. Many of them have been higher level writing techniques, but what if you’re just starting out? What do you need to know? What do I as a copy-editor look for in a writer who is working on the newscast I oversee? … Continue reading "HOW TO WRITE THE PERFECT, FACTUAL BROADCAST NEWS STORY"
Your news director says showcase your lead story and write one heck of an intro to your reporter. No problem. You got this. Now, you have breaking news. You need to get on the air with it in less than five minutes, and you’re going into wall-to-wall coverage as soon as you get on television. Piece of cake! Now, your news director has one more request. Write a tease. You freeze. I mean full on deer in headlights. You cry a little bit inside. Your palms sweat. Your mouth is dry. Your heart is racing. A single bead of sweat trickles down the side of your face. You are in full on tease panic mode. Never has a five-letter word and 10-15 seconds of time been so nerve-racking. All of a sudden, you’ve forgotten how to write at all. Your mind is as blank as that tease slug you’re in. Why does the five-letter word make our insides quiver in fear? Why does it reduce otherwise highly skilled, competent people to insecure, fumbling neophytes? How do you knock your news director’s socks off with an amazing, effective tease? This series of articles on the topic explores all of that.
The night before my final exam, I wrote a blog post that I never uploaded. It was an account of what I was feeling – excitement, fear, disbelief, sadness. This was a part of my life for four years! What would it be like without it taking up so much of my time? I barely remembered life pre-grad school. I wouldn’t have to go to my old stomping grounds any more in Gainesville. It was the last time in our little hotel room, the last time taking selfies on campus – the last everything.
Hello, and thank you for listening to the “Writer’s Resource” podcast. I am your host – Bridget A. Foster. And this is a podcast dedicated to making you the best broadcast news writer you can be. Today, I want to talk to you about conversational writing. When it’s done well, it makes our broadcasts … Continue reading "Podcast: Talk to Me — the Art of Conversational Writing"
Recently, I had an experience that affected me so much, I needed to write about it. My boss offered me the opportunity to work on a special. The topic is one we’ll be talking about for quite some time. Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico and many other places. Shortly before Maria hit, Irma had already … Continue reading "Hurricane Maria: The Human Spirit Triumphs Over Tragedy"
Tampa, FL, November 21, 2017 – A familiar voice is returning to the airwaves in a new show. Emmy award winning executive producer, blogger, and speaker Bridget A. Foster is launching “The Writer’s Resource” podcast. It’s an extension of her popular blog of the same name. “People consume information in a host of ways,” Foster … Continue reading "Veteran Journalist Returns to the Airwaves with a New Podcast"
Lakeland, FL, November 12, 2017 – Bridget A. Foster, Emmy Award winning journalist and Founder of the “Writer’s Resource” podcast, is coming to Southeastern University. She’s signed on to bring her unique style of lecturing to the Expressions Storytelling Institute & Writers Conference which is scheduled for March 9 & 10th, 2018. “I am thrilled … Continue reading "Veteran Journalist Signs on to Speak at Southeastern University’s Writing Conference"
Tampa, FL, October 28, 2017– Broadcast news writers have an exciting new resource to help them learn and grow. Long-time journalist Bridget Foster recently launched “The Writer’s Resource” blog. “I noticed a great need out there – not just in the Tampa Bay area, but across the nation. I have watched journalists just starting … Continue reading "Veteran Journalist Launches Exciting Writing Website to Address a Need in the Industry"
Hello and welcome to the “Writer’s Resource” podcast. I am your host, Bridget A. Foster, and this is a podcast dedicated to making you the best broadcast television writer you can be. Today, I’d like to discuss grammar. Wait – did you hear that? It was your collective groans. I get it. I get it. … Continue reading "Podcast: Grammar Gremlins"
Hello there, and thank you for listening to the writer’s resource podcast. I am your host, Bridget A. Foster. This episode coincides with my article on descriptive writing. I wanted to elaborate on some of the points i made in that post. Now, if you haven’t read the piece, i encourage you to do … Continue reading "PODCAST: Dazzling Descriptive Writing "
Welcome, and thank you for listening to The Writer’s Resource Podcast. I’m Bridget A. Foster. And this is a podcast dedicated to making you the best broadcast television news writer you can be. Today, I want to talk to you about concise writing. This is the companion piece to my article on my website: … Continue reading "Podcast: Concise Writing Less is Best"
I know you’ve heard this before. “Just the facts, ma’am. Just the facts.” Yes, facts are king for broadcast television writing. If we can’t get those correct, we have no credibility. However, writing for a television audience is so much more than that. It’s about making a connection. We have learned over the years our viewers want the presenters and the newscast as a whole to be relatable. One way to make that connection is to introduce emotion or feeling into your writing. I can hear the questions right now. But Bridget, isn’t that editorializing? Bridget, isn’t that disingenuous? It’s neither, and I’ll show you why in this article. This post will not have any photos or graphics to distract from the content. It’s an important subject that requires your full attention.
