Leads

Open with a BANG!

That's what today was all about.

Okay that and computer trouble, but that's a separate issue.

Leads are your openings.  Your hooks.  The "most important part of a news story" according to the Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL).  The lead is the section that will decide if the reader will read the rest of your story or move on to something else.

You need to write leads that shine!

With that in mind we looked at two websites today in class.  Here is the link to the OWL site. And here is the link to the site with the cartoon bear.  I want you to read over the different examples of leads the two sites offered and try your hand at several of them.  Part of your homework is to try three different leads for the same story.  Identify which one you like the best and use it.

The OWL site also offered some lead writing tips.  These are posted below for easy access.

Tips for Writing a Lead

The Five W’s and H: Before writing a lead, decide which aspect of the story – who, what, when, where, why, how – is most important. You should emphasize those aspects in your lead. Wait to explain less important aspects until the second or third sentence.

Conflict: Good stories have conflict. So do many good leads.

Specificity: Though you are essentially summarizing information in most leads, try to be specific as possible. If your lead is too broad, it won’t be informative or interesting.

Brevity: Readers want to know why the story matters to them and they won’t wait long for the answer. Leads are often one sentence, sometimes two. Generally, they are 25 to 30 words and should rarely be more than 40. This is somewhat arbitrary, but it’s important – especially for young journalists – to learn how to deliver information concisely. See the OWL’s page on concise writing for specific tips. The Paramedic Method is also good for writing concisely.

Active sentences: Strong verbs will make your lead lively and interesting. Passive constructions, on the other hand, can sound dull and leave out important information, such as the person or thing that caused the action. Incomplete reporting is often a source of passive leads.

Audience and context: Take into account what your reader already knows. Remember that in today’s media culture, most readers become aware of breaking news as it happens. If you’re writing for a print publication the next day, your lead should do more than merely regurgitate yesterday’s news.

Honesty: A lead is an implicit promise to your readers. You must be able to deliver what you promise in your lead.

What to Avoid

Flowery language: Many beginning writers make the mistake of overusing adverbs and adjectives in their leads. Concentrate instead on using strong verbs and nouns.

Unnecessary words or phrases: Watch out for unintentional redundancy. For example, 2 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, or very unique. You can’t afford to waste space in a news story, especially in the lead. Avoid clutter and cut right to the heart of the story.

Formulaic leads: Because a lot of news writing is done on deadline, the temptation to write tired leads is strong. Resist it. Readers want information, but they also want to be entertained. Your lead must sound genuine, not merely mechanical.

It: Most editors frown on leads that begin with the word it because it is not precise and disorients the reader.

If you examine the lead options and remember the tips, you should be on your way to writing some extraordinary investigative journalism pieces.

Now in addition to the leads, you need to be revising, revising, revising as you prepare up to three pieces for publication.  The more pieces you have brought effectively to publication, the better off you will be.  

Don't do nothing tonight.  Be sure you revise your best news stories into even better news stories.  

Keep on writing.

Until next time...