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What your readers should feel Alarmed Delighted Outraged Moved Tense Shocked Inspired Entertained Upset Like writing a letter to the editor Like Tweeting their followers
What your readers should not feel Bored Baffled Lost Diffident That they know more about the
subject than you do
Key ingredients
Angle Focus on specifics: people, ideas, companies,
regions, communities, demographic groups etc
Action Keep the story moving
Anecdotes Provide compelling human interest evidence Case studies: real-life examples to illustrate
wider point
The intro
Your single most important paragraph
Establishes your tone and voice Sets the scene Compels the reader to go deeper
Types of intro
Scene-setter Shocker Dropped Question Direct quote Indirect quote Direct address Anecdote
Intro pitfalls
Too much detail Too little detail Too rambling Too obvious – particularly with
asking a question Too many questions Too hypothetical
Cliched intros
“John Smith is a man on a mission.” “It is a truth universally acknowledged
that...” “I’ve been sitting in the hotel lobby for
over an hour when the PR calls to tell me Lady Gaga is running late.”
“Picture the scene:” “The good news is... The bad news is...” “At first glance...” Plenty more here:
http://www2.copydesk.org/hold/words/clicheleads.htm
Classic intros
“Two rivers run silently through London tonight, and one is made of people. Dark and quiet as the night-time Thames itself, it flows through Westminster Hall, eddying about the foot of the rock called Churchill.”
Vincent Mulchrone, Daily Mail1965
Classic Intros
"Gary Robinson died hungry.He had a taste for Church's fried chicken. He wanted the three-piece box for $2.19, plus tax. Instead he got three bullets...“
Edna Buchanan, Miami Herald 1985
Classic Intros
“On Sundays, I do what most people do. I don't buy the Independent on Sunday.”
Kelvin MacKenzie, The Sun
More intros advice
Because it sounds awkward, never start with a subordinate clause
Think about what tense you are going to write in
The middle Even the best intro in the world can’t
save a feature that has no point to make
Show, don’t tell Descriptive writing is about bringing
your story to life, not showing off how many adjectives you know
Use quotes sparingly to add power, drama and authority
A feature without facts is like an omelette without eggs
The middle
“Most feature sections cry out for sharper research and less indulgent writing” – David Randall
Case studies
Many features will include case studies to bring a personal angle to the story.
Don’t underestimate how difficult they can be to find
Either incorporate them into the overall structure of the feature
Or use them as separate boxouts
The end
Can come in many forms Brings some sense of closure to the
piece Can be a quote For narrative features, a return to
the beginning can be effective
Feature writing
Find your voice Sketch out your structure Use detail to illustrate wider story Don’t forget to explain Choose your quotes carefully Rewrite Rewrite Rewrite
Pitfalls
Too broad – vague, fuzzy, boring. Get focused
Too safe – get out of your comfort zone. Don’t just write about what you know.
Too low-level – talk to the organ grinder, not the monkey
Too shallow – dig deeper for more detail. Talk to more people.
Too few quotes – variety of voices keep the reader engaged
Too static – keep the story moving. Try to find a narrative arc.
More information
Melvin Mencher on writing leads: http://www.columbia.edu/itc/journalism/isaacs/client_edit/Mencher.html
Edna Buchanan profile: http://www.newyorker.com/archive/1986/02/17/1986_02_17_039_TNY_CARDS_000342687
Steve Buttry: http://collegejournalism.wordpress.com/
2008/07/15/writing-your-lede/ Write Stuff: writing advice:
http://writestuff.journalism.cuny.edu/category/writing-advice/