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Writing a Good Lead

Writing a Good Lead. Catch Their attention!. 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. Resolution. Exposition. Changing History.

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Writing a Good Lead

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  1. Writing a Good Lead Catch Their attention!

  2. Inverted Pyramid p. 123

  3. 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 Resolution Exposition

  4. Changing History News Stories were written as regular stories – slow progressive pace . . . . . UNTIL The Telegraph was invented What changed?

  5. 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

  6. Identify The News Hard News – Stories about timely, breaking news Soft News – Less timely feature stories about individuals or about lifestyle issues.

  7. 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

  8. What is a Lead? • Beginning of any story • Entices the reader to continue • Very Short – 35-50 words – Out take p. 127 / p. 147 • No Bias • USUALLY should tell the reader • Who? • What? • When? • Where? • How?

  9. Soft News Leads Main goal: catch the reader’s attention Answering ALL 5 questions not necessary – but you still may Instead of an inverted pyramid, a storytelling organization can also be used

  10. Storytelling Flow ONLY used on soft news The clincher reveals the conclusion of the story necessary for understanding (p. 128) Clincher Lead Fact Fact Fact

  11. DON’T BE BORING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  12. Summary Lead Most traditional Should be used sparingly Summarizes the gist of the story Usually shorter – less than 30 words About 1 sentence

  13. Blind Lead Great to use if the person involved is NOT known to the public Adds suspense to keep the reader reading Use when the WHO is not as important as the WHAT

  14. 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)

  15. Storytelling Lead Makes readers feel the drama in the event Introduce by jumping straight to the conflict and characters Usually includes dialogue

  16. Short Sentence Lead Capture the readers by a clear, short sentence that captures the essence of the story.

  17. Amazing Fact Lead Share an amazing fact with the readers about the story content Captures attention Make SURE the fact is accurate Make SURE the fact matches the story content

  18. 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

  19. List Lead Impress the readers with lists of same situation events Supports your point as the writer

  20. Word Play Lead Using satire, a pun, or humor can get readers interested Use sparingly and ONLY when appropriate Be careful about sloshing someone’s name.

  21. Opposite Lead Start out with an opposite viewpoint than the entire article Great for editorials / opinion pieces Helps prove your point Effective for using pros / cons

  22. Mix it up and keep your leads interesting! Summary Lead Blind Lead Scenic Lead Storytelling lead Short Sentence Lead Amazing Fact lead Startling Statement Lead List Lead Word Play Lead Opposite Lead

  23. Examples P. 118 P. 121

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