Writing Story Leads
Chapter 6
Objectives
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After this unit, you should
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Understand the elements of lead (rhymes with
seed) writing
Understand the inverted pyramid structure
Know how to write the traditional AP, or
summary lead
Feel comfortable writing inventive, colorful
leads for all kinds of stories
Recognize good and bad story leads
Know which lead techniques to avoid
Leads—The Basics
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Most frequently the first paragraph of the news
story
Some leads, really more like introductions, can
run several paragraphs
It is the most important paragraph of any story.
It is where you win or lose the reader
Lead must have impact and come to the point
quickly.
Leads must grab a reader’s attention.
The Inverted Pyramid
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A device used by journalists to catch their
readers’ attention
The broad part where the main facts go is
the lead.
As the pyramid narrows, the facts become
less significant until, as you reach the
bottom, the facts may not be essential
Example of Inverted Pyramid
Central High defeated Tech High last night, 23-0
All-State Senior Rodney Morris scored twice for the Rams with a 27-yard run in the
first quarter and a plunge over the goal line in the second.
Sophomore Curtis Jones missed his first
conversion attempt but then booted a 29-yard
field goal later in the game.
Quarterback Jules Murphy, senior,
led a 35-yard Pistons march
downfield early in the first quarter,
but was stopped by a toughening
Rams defense.
The Pistons have lost their
past three games . Central
is now tied for first in the
league with Lincoln South.
Reasons to use the I.P.
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Natural way to tell a story—when you tell
a friend about a game, you begin by
telling who won—you don’t start with the
kickoff.
Enables the reader to get the essential
information without reading the entire
story.
An aid for the headline writer because the
essential facts are right at the top.
Makes it easy for the story to be
shortened—you can just cut from the
bottom up.
The “AP,” or Summary, Lead
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The Associated Press—or AP—is famous
for straightforward, no-nonsense writing.
Their leads are short, to the point, and
filled with information
These leads are not creative, but they
convey information quickly.
They work well with the traditional
inverted-pyramid stories.
Examples of AP Leads
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A three-alarm fire Friday destroyed several
fuel storage tanks just outside Centerville,
injuring three firefighters and causing an
estimated $1 million in damage.
The City Council voted unanimously
Monday to begin planning for a major
study of the city’s traffic patterns.
Seniors Juan Garcia and Mara Jo
Shanahan were named Nov. 12 as King
and Queen of Homecoming.
AP or Summary Lead Formula
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1.
2.
3.
As a beginning journalist, using this formula is
fine:
Start with the news (“Traffic is smothering the
city”)
And follow it with who said it (“an urban-affairs
specialist said”)
And the time element (Tuesday)
Lead: Traffic is smothering the city, an urbanaffairs specialist told Optimist Club members
Tuesday.
Examples from a high school paper
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With a key win against Manhattan, the
varsity girls’ team snapped a three-way tie
for the Centennial league title two weeks
ago.
Promoted as the first dance of the year,
the Back to School dance was held on
Friday, Sept. 2.
Writing the Lead
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Picture the reader (you know what you
want them to know)
You know the reader has choices
Don’t bore your reader with a lead he or
she has seen a thousand times.
Don’t always use the AP/Summary style
lead.
Getting Inspired
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Take a walk
Take a deep breath
Pretend you are writing
a letter
Look to novels,
magazines, etc.
Be Objective and Be Creative!
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Do not put your opinion into a lead for a
news or feature story (or anywhere else in
the story).
Make sure you use facts and don’t distort
the story.
The best leads are the ones that tell the
story the best.
Leads are good when they make the
reader want to read the rest of the story.
The Quote Lead and
the Question Lead
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Should not be used very often.
Quote leads can lead to distortion—the
reporter pulls one quote out of the story
and slaps it at the top, and sometimes it
changes the meaning.
Question leads contain no information,
they simply ask a question
Some Criteria to Evaluate Leads
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Does the lead summarize the main facts of
the story in one or two sentences?
Is it written in a succinct and direct, yet
interesting way?
Does the lead avoid expressing the
writer’s opinion?
Has the writer avoided beginning with a
question or a quote?
Is the lead correctly punctuated and free
from capitalization and spelling errors?
Assignment
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Cut out 7 leads and beginning of stories
(about the first 4 paragraphs).
Glue/tape the leads onto typing paper.
Write a paragraph (3-5 sentences) next to
each lead describing why the lead is
good/not good, suggestions to make the
lead better, how the lead is written
(summary, question, quote, creative, etc.)
Complete the Lead Worksheet