Narrative Formats
Narrative Lead Format
• Can be up to five paragraphs long
– Paragraphs should be one to two sentences long, three if
the sentences are short
• Take one to three paragraphs to tell a story or
recreate a scene
• The fourth paragraph should be a transition
– Tell the reader how this narrative relates to the larger
issue
• The fifth paragraph should be the “nut” graph
– This is the “hard news” lead
Narrative Lead Tips
• Put someone’s name in the lead so the reader gets
to “know” that person
– You can have more than one person in a narrative lead,
but don’t add too many or it might be confusing
• Pick ONE story to focus on
– If you have more than one story, choose one for the lead,
then incorporate the others into the story
• You can use direct quotes in a narrative lead
• This is your chance to have fun with news writing
– Be dramatic, use descriptive language and appeal to
emotion
Narrative Lead Types
• Anecdotal
– A lead that tells one person’s or one group’s story
• Scene-recreation
– A lead that captures a moment in time
– You are bringing the reader into a particular scene
• Descriptive
– Describing what you see
– Don’t use first or second person in this – just report
what you observe
Narrative Stories
• Start with a narrative lead
• Explore the larger story –start with the
nut graph
• Come back to the focus at some point –
quote the person again or finish the
story you started
• End with a quote or interesting
anecdote
Midterm Review
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Hard news leads
Inverted pyramid style
Transitions
Choosing and attributing quotes
Goals of service journalism/examples
Seven news values/examples
Numbers – percentage/percentage change
Focus leads
Four layers of writing online
Examples of how journalists can use social media