Monthly Archives: May 2021
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induction 2021-2023 cohort
The inverted pyramid
https://writingcooperative.com/how-to-structure-an-article-the-inverted-pyramid-8fa0c165fcae
Credit: Ohio State Press
The lead
The above diagram says it better than I ever could. You begin with your lead (or lede), which explains the what, where, when, how and who of the story. This is where you paint a short picture about your story and include the critical piece of information that’ll keep readers reading (ie the ‘hook’).
After this you next move onto act 2: The body.
The body
Here, you build your arguments and make your points. Provide more detail. Throw in some quotes. Add in your journalistic opinion to create a little controversy. Whatever it is, this is your main story.
The tail
Finally, you end on the tail (in content marketing, we call this a kicker). If the reader wants to do more research or find out more about what you’re writing, where should they go? Provide this extra reading last.
Further Reading
THE NUTGRAPH
In journalism, the nut graf is a paragraph that explains the context of the story. The term can be spelled many different ways. In many news stories, the essential facts of a story are included in the lead, the first sentence or two of a story. Wikipedia
PATHOS & BATHOS
Pathos appeals to the emotions of the audience and elicits feelings that already reside in them. Pathos is a communication technique used most often in rhetoric, as well as in literature, film and other narrative art. Wikipedia
Bathos (especially in a literary work) an effect of anticlimax created by an unintentional lapse in mood from the sublime to the trivial or ridiculous.