WHY to features
DOA
FEATURE
lot of airtime to fill and are always
on the look out for good visual
stories/features
GRAF
“After a lead that shows,
the nut graf tells.”
• Let’s look at your FIRST DRAFT!
BUILD-UP OF CONSEQUENCES
TENSION
CONFLICT RESOLUTION
WRITING IN STAGES
(WILLIAM BLUNDELL)
• Stage one: Tease me, you devil
(Give the reader a reason to continue reading)
• Stage two: Tell me what you’re up to.
(What’s the story really about?)
• Stage three: Oh yeah? Prove what you said.
(Present evidence)
• Stage four: Help me remember.
(Make it clear and forceful, give it a memorable ending)
WALL STREET JOURNAL
FORMULA
Anecdote/Soft lead: Focus on the person
Backup quote
Nut graph: The lead. It should be no lower than the sixth
paragraph.
Details: Proof, supporting information
More details: Why is this happening? What is being done
about it?
More details: End with the person’s story or summarize
Summary: Tie them all
together
ENDING
Golden Rule:
Start strong,
finish strong
WHAT’S ON MY LIST
1. Get the name of the dog
“A mother wept in front of a Baptist
Church. In her hand she held a shoe,
the shoe of her dead child.”
WHAT’S ON MY LIST
1. Get the name of the dog
“Arlene Santocristo, a 43-year old
mother, wept in front of a Baptist
Church. In her hand she held a shoe, the
shoe of her dead 2-year old daughter.”
WHAT’S ON MY LIST
2. Use the “stitching” technique
• Find a key word in the last sentence of a
paragraph and use that as transition to the next
paragraph versus use of conjunctive adverbs:
furthermore, hence, however, meanwhile,
moreover, therefore, notably, additionally
WHAT’S ON MY LIST
3. Pace it well
• Vary the length of sentences: long, then short
ones
Try thiS:
This sentence has five words. Here are five
more words. Five-word sentences are fine.
But several together become monotonous.
The sound of it drones. Look at what is
happening. It’s like a stuck record. The
ear demands some variety.
…or, this:
Now listen. I vary the sentence length, and I create music. Music. The
writing sings. It has a pleasant rhythm, a lilt, a harmony. I use short
sentences. And I use sentences of medium length. And sometimes
when I am certain the reader is rested, I will engage him with a
sentence of considerable length, a sentence that burns with energy
and builds with all the impetus of a crescendo, the roll of the drums,
the crash of the cymbals--sounds that say, “listen to this, it is
important.”
WHAT’S ON MY LIST
4. Kiss off
•
If you have three or more sources,
do not weave back and forth with their quotes
• Exception is if it’s a well-known source
• Also used for putting similar ideas together
• Visualize it: organize them in blocks
5. Avoid ‘LOADED’ adjectives
• Instead, write with
vivid nouns and verbs
The adjective is an author’s opinion
5. Avoid ‘LOADED’ adjectives
A strong man came into the room.