Leads and Endings

							Leads and Endings

  Getting the reader’s attention and
           letting them go.
Function of a Lead

   Grab the reader’s attention
   Tells something about the subject of
    the story
   Shows significance of the story
   Shows what kind of story it is: news,
    feature, profile, research
   Establishes pace and tone
   Establishes the writer’s voice and
    authority
News leads

   From AGJR 203
     Includes the 5 Ws
     Can easily be overloaded

     Easier than feature leads

     Identifies what is important
Feature leads

   Can withhold information
   Offers a variety of choices to the
    writer.
   Should propel the reader into
    the subject matter.
Direct or Delayed
   Breaking news – Direct
   Creating a human slant – Delay
   Compare these:
State University        Tracy McBain roamed the library for an hour
could lose its         Thursday night, looking for a place to study.
                       She didn’t find a single empty seat.
accreditation if it
                       Frustrated and angry, she went outside to
does not expand
                       ponder her next move.
the library within
five years,             “Is it my imagination or does the library get
university officials   more crowded every semester?” said
were warned            McBain.
yesterday.               Its not her imagination. The overcrowded
                       library has long caused problems for State
                       students, and now may cause more trouble
                       for the University.
Types of Leads

   Straight Lead
   Scene Lead
   Anecdote Lead
   Significant Detail Lead
   Single-Instance Lead
   Face or Point-of-View Lead
   Direct-Address Lead
   Word-Play Lead
10 Overused Leads
   “That’s the Word”
   The Chair-Leaning
   The Mystery “It”
   The Uncommonly Common
   The Atypically Typical
   The “No exception”
   The Quick-Trip-to-the-Almanac
   The One-word
   The Calendar Cliché
   The Rodney Dangerfield
Focus

   Each story has
    one main idea
    to which all
    other ideas
    relate
   Having trouble –
    try a diagram




                       Main Idea
Why is a lead so important?

 I look at leads as my one frail
 opportunity to grab the reader.
 If I don’t grab them at the start,
 I can’t count on grabbing them
 in the middle—because they
 never get to the middle.

                      Mitch Alborn
                Detroit Free Press
Function of an Ending

A good ending must:
 Tell the reader the story is over.

 Nail the central theme of the
  story to the reader’s mind.
 Resonate—stick with the reader
  and make them think.
Function of an Ending 2

A really good ending can:
 Surprise the reader.

 Present a twist on the story.

 Do something unexpected—that
  turns out to be exactly right.
How to Write an Ending

   Write the ending first, so you’ll
    have a destination to aim for as
    you write. Or at least have the
    destination in mind.
   Don’t make it an afterthought:
    it’s your last chance to influence
    your reader, so make it count.
Types of Endings

   Anecdote Ending
   Detail Ending
   Face Ending
   Quote Ending
   Scenic Ending
   Not-the-Obvious Ending
Why is the ending so
important?
 If leads are like flashlights that
 shine down into the story,
 endings can be eternal flames
 that keep a story alive in a
 reader’s head and heart.
                       Chip Scanlan
                    Poynter Institute
Learning from a Master

“Mopsy has looked into the face of
  death, and it is whiskered.”

 Lead for a story about a bobcat
 terrorizing household pets in a
 Florida neighborhood, told from
 the point of view of a chicken
 who survived.
 Writer: Rick Bragg
Your Turn

   Based on our discussion, write
    three possible leads for your
    feature story (or stories).
   Turn in your leads before you
    leave lab today.