Grammar gremlins are creeping into articles, scripts, and in graphics in broadcast, print, and web-based media organizations across the world. It’s going to be up to us grammar geeks (gurus) to take on the gremlins and win the war. In this article, I will show you the top five grammatical pitfalls I see when I’m copy-editing scripts every day and give you simple tips to avoid the grammar gremlins in your copy.
Descriptive writing is like poetry. It speaks to all of the senses for a truly captivating experience for your audience. Yes, we can use visuals to show people what we’re talking about in broadcast news, movies, blogs, vlogs, and newspaper articles, but even the best images are lost if they don’t have some descriptive copy to accompany them.
Good broadcast news copy doesn’t have to be verbose. When I started writing for broadcast years ago, I had “lengthy writing” syndrome. I’ll never forget when my radio wrap did not air because it was too long. The audience can get lost in all of those words. Dial it back. Exercise restraint. Practice concise writing. This article shows you how.
So you want to strengthen your broadcast news writing. You have come to the right place. One simple way to make your copy stronger is to make sure you are using the active voice when you write. What does that mean, and how do you do it? This short, powerful article will help you. It’s a three minute read that is well worth your time.
You’re sitting in front of your blank computer screen. You have something important to communicate, but you don’t know how to start. It’s happened to the best of us. You need a lead line – a good one! You’re bringing the audience into your story, and you want to viewers to be intrigued enough to stick around for everything you have to tell them. So how do you craft that stellar lead? Here is a quick read to show you some best practices and help you avoid some pitfalls. I hope you enjoy it! While you’re on my website, check out my articles on Grammar Gremlins, active voice, and concise and descriptive writing!
You must practice writing to continue to improve your craft. This is a collection of fictional stories to help you craft incredible lead lines.
You might be asking yourself – why don’t I want my lead line to be clever? Here’s the deal. A lot of times, clever is distracting and confusing to the listener or viewer. Our audience shouldn’t have to use the DVR to rewind and see if they can figure out what the anchor is talking about, and likely they won’t do it. They will just wonder what the anchor said and miss the rest of the story. So you’ve succeeded in stumping them, at which point, your method of communication just failed.
Descriptive writing is like poetry. It speaks to all of the senses for a truly captivating experience for your audience. Yes, we can use visuals to show people what we’re talking about in broadcast news, movies, blogs, vlogs, and newspaper articles, but even the best images are lost if they don’t have some descriptive copy to accompany them.
Imagine this. I’m scrolling through my LinkedIn feed, and an attorney shared an article about United Airlines agreeing to a settlement with a passenger who security had dragged off of one of the company’s planes. If you’ve read my article, you know where I’m going with this. That’s right, Forbes.com fell victim to #4 on my list of the top five grammar gremlins ...
Simply put, when you write in the active voice, you construct the sentence so the subject does the action. Active sentences are easier for the anchor to read in broadcast news. Sentences written in the active voice are also easier for your audience/reader to understand.
People’s attention spans are not as long as they used to be. They are less likely to stick around for your entire message if that message takes too long to express. In this article, I give you simple techniques to clean the unnecessary words out of your copy.
“When I first met Bridget Foster, I thought I knew a lot about television news. After all, I graduated with a degree in broadcast journalism and had worked in practically every position within the industry for more than 15 years. When Bridget became my boss, it became abundantly clear I had a lot of learning … Continue reading "Paul Mueller"
“Bridget is not self-centered … Her insight into life, jobs, etc. often provide that platform or foundation for you to help grow in your career goals as well as in your life experiences”. Bill Remeika