I was told that leads have to be in complete sentences. When I turned in my homework last week I found out that my attempt at writing leads looked more like headlines. That was an unfortunate mistake, but I really did learn from it.
I also learned to emphasize the story's most unusual developments. I feel that this is one of the easiest parts because I love the unusual. This makes it easier for me to pick out the unusual and add into my lead. It is also a great way to grab people's attention.
While I was reading about leads it said to avoid using unfamiliar names. That is why when I wrote my leads I used labels instead of names. It was also very helpful to learn that leads can be more than one sentence. I was writing all my leads in one sentence, which made it look like a headline.
Localizing the lead makes it easier to understand grabbed my attention because it makes sense to me. People love to read something that touches close to home. I also learned that stating the obvious can get boring so breaking the rules is a good thing.
Overall, I hope that I get a better grasp on writing leads!
Michelle
Wow, that's great! This is my first journalism class, too, I COMPLETELY know how you feel! I did the same thing, made my leads look like headlines at first. And you're right, of course, people will be more likely to read something that touches them personally. Like, if someone sees that someone was murdered near their home they'll be much more likely to read it than someone who lives five hundred miles away from them.
ReplyDeleteMichelle-- Like you, I have learned a lot about leads in a short time. Even though I had some prior knowledge, these chapters covered just about anything a person could ask about leads. Also, I find writing about the unusual developments easier and look forward to learning about alternative leads.
ReplyDeletetrue grimes
Grade: 10/10
ReplyDeleteI think learning to write around an unusual detail will be difficult but also very fun and rewarding. I am excited to learn new things as well!
ReplyDelete