Using Anecdotes

1. Using Anecdotes Learning Goal: Students will understand how to use anecdotes to begin their feature article

2. Definition • A short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person.

3. Use in a feature article • Telling a short recount (true or not!) is a good way at hooking your reader right from the beginning of your article • This way they feel like they are reading about another person and can create a personal connection.

4. First Person • You could write your article from first person perspective • This way you are telling a personal recount and telling your reader about your own experience and knowledge of the issue • Obviously this is going to boost your credibility with your reader as they will believe you. • You aren’t just writing about this topic you actually KNOW about it

5. For example • Last week I was watching a news report about the energy drinks. I was quite shocked and alarmed as I was watching this by the devastating effects that these energy drinks can have on people. Some of the things the report described were changes in behaviour, brain development, lowered immune system and most worryingly heart conditions. • As a teacher I was even more concerned by what I was watching as I see my students regularly drinking cans of these drinks. It made me wonder if my students were aware of the health risks associated with these drinks? If they were concerned by what they could do to them? This news report was quite brief, only about five minutes or so. But from what I saw I decided that I had more questions than answers and needed to do some more research. This is what I found.

6. I could then finish my article by • providing some more research about the effects of energy drinks • Interviews/opinions from people who do and don’t drink them • A comparison between energy drinks and normal soft drinks • The purpose would be to raise awareness about this issue and perhaps convince people to stay away from them

7. Using Third Person • You could tell a story about some one else’s experience with your topic • By doing this you are describing a real life example of where your reader could observe this happening • Your readers will be able to connect more with your article as they know that it is a real example that has occurred to someone, somewhere before.

8. Example • John, 14, has had a bit of an interrupted sleep for the last few nights. He has had a massive amount of assignments due at school and, as he always does, left them to the last minute to finish. So he has been sitting up late at night madly typing and researching to get them all finished. In order to help him get through the rest of the week, John is drinking an energy drink with his lunch. “I wouldn’t be able to get through the rest of the day if I didn’t have this now!” he says as he gulps it down. It seems to be that his friends are all feeling the same as within the group of 8 of them 6 of the boys are all drinking an energy drink. • “I know people say that they aren’t good for you, but I have never felt anything bad after drinking them.” John adds after being asked about whether he is aware of the ingredients and their side effects on the body. • Alarmingly, this seems to be a bit of a common story amongst Australian teenagers. They all seem to have been seduced by manipulative advertising campaigns of energy drinks but none are aware or seem to care that they could be doing irreversable damage to their developing bodies.

9. I could then finish my article… • The same way that I had planned to write the one that I began with a first person anecdote.

10. Your turn… • Write an anecdote about your feature article topic • Remember to include: • A short description – either in first person or third person perspective • A few sentences explaining how it introduces and relates to the rest of your article.