1. The primary purpose of the assignment is to acquaint the student with the various kinds of story leads which are used in magazine writing.
2. In theory there must be countless numbers of leads available to the master writer. However, for the purpose of simplicity and the brevity of this course, your instructor has condensed the field into 18 different categories. The list of examples is at the bottom of the page.
3. Read and study that list of 18 leads. Select three out of the 18 which, in your judgment, would be most applicable to the first magazine article that you plan to write.
4. The part of this assignment which you will return has two parts:
5. What is a lead?
A lead is the first paragraph or two of an article. It is designed to generate interest on the part of the reader to make him/her want to read the entire story.
In a summary news story, the lead tells who, what, when, where, and why. However, in a magazine article, some of these elements may be omitted until later, particularly if the writer wants to hide some of the essential facts to create suspense. This is so
A lead is the introduction to the body of the story. In the next lesson, we shall address the method of developing the story body. At that point, you will be ready to attempt your first rough draft.
One of the most efficient methods of preparing for this exercise is to read and study the leads written by other authors. Several hours analyzing the work in several popular and specialized publication, particularly the one(s) to which you plan to submit
Please realize that every magazine has its own style. Study the way the articles are presented, phrased and developed. Ask yourself questions such as: how big are the words used, how long are the sentences, how many sentences per paragraph? Also, is a des
The lead entices the reader into the feature story and captures his/her interest. Leads, like one ant attacking the potato salad at a picnic, can not do the job alone. The lead is only part of a whole and needs adept writing along with an effective story
The following leads are examples of the most commonly used kinds. Variations abound. Create your own and mix them freely with story types.
1. Allusion lead, literary or historical: This lead attempts to t:ie in the theme of the feature story with a literary or historical event, comparing and contrasting the two. Example: (HISTORICAL) Custer fought his last stand 100 years ago. Henry Yarrow f
2. Astonisher lead: Also called a punch or cartridge lead, the astonisher sums up in a startling, often contradictory approach, the essence of the story. Example: John Williams always wanted to soar like a bird. Tuesday he did.
3. Blind lead: Here the writer delays identification of a person, group or event. He may use the suspended interest form, delaying the identification until the end of the story, or he may reveal the identity in the lead. Examples: The man shifted on his f
4. Box score lead: This approach is sometimes used to sum up the context of a complicated event in a few words. Example: (REGARDING A POLICE SHOOT OUT WITH BANK ROBBERS) Police, three. Bank robbers, none.
5. Cause effect lead: Here a cause is linked to an effect. If the cause is old and the effect is new, the result is an anachronism. Example: Henry Ford's industrial engineers told him the answer to high manufacturing costs was something called an assembly
6. Contrast and comparison lead: Essentially, this lead is the same kind of creature as the cause effect lead, with the difference being that the contrast and comparison lead compares items of a like nature, whether they are related in time or not. Exampl
7. Descriptive lead: With this lead, you simply describe something. Example: The house stank, stank like 100 feet of mildewed rope had been burned in the living room. The ceiling stank, the couch reeked. Samson sat back into the deeply upholstered chair,
8. Dialogue lead: Dialogue, usually quotes out of context from within the body of the story, is used to tease the audience into reading the feature. The dialogue is often set in bold face or italic type. Example: "The client's request is impossible," he s
9. Diary lead: The diary technique, keeping a daily record for a period of time, is sometimes used to dramatically begin a feature. Example: Tuesday, the l9th of June. I met the president of the United States today.
10. Direct address lead: In this instance, the writer, without using direct quotation marks, addresses the reader. Example: Relax, kids! You have a friend at the Denver Police Station.
11. Enumeration lead: This lead lists, or enumerates the facts or figures relative to a story. Example: The Dodgers won it that time, 18 to 4. It was the only time that season.
12. Epigram lead: This one, thankfully, is used very rarely. An epigram is a short, witty saying. The epigram lead is a short, witty line usually tied to a matching sentence comparing or contrasting the epigram. Example: A rolling stone gathers no moss.
13. Irony lead: The irony lead is the heaviest weapon in the word arsenal. Irony spotlights the difference between things as they should be and things as they are. Example: The president of the United States spoke Tuesday about the need for government con
14. Parody lead: This lead is similar to the epigram lead, but uses a parody instead. A parody is a satirical imitation of a line in a motion picture, book of musical composition. Example: Little Miss Muffet soon had to tough it, and she took it on the la
15. Prediction lead: This lead predicts a future event. Example: The automobile airbag will eventually replace the seat belt in your family car, say the people who know the automobile safety business.
16. Question lead: This one uses a question, either in the form of a direct, indirect or partial quotation, to begin the story. Example: Will your daughter be drafted in the 1990's?
17. Striking statement lead: Short but dynamic! Example: Tests indicate that he is pregnant, the physician said.
18. Quotation lead: With this lead, you use a direct, indirect or partial statement to open the story. Use sparingly.