12.06.2011

Santa Claus, Movies and the Economy - writercize #138

I was playing around with trying to work song or movie titles into a holiday card note last week, but the muses just were not cooperating with me, so I moved onto a holiday card plan B and I'll purge the song or movie title idea with a writercize instead.

This could be a bit of a stretch, but work with me here.  Sometimes journalists play with words in the opening paragraph of a story or in the title.  Arguments over a power plant are a "power struggle."  Eco-friendly development is given the "green" light to construct.  At times the creativity pays off, and other times it's a bust, but ... finding a creative way to spin the news can be good to get the juices flowing. 

For today's writercize, work a well-known song or movie title or two into that offbeat leading paragraph.  You can use a real current event for inspiration, or write the lead with a journalistic style for an imaginary event.

writercize:  Using the title of a holiday movie or song, write a lead paragraph of a news item referencing a current event.

Click "read more" for writercizer sample response where the economy and unemployment rates meet Scrooge and Santa Claus.  (Like I said, bear with me! It all makes sense in the end!)
writercizer sample response:

While counties across the nation struggle to create jobs and stop the Scrooge-minded economy from spoiling this holiday season, government officials in Fairfax County are calling out, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus!"

Santa Claus, better known as the United States federal government located in nearby Washington, DC, is credited with providing the stability, education and financial investment necessary to keep the Fairfax County economy afloat. That translates to a 4.6 percent unemployment rate compared to a national average closer to 9 percent, and into the double digits in many cities, counties and states.

2 comments:

  1. I liked your opinion. You summarized exactly my moods and my feels during the end of the year and the holidays.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love it! I'm working on a piece about believing in the 'spirit' of Santa Claus and I used the same movie title!

    ReplyDelete

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