Writing News Stories

1. Writing News Stories

2. Good news stories need CPR • C stands for conflict • There is conflict in a person fighting a disease, a handicap, an idea • Conflict goes against stereotypes (i.e. a football player who studies ballet, the only girl in math class, the custodian who has a PhD.) • Conflict is part of most significant news

3. CPR for news stories • P is for people • Writers need to ask, “How interesting is the person I’m writing about? How can I show this? • Put a person in the story the reader will care about, that he can relate to and identify with.

4. More CPR • R stands for relevance. • Readers are interested in stories about their community and people connected to their interests. • The story must be interesting to the readersThe writer is not writing to entertain himself.

5. Writing the lead • Writer has three seconds, or one inchof newsprint, to capture the reader’s attention. • “I want stories to startle and engage me within the first few sentences, and in their middle to widen or deepen or sharpen my knowledge of human activity, and to end by giving me a sensation of completed statement.” John Updike

6. Fiction is written inpyramid style. The story slowly builds until the climax The reader doesn’t know the outcome until the end of the novel, or story. Fiction writing Introduction Episodes that build story Most important part of the story (Climax)

7. News story & inverted pyramid Most important information Lead Body Story is developed • End Can be cut off if necessary Because of limited space, the last part of stories is often cut off. Do not put any critical information at the end!

8. News stories • Readers want to know in the first minute of reading: what happened, who was involved, when it happened, why, and the outcome. • This is the opposite of fiction writing. • The news story tells the climax in the lead. • Busy readers do not have time to wade through a novel to find out what happened.

9. Writing a good story • The work of good writers doesn’thappen at the computer. • The most important work starts in your head with a very clear idea of why you are writing a story and what you want the story to do.

10. Convert a fiction story to news • Select one of the following stories and write it as a news story • The Three Bears • The Three Little Pigs • The Ugly Duckling • Little Red Riding Hood • Cinderella Change fiction to news writing

11. Answer 5 “W’s” and “H” • What is the most important thing that happened in the story? • Who did it happen to? • When did it happen? • Where did it happen? • Why did it happen? • How did it happen?

12. Write the lead first • What is the most significant thing readers will want to know. Put that first. • Answer at least three of the previous questions in your lead. • Add additional facts in the second and third paragraphs.

13. Write your story • Be prepared to share your story. • You will be submitting this assignment for grading. • Samples are included on the EHS newspaper site.