Writing a Good Lead
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Transcript of Writing a Good Lead
CATCH THEIR ATTENTION!
Writing a Good Lead
Inverted Pyramid p. 123
History of the Pyramid
Think: Literature. Inverted or regular pyramid?
Where is the most important information here?
Why wouldn’t this work in News Writing?Climax
Exposition Resolution
Changing History
News Stories were written as regular stories – slow progressive pace . . . . . UNTIL
The Telegraph was inventedWhat changed?
Testing the Pyramid p. 126
Crop Testing – If you can crop the bottom few paragraphs of your story, you have successfully used the inverted pyramid
Identify The News
Hard News – Stories about timely, breaking news
Soft News – Less timely feature stories about individuals or about lifestyle issues.
Hard News Leads
- MUST answer all 5 questions - Always uses the Inverted Pyramid- Who? What? When? Where? Why? - Reader needs to know the MOST important
information in the lead. Why?- Interest rate: Order your information from
MOST important to LEAST important before you begin
- Write your lead- Practice p. 122 #2, 3
What is a Lead?
Beginning of any storyEntices the reader to continueVery Short – 35-50 words – Out take p. 127 / p. 147No Bias
USUALLY should tell the reader Who? What? When? Where? How?
Soft News Leads
Main goal: catch the reader’s attentionAnswering ALL 5 questions not necessary –
but you still mayInstead of an inverted pyramid, a storytelling
organization can also be used
Storytelling Flow
ONLY used on soft newsThe clincher reveals the conclusion of the
story necessary for understanding (p. 128)LeadClincher
Fact
Fact
Fact
DON’T BE BORING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Summary Lead
Most traditionalShould be used sparinglySummarizes the gist of the storyUsually shorter – less than 30 wordsAbout 1 sentence
Blind Lead
Great to use if the person involved is NOT known to the public
Adds suspense to keep the reader readingUse when the WHO is not as important as the
WHAT
Scenic Lead
Begins with a description of the scene surrounding an event
Great for stories where the setting is key (festivities, beautiful scenery, games, productions)
Storytelling Lead
Makes readers feel the drama in the eventIntroduce by jumping straight to the conflict
and charactersUsually includes dialogue
Short Sentence Lead
Capture the readers by a clear, short sentence that captures the essence of the story.
Amazing Fact Lead
Share an amazing fact with the readers about the story content
Captures attentionMake SURE the fact is accurateMake SURE the fact matches the story
content
Startling Statement
Arouse the reader’s attention about potentially boring content by shocking them into reading more
Pick the MOST interesting part of the story and run with it
List Lead
Impress the readers with lists of same situation events
Supports your point as the writer
Word Play Lead
Using satire, a pun, or humor can get readers interested
Use sparingly and ONLY when appropriateBe careful about sloshing someone’s name.
Opposite Lead
Start out with an opposite viewpoint than the entire article
Great for editorials / opinion piecesHelps prove your pointEffective for using pros / cons
Mix it up and keep your leads interesting!
Summary LeadBlind LeadScenic LeadStorytelling leadShort Sentence LeadAmazing Fact leadStartling Statement LeadList LeadWord Play LeadOpposite Lead
Examples
P. 118P. 121