Lead with the future -- rather than with background. That's the most important of eight journalism skills that will transform your queries, proposals and manuscripts. The others: write your readers' language, be positive (to be both clear and upbeat), lay out logically, be consistent, be precise, be brief and choose strong verbs. Highlights: master crisis communication, correct errors the correct way, choose between absolute numbers and ratios and write around generic "he." Emulate the striking news examples you'll see in this workshop, and you'll strengthen your writing voice with lively, engaging news style.