Story structuresUsing familiar approaches to report new information

Assembling reportsSome story structures are used

often.Readers familiar with them.Easy to use and comfortable.Time tested.They work.Sometimes, it’s best to break the

rules of these formats.The story should dictate the

approach.

Inverted pyramidThe most basic.Everyone is familiar with it.Dates from the Civil War era, or

even earlier.Is it relevant today? Why or why

not?

Narrative structureTelling a story.Allows reporter more creativity.Uses detail, dialogue,

observation.Foreshadowing – tell readers a bit

about what is coming.We are a visual society. Paint a

picture in the reader’s mind with the words you choose.

Show, don’t tell Gather information with all your

senses – sight, smell, touch, hearing.

Experience it for your readers.Describe that experience.Don’t tell readers a subject is

funny or angry (that comes off as opinion.)

Show readers through description, quotes, anecdotes, interesting details.

DialogueQuotes – direct and indirect.Lets the subject of your story

speak directly to readers.We get a flavor for how the

person talks and acts.Be careful if you haven’t directly

witnessed dialogue. It’s best to avoid re-creating direct quotes. Paraphrase.

AnecdotesA story within your report –

anecdote.Can be about the source, or told

by the source/subject of the story.Can inform and entertain, or

provide insight into the subject of the story.

Ask source for an example or about an experience to elicit anecdotes.

Focus structureUsing one person or family’s

circumstances to illustrate a larger issue.

Lead and first couple paragraphs describe the situation, specific to that person or family.

Examples: Foreclosures, health issues, manufacturer closing.

Focus structure (cont.)After the feature intro, we

transition to a nut graph.This paragraph summarizes the

issue at the heart of the story.Foreshadowing – what else are

we going to find out by continuing to read?

Focus structure (cont.)So what – With foreshadowing,

often we get a sentence or two that tells us why the readers should care, how this applies to their lives.

To be sure – what are other aspects/sides to the story?

The body of the storyUse anecdotes, scenes,

observations and dialogue to add color, weight and emphasis to the facts.

As with every story, move smoothly from one point to the next.

The endingUnlike the inverted pyramid,

these other structures don’t necessarily stop when we run out of key facts.

Ending is planned to give the reader a feeling of completeness.

The ending, part IICircle – End the story in the same

place it began.Good quote or anecdote – could

summarize the story. Or it could play off the main theme or topic.

A good wrap-up.Don’t end with a summary that

includes an opinion.

Back to the start!Write a great lead. Always, but

especially on feature stories.Don’t pack it too full. Let it

breathe. You can put other stuff in the rest of the story.

Draw the reader in – be creative.

NamesIt’s OK to use a person’s name in

the lead in a feature-type story.It’s similar to an introduction. You

are introducing the person to the reader.

Second person leadsUsing “you.”You may want to avoid walking

across campus Tuesday.Workers are digging several large holes for a series of tree plantings.

OK to use, sparingly. Third person is the approach we use most, the one readers are most familiar with.

Contrast leadsA good lead can contrast

something commonly accepted with something surprising or unusual.

Captures interest right away.EX. It took John Jones 24 years to

become a police officer. It took him 38 days to die.

Leads to avoidDirect quotes – we have no

context for who is speaking or what is being said.

You can build a lead off an interesting direct quote, though.

One sentence intro, then the quote in the second paragraph.

For example …

New development doesn’t upset Bill Smith. The location of a new development does.“I’ve enjoyed winding down on my back porch for the past 37 years, reflecting on the trees out back. Now they are going to put a big box where those trees should be. It’s not right.”

More leads to avoidQuestion leads – Stories should

answer questions, not raise them.Definition leads – From the

dictionary. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.Cliches - It’s a small word.

Breathe a sigh of relief. The family only wanted the American dream. He searched high and low.

Another lead to avoidTopic lead – Tell the reader what

the news is, not the topic of the story.

EX. Shepherd village commissioners met Monday and discussed several issues.

BORING and pointless.Better …

Tax rates in Shepherd may need to increase due to state cutbacks, village commissioners were told Monday.

You can avoid topic leads by avoiding:- Discussed.- Told how.- Considered.- Talked about.

Focus on the action.

Questions?